It has been suggested that this article should be split into articles titled Taos Ski Valley (Ski Area) and Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico . (discuss) (September 2021) |
Taos Ski Valley | |||||||||||||||||
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Location in the United States Location in New Mexico | |||||||||||||||||
Coordinates: 36°35′52″N105°26′42″W / 36.59778°N 105.44500°W | |||||||||||||||||
Country | United States | ||||||||||||||||
State | New Mexico | ||||||||||||||||
County | Taos | ||||||||||||||||
Government | |||||||||||||||||
• Type | Elected city council | ||||||||||||||||
• Mayor Pro-tem | Tom Wittman | ||||||||||||||||
• Village Administrator | John Avila | ||||||||||||||||
Area | |||||||||||||||||
• Total | 2.85 sq mi (7.39 km2) | ||||||||||||||||
• Land | 2.85 sq mi (7.39 km2) | ||||||||||||||||
• Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) | ||||||||||||||||
Elevation | 9,321 ft (2,841 m) | ||||||||||||||||
Population | |||||||||||||||||
• Total | 77 | ||||||||||||||||
• Density | 27.00/sq mi (10.42/km2) | ||||||||||||||||
Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) | ||||||||||||||||
• Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) | ||||||||||||||||
ZIP code | 87525 | ||||||||||||||||
Area code | 575 | ||||||||||||||||
FIPS code | 35-76480 | ||||||||||||||||
GNIS feature ID | 0899303 | ||||||||||||||||
Website | https://taosskivalley.com/ and https://www.skitaos.com/ | ||||||||||||||||
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Taos Ski Valley is a village and alpine ski resort in the southwestern United States, located in Taos County, New Mexico. The population was 69 at the 2010 census. Until March 19, 2008, it was one of four ski resorts in America to prohibit snowboarding. [3] [4] The Kachina lift, constructed in 2014, serves one of the highest elevations of any triple chair in North America, to a peak of 12,481 feet (3,804 m) above sea level.[ citation needed ]
The village was originally settled by a group of miners in the 1800s, but in 1955, Ernie and Rhoda Blake founded the area as a ski mountain. [5] [6] The village was incorporated in 1996.
In 2013, Taos Ski Valley, Inc., was sold by the founding family to billionaire conservationist Louis Bacon. [7] It has 110 trails with 24% beginner, 25% intermediate, and 51% advanced/expert. The Ernie Blake Snowsports School is one of the highest rated ski schools in North America. [8]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2), all land.
Taos Ski Valley is one of the highest municipalities in the US, [9] sited at an elevation of 9,321 feet (2,841 m); however, the village limits reach 12,581 feet (3,835 m) and the highest residential dwelling is at 10,350 feet (3,155 m). Kachina Village, also at over 10,350 feet, houses Bavarian Restaurant and two condo complexes and accommodates six permanent residents and visitors in 30 condo units; 70–80 home sites are planned for development. Wheeler Peak, the tallest mountain in New Mexico at 13,161 feet (4,011 m), overlooks the village.
The village is completely surrounded by Carson National Forest, including bordering designated wilderness.
Taos Ski Valley receives around 300 inches (762 cm) a year. [10] Taos Powderhorn is a SNOTEL weather station situated in the Taos Valley ski resort, near Kachina peak, at an elevation of 11057 feet (3370m). Taos Powderhorn has a subalpine climate (Köppen Dfc).
Climate data for Taos Powderhorn, New Mexico, 2011–2020 normals: 11057ft (3370m) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 28.9 (−1.7) | 29.4 (−1.4) | 37.2 (2.9) | 42.1 (5.6) | 50.0 (10.0) | 63.5 (17.5) | 64.6 (18.1) | 62.4 (16.9) | 56.6 (13.7) | 46.1 (7.8) | 36.2 (2.3) | 28.5 (−1.9) | 45.5 (7.5) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 22.5 (−5.3) | 22.7 (−5.2) | 29.6 (−1.3) | 34.3 (1.3) | 41.7 (5.4) | 54.2 (12.3) | 56.1 (13.4) | 54.4 (12.4) | 49.2 (9.6) | 39.5 (4.2) | 29.9 (−1.2) | 22.3 (−5.4) | 38.0 (3.4) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 16.1 (−8.8) | 16.0 (−8.9) | 22.0 (−5.6) | 26.5 (−3.1) | 33.4 (0.8) | 44.9 (7.2) | 47.7 (8.7) | 46.4 (8.0) | 41.8 (5.4) | 32.9 (0.5) | 23.7 (−4.6) | 16.2 (−8.8) | 30.6 (−0.8) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.09 (78) | 3.78 (96) | 4.07 (103) | 4.10 (104) | 2.28 (58) | 0.82 (21) | 2.85 (72) | 3.09 (78) | 3.36 (85) | 3.74 (95) | 3.22 (82) | 3.81 (97) | 38.21 (969) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 56.0 (142) | 73.6 (187) | 68.8 (175) | 12.8 (33) | 6.3 (16) | 0.9 (2.3) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 7.0 (18) | 22.2 (56) | 60.8 (154) | 308.4 (783.3) |
Source 1: XMACIS2 [11] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: NOAA (Precipitation) [12] |
In the 1800s, present-day Taos Ski Valley was the site of a small copper mining town called Twining, New Mexico, though it was later abandoned. Present day Taos Ski Valley was founded in 1955 by Ernie and Rhoda Blake. They lived in an eleven-foot camper in the absence of any buildings in the area except almost-completed Hondo Lodge (now Snakedance Condominiums). Even after moving into the lodge, they lived without power until 1963. Ernie and Rhoda had been living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ernie was managing the Santa Fe Ski Basin.
The first ski lift, a J-bar, was installed in 1956. Until 1957, the ski resort featured only one ski slope, Snakedance. In 1957, the resort installed a second lift—a Poma (platter) lift. [13] Blake was for a time involved in the day-to-day management of the resort, answering the phone and telling prospective visitors whether the skiing was expected to be good in advance of weekend trips.
In December 2013, the billionaire Louis Bacon purchased Taos Ski Valley from the Blake family, who had owned it since 1954. [14]
In 2018, Taos Ski Valley, Inc. started Taos Air, a virtual airline which operated scheduled public air charter service at Taos Regional Airport during ski season. Taos Air began operations to destinations in Texas, offering shuttle service between the airport and the resort, with the Town of Taos providing terminal access, marketing, de-icing service, and a hangar. [15] [16] In 2020, destinations in California were added. [17]
Tourism is the village's main industry. As of the 2011–2012 season Taos Ski Valley Corporation employed approximately 700 people during winter months. In an average year $47 million are spent in the local economy of Taos Ski Valley. About $12 million is from ski operations alone. The community is a popular summer and fall vacation destination.[ citation needed ] In 2005, 55 businesses operated in Taos Ski Valley. Lodging options include hotels, private home rentals, condominiums and alpine styled bed and breakfasts. The town of Taos, located 30 minutes drive down the canyon, provides year-round services.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | 56 | — | |
2010 | 69 | 23.2% | |
2020 | 77 | 11.6% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [18] [2] |
As of the 2010 census, [19] the Village held 69 people and 272 housing units, with only 14.3% occupied. From 2000 to 2010 population increased 23.2%. The population density was 28.75 inhabitants per square mile (11.10/km2). The racial makeup was 75.4% White and 24.6% Hispanic or Latino.
In 2000, 12.5% of 32 households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% were married couples living together, while 59.4% were non-families. 46.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.75 and the average family size was 2.46.
Only 4.3% were under age 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 50.0% from 45 to 64, and 1.8% who were 65 years or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 166.7 males. The ratio of males to females was 1.66.
The median household income was $67,708, and the median income for a family was $103,422. Males had a median income of $65,833 versus $24,375 for females. The per capita income for the village was $43,143. None of the population were below the poverty line.
Almost all of the CDP is within Taos Municipal Schools, with a very small remainder in Questa Independent Schools. [20] The former operates Taos High School.
Telluride is the county seat and most populous town of San Miguel County in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Colorado. The town is a former silver mining camp on the San Miguel River in the western San Juan Mountains. The first gold mining claim was made in the mountains above Telluride in 1875, and early settlement of what is now Telluride followed. The town was founded in 1878 as "Columbia", but due to confusion with a California town of the same name, was renamed Telluride in 1887 for the gold telluride minerals found in other parts of Colorado. These telluride minerals were never found near Telluride, but the area's mines for some years provided zinc, lead, copper, silver, and other gold ores.
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Ernie Blake, originally Ernst Hermann Bloch, was the German-American founder, together with his wife Rhoda, of Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico. He was born in Germany, grew up in Switzerland and went to university in Germany and Switzerland before emigrating to the US in 1938. He worked for US military intelligence during World War II, when he assisted in the interrogation of the leading Nazis Hermann Göring and Albert Speer. His code name was Ernie Blake, and after the war, he chose it as his real name.
Taos Air is a virtual airline that operates seasonal scheduled public air charter service between Taos Regional Airport in Taos, New Mexico and several airports in California and Texas. The airline is owned by Taos Ski Valley, Inc. Service to Texas began in the 2018–2019 winter season while the 2019–2020 winter season saw the introduction of California routes. The carrier operated Fairchild Dornier 328JETs from 2018 through summer 2022 then switched to Embraer 135 regional jets operated by JSX Air beginning with the 2022–2023 winter ski season.
Ski Santa Fe or Santa Fe Ski Basin is a medium-sized ski resort located in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States, 16 miles east of the state capital of Santa Fe. It includes 8 lifts and 88 runs at elevations of over 10,000 feet (3,000 m). It is the southernmost major ski resort of the Rocky Mountains, and one of the oldest and highest in the nation.
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