Albuquerque To Taos And Back In The Same Day? (Santa Fe: rentals, hotel) - New Mexico (NM) - City-Data Forum

nonexpat · 11-24-2011, 01:27 PM

I promised the kids and their out-of-town friend we would take them skiing in Santa Fe over Thanksgiving on Friday. It turns out Santa Fe's ski hill is delaying its opening, so I called Taos, thinking it was only about two hours away and the lady at the ski school desk said it takes three hours, so we need to leave at 6:00 am to get there in time.

Meanwhile, while running errands yesterday and buying ski jackets, various people told me it takes more like 4- 41/2 hours because of winding mountain roads etc. to get to the Taos ski basin.

We don't want to stay at a hotel because this is very last minute, and we have a dog to at home that a neighbor will let out and feed for the day.

How crazy am I to do this in one day?

Dogmama50 · 11-24-2011, 02:35 PM

It think it's more like 3 hours, but that's still an awful lot of driving for one day.

Zoidberg · 11-24-2011, 03:34 PM

Pretty crazy. Wife does same day turnaround on occasion, but even she is loath to try the canyon south after the sun goes down, particularly in winter.

Planning on skiing for 33 minutes?

urbanabq · 11-24-2011, 04:26 PM

I used to do the drive up to Taos for a day of skiing. With good weather it takes a little more than 3 hours. The drive back was always a little long with aching, tired legs, though. But it's certainly possible.

nonexpat · 11-24-2011, 05:17 PM

Thank you all for the feedback. I am a real chicken when it comes to driving winding, slippery mountain roads. I'm from Wisconsin--land of ice and snow, but there aren't any sheer drop-offs there. The last ten years have been spent in flat and snow-free Texas. Hopefully, we can get out of there with some daylight left.

nonexpat · 11-26-2011, 09:02 AM

Well, the problem was solved when my husband's alarm didn't go off, and we woke up at 6:30 rather than the needed 4:30. We took the kids sledding at Hyde State Park instead and they had a great time.

aries63 · 11-26-2011, 06:03 PM

This is late, but on any given day I bet a large percentage of skiers at Taos have driven up from Albuquerque for the day. When I used to do this I sure didn't get up at 4:30, or even 6:30. I just did a half day of skiing in the afternoon and came back, stopping in Santa Fe for a dinner break. There was nothing "crazy" about it. Now, if you have screaming kids all the way that could be crazy. Don't do it! I would make them wait until Sandia opens, or until they're old enough to drive themselves to Taos.

The road to Taos Ski Area is not scary at all, IMO, unless it's snowing heavily when you get there.

nonexpat · 11-27-2011, 08:11 AM

Thanks aries63. These kids had never skied before, so we wanted them to have group lessons which began about 9:30 am. There is a great deal for beginners--80 dollars for ski rental, lift ticket and an all-day lesson.

joqua · 11-27-2011, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nonexpat

Thanks aries63. These kids had never skied before, so we wanted them to have group lessons which began about 9:30 am. There is a great deal for beginners--80 dollars for ski rental, lift ticket and an all-day lesson.

When renting ski gear the time involved for that needs to allowed for if planning to be at ski lessons on time. Much better to arrive a day ahead of time, rent the ski equipment the day before and be ready to go on lesson day (IME). Fighting the crowds for ski rentals on the morning of the lessons can be a downer, especially on busy weekends.

Kids today are usually more interested in snow boards - again - IME. Snowboard rentals are a much easier proposition, especially if the kids already have a decent pair of boots.

GregW · 11-28-2011, 09:14 AM

I agree with Joqua. Pushing for time will ruin the experience.