Forest Service Approves Taos for 60% Lift-Served Terrain Expansion

Forest Service has approved a plan to expand Taos’ lift-served terrain by 60 percent. Taos has claimed that it needs more of a high alpine expert experience to remain competitive with neighboring ski resorts in Colorado. More than half of Taos’ current hike-to terrain would become lift served under the plan, but access to the resort’s Highline Ridge would remain for hikers only.

What the Plan Includes 

• Two new lifts to access high alpine terrain. Ridge lift would be an 800-foot fixed grip quad that would eliminate the hike to the West Basin Ridge. Main Street Lift would be a 2,560 foot fixed grip triple that would terminate at 12,450 feet of elevation, just below the summit of Kachina Peak.
• Upgrades to three Lifts.  Lift 4 will be upgraded to a high-speed detachable quad, as will Lift 5. Lift 7 in the center of the resort will be upgraded from a fixed-grip triple to a fixed-grip quad.
• Two new gladed areas will be thinned. 32 acres in the Wild West Glades, and roughly 40 acres of forest in the Minnesotas Glades.
• 3.6 miles of mountain biking trails from the top of Lift 1 to the base area.
• New Snow Tubing Area on  Strawberry Hill.