Take the plunge

TAOS, N.M. - "Don't Panic," famous sign at the foot of Taos Ski Valley reads.

The motto, erected decades ago by ski-area founder Ernie Blake, is meant to comfort novice skiers gazing up at steep bump runs that plunge to the base, but these days it could serve as a message to calm everyone here, because the legendary skier-only mountain is poised to open to snowboarders March 19.

North America has only four ski areas that don't allow snowboarding. They sit in geographic isolation, like tiny communist states still clinging to the dogma long after larger comrades have gone to the other side. They generally cite preserving snow and tranquility as the main reasons for banning boards.

With Taos falling, don't look for a domino effect. In a snow culture where integration has long been the norm, the other skier-only mountains staunchly swear they have no plans to change. Mad River Glen in Vermont even put out a news release to address boarders queries, saying, 'Don't hold your breath.'

Even at Taos, it's hardly a velvet revolution. Outcry from Taos faithful has been fierce. Epithets have been hurled. Low-level grumbling is encountered on seemingly every chair. Some have vowed to never return. But the family who owns the mountain says that at a time when snowboarders account for almost half of lift tickets sold nationwide, Taos must evolve or risk extinction.

"We've made a lot of people angry," said Adriana Blake, 37, Ernie Blake's granddaughter and the mountain's director of marketing, on a recent tour of the mountain. "We've had people who've sold their homes here because of it. But we've had people buy homes here, too. It's definitely the end of an era, which is a little sad, but ultimately, it's a good thing."

Not everyone agrees. Longtime skiers have responded with a mix of disbelief, resignation, anger and fear.

"It was a sad day when you announced snowboarding, Ernie Blake probably rolled over in his grave!" one man said in a comment posted almost immediately on a blog set up in December by Taos to announce the change. "You bummed me out as well. Your worst troubles are yet to come, and hopefully the little dirtbags will ruin it for themselves."

At most ski areas, the renegade-dirtbag image snowboarders were tagged with in the early 1990s faded long ago as riders of all ages and attitudes mixed peacefully with skiers. Resorts have gone out of their way to attract boarders, building continually bigger and more elaborate terrain parks. Snowboarders, in turn, have contributed to skiing, pioneering the shaped side-cut and twin-tip designs that many credit with giving skiing new life.

But at Taos Ski Valley, one-board "knuckle draggers" are still often viewed as huns who will ravage the slopes if not carefully policed.

Riding up the lift on a recent morning, Debbie Grolshe, 46, repeated the concern voiced by many that snowboarders would collide with skiers and, even worse, ruin the best snow. "Maybe if they were just allowed on one lift, and not all the lifts, that wouldn't be so bad," she said.

Others skiing at the resort suggested letting snowboarders on the mountain only late in the year, or requiring them to pass a test before being granted access to the best skiing. But since 2000, the skier numbers have dwindled by 1 million, while boarders have grown by the same amount, according to Snowsports Industries America.

Adriana Blake said it's time to treat snowboarders as full equals.

"These days, most skiing families have at least one snowboarder," she said. "We were losing those families. They wouldn't come here."

She said that while other skier-only areas are next to other resorts (Utah's Alta and Deer Valley have nine neighbors; Vermont's Mad River Glen has 14) where they can use the board ban to cash in on a niche market, Taos sits in relative isolation.

"We have to be all things to all people or they won't come," Blake said. "And that's what we're seeing."

- Steep history

Shedding the skier-only label won't exactly bring Taos into the ski-area mainstream.

In an industry dominated by multimountain corporations, Taos remains a small, family-run area with limited amenities catering to snow-riding purists.

Its chutes are known for testing experts, no matter what their feet are strapped to. A popular bumper sticker in the parking lot sums it up: "Taos: a four letter word for steep."

The mountain was started by Swissborn Ernie Blake in 1955 after he'd spotted what looked like the snowiest basin in New Mexico while flying over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in a single-engine plane. He convinced his family to move to the lonely valley in an 11-foot trailer. The first lift was installed by mule.

Many people said the basin was too steep for skiing and too remote to draw crowds.

The criticisms eventually became the mountain's biggest assets as Taos became known for hairy black diamonds, an uncrowded, unspoiled feel, and the antics of Blake himself.

Until his death in 1989, Blake made it a policy to hide martini-filled flasks under certain trees, where guests could stop for refreshment. (The tradition continues to this day.) He often walked around the base in a rumpled hat that said "Janitor" even though he owned the place. And when innovations such as high-speed lifts, rampant real estate development and snowboarding came along, Blake said "nah."

In most respects, Blake's family has upheld tradition. Mickey Blake, who is now president, and the grandkids, Adriana and Alejandro, who help manage the mountain, have done little to develop the area. Adriana wears a badge on her work jacket that says "Janitor in training." But last summer, the grandkids decided it was time to let snowboarders in.

"It became really obvious we were losing families to the snowboarding ban, and we knew we'd have to talk to Dad about it," Adriana Blake said. "We made this big battle plan with numbers to back everything up, and went in ready for a fight."

She paused and laughed.

"My dad just said ‘Sure,'" she said. "It was almost like getting up the courage to tell your parents you've wrecked the family car, and them just saying ‘No big deal.'"

- Swing of things

Adriana Blake doesn't think it will be a big deal. The mountain has small adjustments to make, such as adding benches for snowboarders near the lift lines and expanding the ski school to teach the next generation of shredders.

Scores of snowboarders, especially in New Mexico, have written in to say "thank you."

Taos expects a 10 percent increase in visitors.

What won't change is the mountain's legendary steeps.

At the top of the Reforma Lift on a recent snowy morning, a constant line of people slung skis over their shoulders and trudged up a path to "the ridge," a hike-to phalanx of near-vertical powder plunges.

Many of the hikers were young guys with saggy, baggy pants and a jump-offanything riding style inspired by snowboarding.

"Just as many skiers as snowboarders are punks," said Jeff Boyd, 21, who had flown from Vermont for a week of skiing. "The snowboarder thing really isn't an issue for us. I don't think it's an issue for anyone our age. We grew up with it. We have friends who are snowboarders. It's not a big deal. But I don't know how many snowboarders will be into this stuff."

What attracted Boyd wasn't the lack of snowboarders, it was the abundance of double black runs.

Adriana Blake said that won't change.

"This mountain kind of chooses you, and that will be just as true of snowboarders as it is of skiers."

It's impossible to be sure this was the best move, she said.

"I lie in bed sometimes thinking, ‘Did I ruin my family's life? Are there going to be fistfights on the slope?'"

But there seem to be favorable omens.

The day her grandfather died it snowed six feet in 48 hours. It is still known as the Ernie Storm. This year storm after storm has dropped near record amounts of snow, including 68 inches in three days shortly after they announced the end of the snowboarding ban.

"It's almost as if Ernie is saying ‘right on,'" she said.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0223 or dave.philipps@gazette.com


TAOS RIDER'S GUIDE

Taos Ski Valley opens to snowboarders March 19 with a week of festivities including live music and a beer fest. See the full schedule at ridetaos.org.

Is it worth it?: Yes, if you like world-class steeps, rock drops and hike-to powder. If cruiser blue runs or big terrain parks are more your thing, skip it.

Drive time from Colorado Springs: 3 hours, 50 minutes

Ticket: $63

Free ticket: Anyone with a season pass for Copper/Winter Park, Crested Butte, Durango Mountain Resort or Telluride gets three free days at Taos.

What to ride: Any and all of the hike-to stuff at the top of Reforma Lift, plus sheltered powder stashes such as Lorelei Trees.

What to avoid: White Feather, a sometimes crowded, narrow catwalk that leads to the base.

How to find the fabled martini trees: Play it cool during a private ski lesson, and maybe your instructor will show you.

More info: skitaos.org