Taos Ski Valley took to social media on February 13, 2024 with an announcement that powder hounds and big mountain skiers have been waiting for: Kachina Peak is OPEN.
By opening the lift, and the subsequent terrain, Taos joins Crested Butte in recently announcing that 100% of their terrain is open. See the social media post below:
Kachina Peak looms over Taos' adjacent terrain like the fictional K-12 in John Cusack's Better Off Dead.
It beckons adventurous skiers looking to test themselves on big mountain terrain. All conveniently accessed by a chairlift, mind you.
The lift only opens when conditions align- there needs to be enough snow on the ground, and said snow needs to be stable enough for the masses to safely enjoy.
Taos Ski Valley has received 21 inches of new snow in the last seven days, and 136 inches of snow so far this season.
Julian Carr, professional skier and one of POWDER Magazine's newest contributors, was recently in Taos chasing a storm that brought more than 30 inches of "blower" pow.
Check out his blistering Taos powder POV below (published February 9th, 2024), and click here to check out his work that he regularly publishes to his personal POWDER channel.
The storm is eerily reminiscent to an early February storm in 2022 that dumped nearly four feet of dry snow to Taos. I was fortunate to be there with my friends and former employers at Unofficial Networks.
I skied three unbelievable days of waist deep powder as ski patrol gradually opened more terrain, but Kachina Peak didn't open until the day after I left.
Delaying my flight until later in the week is something that I'll never forgive myself for.
Have fun in the powder, and stay safe out there, friends!
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