Blakes sell Taos to billionaire land baron Louis Bacon

[ill-advised strategy]

I was pretty upset to hear about this.

Fuck it though, what do I know. Maybe it will be fine, maybe it'll be better. Time will tell.

[raisingarizona13]

Once again the new ownership is out of your control but getting the boundaries opened up may be worth a fight? I dunno, I haven't even skied there yet but cred would be boosted if they had an open boundary policy for sure. Either way it's a place I need to ski, it looks amazing and I do envy your in bounds terrain, here we work really hard for any thing like that and we often ski shit snow but between about 5 of us regulars we don't really have to share and that is pretty cool imho.

[AdironRider]

I was pretty upset to hear about this.

Fuck it though, what do I know. Maybe it will be fine, maybe it'll be better. Time will tell.

This thread really highlights how most skiers hear change and automatically presume it means the end of the world. Never has, never will. People bitched when ASC sold Killington, even though they were fucking bankrupt and the other alternative was close.

This is bar none, THE BEST PERSON THEY COULD HAVE SOLD THE PLACE TO. Billionaire, no desire to develop, only improve on mountain terrain and lifts. This is TGR's dream owner and sure enough you bitch like little babies.

[raisingarizona13]

This thread really highlights how most skiers hear change and automatically presume it means the end of the world. Never has, never will. People bitched when ASC sold Killington, even though they were fucking bankrupt and the other alternative was close.

This is bar none, THE BEST PERSON THEY COULD HAVE SOLD THE PLACE TO. Billionaire, no desire to develop, only improve on mountain terrain and lifts. This is TGR's dream owner and sure enough you bitch like little babies.

Skiers? Fuck I think that is just a human reaction! Change = stress and we humans don't like it!

I'm weird, I love some change and progression but I'm often ridiculed for these stances. Whatever.

[raisingarizona13]

No, all I meant was that a "Wilderness" designation brings forth responses that are similar to religious responses. I wasn't comparing "holy" or "spiritual" or "religious" as amongst tribes.

-------------

There are still a few cheap condos up there, anybody want to form a ski club and buy one?

Ah yes, I have heard people compare the Sierra Club to religious organizations but that still doesn't hold a stance, back country skiing is a non motorized activity and incredibly low impact to the environment so now what's the hold up?

[Shredgar]

Be glad it isn't Talisker. The article says he's been an owner of base area property for 17 years. Based on this I'm betting he gets it. Plus hedge fund billionaire = doesn't need to please stock shareholders with quarterly results. I love Taos, reminds me of Alta. Let me tell you about spring break senior year @the abominable snow mansion...

[Atrain505]

The old stomping grounds. Haven't been back in a long time. Hopefully it keeps the vibe that made it special. I've always said if Taos had consistent snowfall I would have based out of there. Whistler is a good substitute.

[maddog]

I believe the issue with the Indian land is that it is the water shed for Taos Pueblo. The stream that runs out of the mountains and through the pueblo is the only drinking water the people in the pueblo have. Naturally, they want to keep it as clean as possible which means keeping people out.
As far as access into Wheeler Peak Wilderness.... Sounds pretty cool, but If you think douche bags skiing off the ridge is scary, wait til they start skiing out the gates.

[Lani]

It doesn't necessarily seem like a bad thing.

Kachina is always last to open (that might change) and all the best lines will still require a hike.

The closed boundary doesn't bother me at all. The touring in the basin above the ski area is excellent. And there's hardly ever anybody up there. The access is already ridiculously good.

A few shots of Micah from some tours last spring....

[raisingarizona13]

It doesn't necessarily seem like a bad thing.

Kachina is always last to open (that might change) and all the best lines will still require a hike.

The closed boundary doesn't bother me at all. The touring in the basin above the ski area is excellent. And there's hardly ever anybody up there. The access is already ridiculously good.

Nice! I really need to get out there. It looks awesome.

[neckdeep]

This thread really highlights how most skiers hear change and automatically presume it means the end of the world. Never has, never will. People bitched when ASC sold Killington, even though they were fucking bankrupt and the other alternative was close.

This is bar none, THE BEST PERSON THEY COULD HAVE SOLD THE PLACE TO. Billionaire, no desire to develop, only improve on mountain terrain and lifts. This is TGR's dream owner and sure enough you bitch like little babies.

Too true. The death knell of a ski resort's glory days is when it is accquired by a publicly held corporation that uses leverage to obtain it. The combined pressures of servicing debt and generously rewarding an executive group all while proping up the company's share price make repeated rounds of pointless expansions and real estate developments inevitable. You got the best possible outcome. Take a deep breath, close your eyes and imagine Taos in the hands of VailCorp. Exhale....there, feel a little better now?

[SILENCER]

Some random thoughts...

Taos is my favorite mountain anywhere. Many in this thread seem to dig it too. That's a good sign when people care about a place so much that these types of replies, or even worry, come out. It's better than apathy, right? I know nothing about Mr Bacon other than what I've read, but if he's got any shred of intelligence he's realizing that he's not only purchasing a mountain, but he's purchasing a formula that largely works. My guess is that he would hesitate with screwing with that formula very much. He could do quite a bit to simply improve the existing infrastructure (lifts, ticket scanning, etc) and not screw up the vibe. I don't foresee seas of condos either. Taos has built its destination reputation on a very strong comparison to a European village and mountain. Would be simply dumb to turn it into anything else.

Yes, I'm not a fan of a lift up Kachina either. I would imagine Mr Bacon would have many other things to improve first though, we may have a stay of execution. Just my guess.

I think the reaction I'm reading here is very much a threat to our nostalgic love of Taos. Ernie Blake is a folklore legend in the ski world, certainly in the US. I have a Taos poster with his image on it on my ski wall at home fer chrissakes! I love family owned businesses, passing down through the generations, etc. But Ernie was the original visionary, and it is probably safe to say that the ski world/industry has changed significantly since Taos was founded. And it sounds like the family wasn't up to the challenge and/or simply didn't have the resources. So rather than hold onto it for worse and drag it through the mud, they did a smart thing and found someone who has a vested interest and love of the place too. I haven't researched Mr Bacon's conservation record, but it comes up in every press release. That's something dear to me with skiing in general, environmental impact. On the surface...they could have done MUCH worse.

But yes, we hate change and the exit of our heroes (and their family in this case). But the Blake's still will be on the board and helping steer their father's vision. That calms me a bit. I am sad for the end of an era, yes. But the area would have changed had the Blake's kept it and actually had money. Who knows what they would have done? Maybe it will take someone outside the immediate circle to come up with the best plan forward?

I'm keeping my fingers crossed and being cautiously optimistic. I guess I have to, there are frighteningly few place like Taos in North America. It's very sacred to me too.

[SILENCER]

And furthermore, any steep skiing lovers in a three state radius who haven't yet should get to Taos ASAP. Amazing terrain, cheap tickets, awesome vibe, killer views....and amazing food.

[2turntables]

And furthermore, any steep skiing lovers in a three state radius who haven't yet should get to Taos ASAP. Amazing terrain, cheap tickets, awesome vibe, killer views....and amazing food.

And it's an amazing winter in northern NM, this year. 9 of my 13 days skiing have been deep powder days! Taos is looking so good this year!

[strawjack]

^exactly! Taos fucking rocks! In bounds terrain (that you have to hike to) is incredibly rad and steep. The place is just epic.

The elephant in the room here is the fact they delayed allowing snowboarding for way too long. A place like Alta can get away with it because they have a monster city down the street.

[hortence]

Word on the street has it that up in Taos there is a movida to have the airport expanded. Don't know if it's true.

I know almost nothing about ski area economics and how to run a place. But I wonder about the money, as in; can you really make more money up there? There is a master plan for a 500 condo development, there are posters announcing it at the base area. But if Bacon were truly looking to maximize return on investment for whatever he paid, Taos Ski area doesn't seem like the best use of the money.

In any event, I've got an extra bedroom two hours from the base of the lifts if'n any of you make it out to ski Taos. You could also hit up Ski Santa Fe, perhaps one of the last family owned areas still, and a little area that rocks.

[jrbd]

I'm suspicious of Bacon's credentials as an "environmentalist". The conservation easements he granted on his ranches conveniently block a proposed power transmission line that he fought in court three years ago. The powerline would have carried solar-generated power from the San Luis Valley to the Front Range, but Bacon basically NIMBY'd it out of existence, then laid down a conservation-easement wall to prevent it from coming back. Also, he probably got a tax break for the easements, so the people of Colorado are paying millions of dollars to prevent the SLV sun farm from becoming viable. In the meantime, access to the south side of the Blanca massif is still blocked by his ranches, so this wasn't exactly a donation of land to the public.

Is Taos on public land? Any chance this could become Yellowstone Club II?

[powdork]

he just now did this, which again, seems like a good thing
http://www.forbes.com/sites/montebur...ically-active/

and another side of the transmission line story
http://www.forbes.com/sites/montebur...american-west/

granted, both those articles come from forbes, and he did buy the ranch from forbes

[hortence]

Ah yes, I have heard people compare the Sierra Club to religious organizations but that still doesn't hold a stance, back country skiing is a non motorized activity and incredibly low impact to the environment so now what's the hold up?

It's got nothing to do with skiing or access, it's just for some people a "wilderness" designation is akin to holy writ. That's all!

[Soups]

I wish Vail woulda scooped 'em up. The Epic™ Pass would've turned so Epic™ it would've gone Colossal™ (I'm trademarking Colossal for myself, just in case)

[ill-advised strategy]

This is bar none, THE BEST PERSON THEY COULD HAVE SOLD THE PLACE TO.

If you had to eat a small turd that was mostly peanuts and corn, it would be THE BEST TURD YOU COULD HAVE EATEN...

but you'd still be eating shit.

[powdork]

i'm gonna have to take a minute to digest that....

































yup. still funny

[maddog]

If you had to eat small turd that was mostly peanuts and corn, it would be THE BEST TURD YOU COULD HAVE EATEN...

but you'd still be eating shit.

There's NO WAY a turd with only corn and peanuts, and no raisins, is "the best turd you could have eaten..." What... NO RAISINS!!?... NO WAY!!!

[Meadow Skipper]

About closed boundaries:

If you think douche bags skiing off the ridge is scary, wait til they start skiing out the gates.

^This. I cringe to think of punters headed off Kachina into the Williams Lake drainage or towards Vallecitos, if only because of the people that would have to go in and cart the punters' asses out.

I guess the sale was inevitable, but like others here I'm seriously grateful I got to ski there a lot before all this. I wasn't born too soon. I can only hope it turns out to be a generally good thing, but lifts up to Kachina and the West Basin...that can't be good.

Peanuts and corn...heh. Good to see you weigh in, YM.

[Atrain505]

Definitely keep the lifts off the peak and ridge...the short hikes is what makes the place special. 2 weeks after a storm one can still ski pow. Rare at other areas.