Blakes sell Taos to billionaire land baron Louis Bacon

[quienes?]

http://www.denverpost.com/business/c...ationist-louis

After almost 59 years, the Blake family is leaving Taos Ski Valley.

Founded in 1955 by skiing pioneer Ernie Blake and run by his children and grandchildren ever since, the family announced on Wednesday it is selling the steep and soulful New Mexico ski area to billionaire conservationist Louis Bacon.

"I'm in mourning a little bit but I realize this is really a good thing for the ski area," said Adriana Blake, whose grandfather moved his family — including her father, Mickey — into an 11-foot camper trailer at the base of the ski area in the early 1950s and built the first chairlift with 16 local men and a mule named Lightning.

"We — this family — we have all these amazing ideas but the ski area itself never makes enough money to do them without risking our ability to pay our people," Adriana Blake said.

[cptpowder]

Good thing Taos is far away from any major airport and has a slim chance of ever becoming a mega resort. Hopefully this billionaire won't price out the locals. Knowing how rich people are and that they always need more money this sale doesn't bode well for locals...

[powdork]

looks to me like this could work out well for locals. you've got a new owner, with money, known for not screwing up the environment, that has been in the area already for quite some time. if it was going to be sold,you couldn't really ask for a better buyer.
plus,
































BACON!

[ill-advised strategy]

I'm pretty much speechless.

Fuck this.

[Hugh Conway]

Fuck this.

The world's changed

[Soups]

looks to me like this could work out well for locals. you've got a new owner, with money, known for not screwing up the environment, that has been in the area already for quite some time. if it was going to be sold,you couldn't really ask for a better buyer.
plus,

Don't know anything about the guy but this was my first thought. Hopefully I'm not overly optimistic.

[ill-advised strategy]

If Ernie Blake did something stupid, it meant ruining his lifelong dream and only retirement plan. If Mickey Blake did something stupid, it meant ruining the place he was raised and ruining the livelihood of lifelong friends and family.

If billionaire queefsack east coaster does something stupid he can just fly his private jet to Whistler.

Tell me again how this is supposed to be good?

[powdork]

If Ernie Blake did something stupid, it meant ruining his lifelong dream and only retirement plan. If Mickey Blake did something stupid, it meant ruining the place he was raised and ruining the livelihood of lifelong friends and family.

If billionaire queefsack east coaster does something stupid he can just fly his private jet to Whistler.

Tell me again how this is supposed to be good?

the main street lift - unless you're against it.
and BACON! unless you're against that too.
he could be a douchebag. but he doesn't really seem like it.

[maddog]

I've heard everything's better with Bacon... But seriously... It's the end of an era. I'm glad I got to know Taos back in the 70's, and it's not much different now. We'll just have to see what happens from here on.

[bovine]

I'm glad I lived in Seco back in the early to mid 90s and worked up at TSV. Too bad the Blakes sold- I always hate seeing family-owned areas sell to big money-least it wasn't intrawest.

Worse though is the future pussification of Taos. Putting a lift up to Kachina is bad form-just to give access to the low elevation air-sucking vermin who make money. Say goodbye to the smooth steeps off the ridge and hello to poorly formed bumps from frightened douch-bags...

[maddog]

I'm glad I lived in Seco back in the early to mid 90s and worked up at TSV. Too bad the Blakes sold- I always hate seeing family-owned areas sell to big money-least it wasn't intrawest.

Worse though is the future pussification of Taos. Putting a lift up to Kachina is bad form-just to give access to the low elevation air-sucking vermin who make money. Say goodbye to the smooth steeps off the ridge and hello to poorly formed bumps from frightened douch-bags...

Well said. A lift up Kachina would be like giving a Corvette to your 15 year old son.... Nothing good could come of it...

[neufox47]

Seems like he has been involved with the mountain for a while and the Blakes were concerned with having an owner who wouldn't ruin the mountain. Guy has a track record of conservation, and wants to add a sick lift. I don't see much to complain about?

[BigDaddy]

Love Taos... but yeah, could be a lot worse.

How does bacon go with martinis, tho?

[grskier]

Wow, some negative fucks around here.. and it's ski season.. I thought you all hibernated for winter.

[bovine]

Wow, some negative fucks around here.. and it's ski season.. I thought you all hibernated for winter.

Not negative, just realistic. How would a chair up to Highland Peak impact that area? Don't know about you, but I like my in-bounds steeps peppered with bomb holes, not zipper lines.

[concretejungle]

RIP Taos.

I'll defer to YetiMan on anything Taos related but I always liked what it was and would hate to see a change.

[wolfelot]

This is interesting. Taos has always been on my to-do list.

[leroy jenkins]

All I know is Lightning is a funny name for a mule.

[MakersTeleMark]

I'm going against the grain, and having skied Taos plenty, for some perspective:

This is really good news. It was inevitable, the family couldn't hold it, run it, maintain it. They were bleeding.

They found a trusted buyer, not a holding corp. There won't be any destination big hotel shit. Are you kidding me? This was a good way out, and a big step forward.

Does it mean I want a lift to K? No, but if that is what it takes to keep this gem afloat, I would take the compromise.

/non-reactionary and rational

[SlugInfinite]

Bacon is a good guy. Great track record of conservation and cooperation with easements when he bought the Forbes Ranch/Trinchera. This should be a good thing long term for a mountain that was beginning to struggle with capital.

[raisingarizona13]

Worse though is the future pussification of Taos. Putting a lift up to Kachina is bad form-just to give access to the low elevation air-sucking vermin who make money. Say goodbye to the smooth steeps off the ridge and hello to poorly formed bumps from frightened douch-bags...[/QUOTE]

I was thinking the same about that lift. It would really fuck up the quality of the snow up there. What if you had some gates for bc access on the area? I haven't actually been there but from looking at pictures it looks like there is some premo touring to be had just outside of the area. I know the snowpack can suck but it does in Telluride too.

[strawjack]

I'm not for a lift up Katchina, but it wouldn't be that devastating. I'm mean easy street is meadow skipping anyway. The lines are before you get to the peak and ya it will get tracked out, but we hardly ever did the hike to the peak anyway. Way too many good lines elsewhere to hit. The peak was for moonlight skins and post season bliss.

Without an major airport nearby I don't see how it could possibly change that much. This guy might be ok, we don't know. What I do know is that Mickey was pretty much a douche to most people...like me, but he liked my wife.

Taos will always be a great ski hill no matter what manmade shit happens around it. Just hope it snows!

[raisingarizona13]

I don't think bacon can fuck this up.



So what's up with the closed boundaries?

[up an down]

The world's changed

TSV has already changed a lot over the years (as well as the town), albeit more slowly than other high profile ski areas.
I don't know this Bacon guy, but I hope he loves the place. If he bought it for himself it may be the best possible new owner choice. But if he bought it for a hedge fund and needs to make a return for investors, then we may see a starbucks on Kachina Peak.

[TBS]

So what's up with the closed boundaries?

Kachina backs up to a Wilderness Area - not sure about the rest of the resort.