So Stuart's podcast prompted me to research Taos' ski school. While an individual morning or afternoon group lesson costs $150, a Ski Week package of 6 morning lessons costs $450. Since sbooker is interested in instruction, I thought I would draw this to his attention, and I think the ski week groups stick together once they are sorted out as compatible skiers. MarzNC likes the Taos ski school so much that she ignores my warnings about snow coverage and goes there during late January/early February nearly every year. Push that to mid-February in a big El Nino year and I think sbooker should consider it. I don't think President's Week is a big issue at Taos. It's those mid-March Texas and Oklahoma spring breaks that are busiest, same as at Wolf Creek.
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Taos Ski Week is not only a good deal, the amount of improvement possible with 6 consecutive lessons with a small group and the same instructor is hard to find elsewhere. My advanced ski buddies who I've done the most trips with started doing a Ski Week in 2017 or 2018. We haven't all gone every year since then but haven't skipped many seasons.
The key is that the quality of the instruction for a Ski Week is quite high. Usually PSIA Level 3 for advanced groups, but even the Level 2 instructors who get to teach Ski Weeks have plenty of teaching experience. I do enough trips to other destinations that it doesn't matter if I have a chance to ski steep trees or double-black terrain when I'm at Taos. What I've been able to learn during Ski Weeks during low snow situations when most teaching was done on groomers or blue bumps is one reason I feel confident skiing any black terrain at big mountains at this point . . . starting after age 65. That's in addition to semi-private lessons at other destination resorts (Alta, Crested Butte, Big Sky), plus Bridger and Wolf Creek, usually once or twice a season. The instructors I work with are all Level 3 with 20+ years of experience.
Ski Week groups are 7 or less. There is a ski-off on Sunday morning (a few turns on a blue groomer). Anyone not happy with their group on Sunday morning can switch on Monday morning. Sometimes it's not because of ability level but more a matter of chemistry with the instructor or other members of a group. For advanced groups, there are usually group(s) that hike the Ridge and groups that don't.
There is nothing consistent about when I've gone to Taos since the first trip in 2017. Has ranged from mid-January with intermediate friends to late February depending on what else I decide to do for a given season and when my ski buddies want to be at Taos. This season won't be the first time that I've opted to plan two trips to Taos.
Last season I went to Taos in late February but I didn't do a Ski Week. I had several friends at Taos that week, but I was a solo traveler. I skied TSV for a few days then went to Wolf Creek to catch a powder storm. Had a good time adventure skiing with my Wolf Creek instructor.
The skier who does a Ski Week consistently in early February is the man who started the SkiTalk mini-Gathering for Taos in 2019. He wants to do a Ski Week early enough in the season for it to be more useful by the time he goes to the SkiTalk gathering, which is usually late February or early March. He started doing Ski Weeks in 2018, a very low snow season. Fair to say, his ability to ski advanced/expert terrain at Taos is quite different at this stage.
The Pres. Day weekend has a bit of an impact for Taos, but mainly on Saturday morning. Every Saturday morning is busier regardless of snow or weather conditions because there are many locals in weekly programs, both adults and children. Lodging rates are higher on Thu, Fri, Sat nights before that Monday holiday. I stayed slopeside the week before Pres. Day weekend in Feb 2025. Happened to be a low snow situation. Was pretty deserted by Monday.
The week after Presidents Day might be a little busier than normal weekdays, but not the significantly larger crowds you see at ski areas all that week in the Eastern USA.