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JCHIL

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Everything posted by JCHIL

  1. Visiting Bend OR this weekend and drove up this morning to Mt Bachelor - people hiking and skinning up got my ski juices flowing
  2. Yes. That vid is on TSV’s home website now. This pic below was taken on Dec 29, 2018 on highline ridge near where the skier in vid enters in. Point is that ridge was open at Christmas/NY week (I looked back in my photos: 2017 as was not good/ridge not open, 2018, 2019, 2020 it was open with very good powder, 2021 not sure as we skied MT, last year 2022 it was closed with low to average coverage overall but backside - lift 4 was open so still decent fun)
  3. I am so ready. Got pass a few weeks ago…come on snow !
  4. Been catching some of these beauties the last couple of days….small unnamed stream in backcountry MT
  5. Always loved this iconic sign for those that might have shakey knees looking up Al’s Run at the base of TSV for the first time ….
  6. I was fishing with a guide but using my own fly rod. A little dirt never hurt!
  7. Fished the Yellowstone and Upper Madison in MT last week. The bite was hit or miss but managed a few nice rainbows on both rivers…lots of whitefish due to spawn…scenery always epic…
  8. Restaurants - TSV is fairly limited and nothing up there is noteworthy....The Bavarian on the Backside at Lift 4 is great for lunch or apres ski - Rare German Beers on Tap and authentic bavarian fare...great patio to hang out on if the weather is good. A must if the backside (lift 4) is open. Ski in Ski out. Town of Taos - Orlandos - New-Mex Mex - casual - solid! Lambert's - The best Restaurant in Taos IMHO - white linen but hey its Taos so casual. Between Taos and TSV (Closer drive from ski valley than going all the way in town) Medleys - New player in Town the last few years - solid Chef inspired - white linen ACEQ - Closest down the mtn from ski valley in Arroyo Seco - super solid menu and preparation - Chef inspired Farmhouse Cafe - Great breakfast spot sourcing local organic suppliers
  9. El or La the locals seemed to think the forecast will favor Taos and they speaky the language
  10. Good choice! The NYE laser/torchlight skiers/fireworks show at TSV is actually quite impressive - be sure to make early reservations at a TSV restaurant before the show starts right at dark as most restaurants close early and the show lasts almost 2 hours.... I was in TSV this past weekend and the talk amongst the locals was that La Nina will bless TSV with good snow again this year...I have skied TSV around xmas to new years the last 9-10 years and it is hit or miss that early but this year I skied the week after New Years and they did have the first few runs, Hidalgo and Juarez, open on the Highline Ridge (there are two hikeable ridges, Highline and West Basin - Highline usually opens first as West Basin is slightly more gnarly and rocky/steep. Kachina Peak is the end of the line of the Highline Ridge and is now serviced by the lift at 12,481 ft. It takes close to a 70 inch base to open Kachina Peak Lift and all of the ridges so highly unlikely all of it will be open until late Jan like most years....but if you have some good early snow, a few may be able to open) Your best hope (and mine) is that there is just enough good snow to open the front side blacks/double blacks - probably some of the best runs on the whole mountain and the least skied.....Al's, Spencer's, Rhoda's, Jean's Glade, Longhorn, North American, Lorelei to name a few... Also, Another really cool thing to do that is non-ski related but I thought I would mention...if you dont hit the hooch too hard on NYE, the Taos Pueblo natives have a Turtle Dance that is open to the public at daybreak on New Years Day (starts at 7:30 am I think, I cant remember) but it is a stunningly beautiful and primal event that I cannot recommend enough if you are into original ceremonies that date back 1000 years from this tribe - it is a once in a lifetime visual for sure......
  11. Great time of year ! pics of bucks, headed out for dove hunting in a few hours, college football tonight! Perfect!
  12. Hard to beat MT! Big Hole River near Divide MT a few days ago….
  13. Valid concern but with any luck, Taos usually has some challenging slopes and portions of the double diamond “ridge” runs open by NYE. TSV is always your best bet for challenging terrain and snow conditions in the Enchanted Circle no matter the time frame with late Jan to end of Feb being the prime time for ski conditions in the Southwrn rockies ..RR and AF not really in the same league as TSV
  14. I haven’t skied AF in over a decade but with that said, the terrain as i remember it could keep an average skier busy for a few days. My concern for NYE at AF would be lack of snow accumulation as is always the case with most ski resorts in southern rockies but AF seems to lag behind RR and Taos in early season and although AF base is 8600, the AF summit is 10,500 or so compared to Taos at 12400.. Both Taos and RR only 30-40 miles away within the Enchanted Circle would give good options for day trips. Taos has some of the best snowmaking capabilities in SW so they can always open their main front side runs no matter the conditions…
  15. IMO the best ski boot recommendation is this: don't shop the brand, shop the fit as each boot/brand favors different shapes and fits from narrow to wide, etc. Go to a competent ski shop with competent boot fitting personnel. Most every ski town has that shop/boot fitter that has been boot fitting for years with hundreds of customers and is a known guru on how to find the perfect boot/fit and inserts for you. I know you want to buy from REI but unless you luck out and find an experienced guru in the REI ski boot department in BFE Texas or some other REI not in a ski area, your odds that you will get the perfect fit is very low IMO. If you are around Taos or Telluride, I think the Boot Doctors are excellent and are known for being experts in the boot selection/fitting business.....
  16. It’s not on Taos level but very good quality place to ski and stay close to Santa Fe. SF had a great snowfall year last year, i think it beat Taos last year…..
  17. 4th Generation Texan: Attended David Clyde's debut at old Arlington Stadium Attended Nolan Ryan's 7th No hitter at old Arlington Stadium Castrated calves in Ennis TX and saved the gonads in a mason jar and the ranch hand's wife cooked fresh fried mountain oysters that same day for dinner Watched my Grandfather eat fried bass eggs from bass we caught - he loved them Rode bulls at Kowbell Rodeo in Mansfield in 8th grade Had a horse growing up and still have 2 now Used to take my shotgun to High School proudly displayed in the gun rack in my truck in the early eighties so I could go dove hunting after school S. padre/Matamoros spring breaks, guadalupe river tubing, hunting all over the state, geology field trips in Big Bend.....
  18. I just checked JSX from Love Field to CB/Gunnison in mid Jan - $778 per roundtrip. One tip to remember when flying to Taos - The Taos Air program was contracted to JSX last year but as far as I understand, they still honor free ski and boot rentals (upgraded very good skis/boots) up to 5 ski days I think with a roundtrip airfare on Taos Air/JSX so makes for a great value if you dont want to bring your own or if you are renting....
  19. Nice! Are you driving or flying to CB? Have you looked into JSX? This year I will do the same as last - book monthly trips Jan/Feb/March to Taos on JSX - Leave Dallas Love Field on Fridays at 7 am - arrive in Taos at 8:30 am MT and ski Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Return on the 5 PM Sunday Flight and have dinner at home in DFW. It is a gamechanger for me - miss one day of work per month and ski 3 days....Also going with family to Big Sky MT/Bridger Bowl MT the week after new years for 5 days of skiing...thats the plan for next year just for starters....Will slip in more I hope
  20. I highly recommend driving to the Verzasca River/Valley up to the medieval town of Lavertezzo - very small town with a church - cool architecture. There is a double arched stone bridge near Lavertezzo that was built in the 1300's....We visited the river in August so it was warm weather. River is stunning aquamarine color and great place to sunbathe or swim, hike or picnic - water is butt ass cold though - like a polar bear plunge. We visited here from Lake Maggiore and then drove to Lake Como in one long day. Have fun!
  21. Honeymooned there in 1997. Booked through a tour guide. 13 day trip included 3 nights in Quito and day trips to the Equator and Cotacachi - a village famous for leather goods - really cool. Quito and day trips were great. We then flew to Guayaquil for one night (we went to the mouth of Amazon River there to see the rafts of biomass floating out to sea - precursor to the Galapagos story). I thought Guayaquil was very 3rd world, sketchy, would not wander around in that City without being in a group. We then flew to Baltra and then on to Santa Cruz where we stayed at the Finch Bay Hotel - nice but nothing fancy - no ac just leave windows open at night. We would board a 90 foot yacht everyday (Delphin II? i think but not sure - nice touring yacht with full bar) and tour a different island every day. I loved being on the boat all day but then coming back in the evenings to sleep and eat onshore. The other tour groups we would encounter that were staying exclusively on the boats always looked a little disheveled and haggard from staying on the boats fulltime. I am sure the fulltime boat experience is unique in its own way (like camping on a yacht?) and works for some folks but I preferred going back and getting a shower and nice dinner and nice breakfast every day before heading out. Highly recommend visiting Ecuador and the Galapagos - amazing experience.
  22. Another vote for already mentioned is Hilton in Southlake town square - 6 miles west of airport - easy Uber - walk to high end shopping and restaurants. Eat at Moxies and enjoy local talent wait staff….another rec woukd be Hotel Vin in Grapevine (maybe 3 miles west of airport) . Nice restaurant and bar and walk or easy Uber to Grapevine shops and bars on Main St
  23. I’m fond of Mystery ranch - started out for backpacking and hunting but now have travel products - I have a few of these and love them https://www.mysteryranch.com
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