The name says it all: New Mexico charm, beautiful mountain setting, and an intense focus on improving your snowsports skills.

Taos has finally shaken loose its stance to remain skiers only and has opened up its sunny, desert-dry powder slopes to snowboarders. There's bound to be some grumbling from ski purists, but with the numbers of kids, teens, twenty- and now thirty-somethings choosing snowboards over skis, it's great news for families.

Now parents who have been wanting to experience Taos' strikingly sunny weather and desert-dry powder can keep the entire clan happy. The personality of this unusual resort, where an old fashioned Euro-style ski village meets the Southwest, isn't likely to change, but the on-slope demographic will definitely shift to a younger one as boarders flock to carve its legendary 1,294 skiable acres.

The ski village is about 18 miles from the town of Taos, and it's a 2.5-hour drive from the nearest major airport, which is in Albuquerque. It's an easy drive, but far enough away to keep lift lines short and the scene low-key. It's best to stay at the ski village, but be sure to visit Taos town and the Taos pueblo on your way in or out.

Family Owned & Operated for 3 Generations

Taos is one of a handful of family-owned and operated major resorts left in the country. While many large ski resorts have been taken over by big corporations such as Intrawest or the American Ski Company, three generations of the Blake family have run Taos since its inception 50 years ago, keeping it old fashioned, atmospheric, and even a bit quirky.

And just as you'd expect with a family legacy that long, the tall tales and legends of Taos have been passed from parent to child over the decades. Stop in at the St. Bernard for a beer, and you'll feel like you might be in a tavern/lodging in a ski village in the Swiss Alps, although one with a southwestern overlay. If you eavesdrop a bit, you might hear a few classic bits of Taos folklore.

One favorite tale gives a sense of the homey character of the resort's early days - a quality that still comes through. Founder and patriarch Ernie Blake did a little bit of everything back then -- worked as ski patrol, sold lift tickets, taught ski school. After the morning rush of ticket sales was over, he would strap on his skis and head onto the mountain. If late arrivals wanted to buy lift tickets they were greeted with a sign at the ticket window that read: "To buy a lift ticket, please raise the flag." When Ernie spotted the flag, he bombed down the mountain to the ticket booth and made the sale.

Skiing

As you pull into Taos Ski Valley, the steep front side of the mountain looms before you -- it's massive, intimidating and expert only. And indeed, the ski area has a reputation as an expert's paradise since 50% of it is set aside for advanced and expert skiers. But with 1,294 skiable acres and the rest of the mountain divided evenly for beginners and intermediate skiers, there are plenty of immaculately groomed runs for all abilities. Long smooth cruising runs for intermediate skiers are found throughout the resort, including around the side of the front face in case you don't want to take the chairlift down.

Beginners have a special learning section set aside just for them, and several long chair lifts lead to multiple beginner trails, offering plenty of options for gaining confidence and skill. Beginning and intermediate runs tend to be groomed, while expert runs are mixed so that the chutes, gullies and steeps for which Taos is famous can fill up with its legendary powder.

Taos has 12 lifts total, with four quads, one triple, five doubles, and two surface lifts. Its lift-served vertical drop is 2,612 feet and 3,274 feet if you feel like hiking up Kachina Peak. Its base elevation is 9,207 feet, and the top of the highest lift served is 11,819 feet, so it has some serious altitude. Ski ticket prices can be as low as $25 for adults early and late-season and teens 13-17 and kids 7-12 pay reduced fees. Ages 6 and under are free and two-day prices drop by several dollars in all age categories.

Childcare for Babies & Toddlers

The Kinderkäfig Children's Center is located in a separate building a few hundred yards from the main ski area base and the well-designed 18,000-square-foot facility contains the childcare center as well as the children's ski school. Care is available for babies from 6-weeks to 1-year in the Bebekare program, where one adult cares for two children. Several years ago, familytravelforum.com named Taos one of the "Top Ten Getaways for Tiny Travelers," partly due to the quality of its facilities for babies; read the story here. Toddlers ages 1 to 3-years have their own special program with snowplay, creative indoor activities, snacks and lunch.

Learn-to-Ski Programs for Kids & Adults

The Ernie Blake Ski School at Taos has long been one of the most respected ski schools in the country. Many adults who visit for a week take a week-long ski school class - it's part of the resort culture (see below). Children's programs are just as highly regarded and start at age 3. The Junior Elite I program for children ages 3-years-old through first grade teaches the basics of the sport in small classes during this all-day program. Children enjoy fun indoor and outdoor activities and a healthy lunch. Older kids participate in the Junior Elite II for second graders through teens age 15. The facility has everything under one roof -- ticketing, rentals, lunchroom and an accessories shop.

Year in, year out, the Ernie Blake Ski School's Learn to Ski Better Weeks are ranked as best in the country by ski magazines. Offered every week of the ski season for skiers of all levels, you get two hours of instruction every morning for six days. Practice what you learn the rest of the day and then participate in evening tech talks and ski psychology to immerse yourself in the total ski experience. This program has helped many skiers break through to the next level, and it's highly recommended if you'll be staying that long. It's typically a package of lessons, accommodations, lift tickets, and sometimes meals, so participants get to know their fellow skiers on the chairlift, at the après ski tech talks, or over dinner, adding to the camaraderie. If you're just staying a day or two, you can still take advantage of the superb ski school, with private or group lessons, or specialized lessons targeting mogul skiing, bump skiing, etc.

Off the Slopes Fun

Taos has a little bit of off-slope action to keep the kids happy if they still have any energy left after skiing all day. Lift-served snow tubing is found between the children's center and the base lodge and operates Wednesday through Saturday from 5-7 pm. Snowshoe tours and snowmobiling are popular pastimes. A Teen Center in the bottom level of the resort center is open seven days a week during the ski season with video games, couches, a TV, and vending machines with snacks and drinks.

Details, Details

There are plenty of ski-in-ski-out options within walking distance of the mountain. Powderhorn Suites and Condos (800/776-2346) and Sierra Del Sol Condominiums (800/523-3954) are a few steps from the lifts, and each has a variety of floor plans that are comfortable for families. Edelweiss Lodge and Spa (800/458-8754) is the most deluxe of the base lodgings and has one- to three-bedroom condos. Kandahar Condos (800/756-2226), while a little older, are a ski-in/ski-out option next to the children's center. You can watch little ones learn the sport from your guestroom balcony, making it another popular family choice.

The St. Bernard Hotel (888/306-4135) is a classic Taos lodging next to the base of the slopes, while its condos are a few hundred feet further away. Children enjoy an early supervised meal and parents enjoy their own dinners while the kids participate in a varied program of evening activities such as roasting marshmallows over a camp fire, a treasure hunt around the valley, or an evening of sledding. If you want to save a little money and don't need the space of a condo, stay a mile or two down the valley at one of the lodgings such as the Columbine Inn (888/884-5723) and take their shuttle to the slopes.

If you're staying on the mountain, be sure to dine at least one night at Rhoda's Café (Rhoda is the Blake family matriarch) for classic American favorites such as steaks, salads, pasta, chicken and seafood at affordable prices. Dining is casual and you'll find a children's menu, a full bar, wine list and micro-brews. Another top dinner choice is The Bavarian, which has both beef and cheese fondue (surprisingly popular with kids) and gourmet Bavarian - Austrian cuisine. For lunch, try the chili at Tim's Stray Dog Cantina.

Ski Taos is located just outside the town, off New Mexico's Highway 58. Write to them at Post Office Box 90, Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico 87525. For more information and resort lodging specials, call 866/968-7386 (reservations); 505/776-2291 (direct); 505/776-2916 (snow reports) or visit their site at www.skitaos.org