This year, due to Covid-19, the Chattanooga Ski Club only ran one ski trip to Taos, New Mexico. Twenty-five club members, including five new club members, signed up for a week of skiing that included the ability to take professional, week-long, two-hour ski lessons. Taos has state-of-the-art ski instructors that are first class.

Well, as the year 2020 was coming to a close, we lost six members on the trip due to health issues, including a broken arm and other medical reasons. We finally lost only two to Covid-19 work restriction issues. That left 17 members including Jamie, a wonderful new twelve-year-old we welcomed to the club, who is the granddaughter of Bill and Christie Coolidge.

Our group left Lovell Field on time on flights that were, at most, half full. Our three-hour bus ride to Taos included a lunch on the bus. We did our grocery shopping in Taos and came out of the store only to find the line to enter the store was five feet long. Upon arrival, our condos at Snakedance were a happy sight. Even better was the fact that they delivered our luggage and groceries to our rooms. The condo complex was at 30% occupancy, so we felt we were the only ones there.

The skiing was great as well as the lessons on Wednesday. Some of the group used the Snakedance van to venture off to the Rio Grande del Norte Park, where the Rio Grande gorge and the Red River join. This was a beautiful drive in 4-5 inches of fresh snow. We then drove back to Taos and had lunch at a wonderful outdoor restaurant called The Martyr.

The weather was beautiful all week and we were lucky to have only one minor injury. We had many small group gatherings for drinks and dinner. My only suggestion on this trip is to stay out of the wool and fur store in Taos Ski Valley called Andean Software. For more details, just ask George Etta Taylor, Hilda Jones, or Alica Posey. Other than that tidbit, just remember this: What goes on in Taos Valley stays in Taos Valley.