Photo of Backcountry Skiing Routes in Taos

The Best Backcountry Skiing Routes in Taos

Explore Backcountry Skiing Routes

Taos Ski Valley is located in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains in Northern New Mexico and is home to a distinctive European atmosphere combined with local Native American and Spanish cultures. Taos is a powder lover’s paradise and is known for having light dry powder, undetectable lift lines, steep chutes, big bumps, cornices and tree glades.

Top 31 backcountry skiing routes in Taos

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Whitefeather Bowl

Whitefeather Bowl descends from one of the switchback sections of Whitefeather. It’s short, but more challenging than Whitefeather. At times all of Whitefeather Bowl may not be groomed, but once the bumps start to form, they get mowed down....

Midway

It's a bit of a mystery why Midway isn't on the map. There is a sign, and the run is extra-wide. Where Shalako meets Baby Bear, Baby Bears continues on to the left....

Arroyo Hano

Arroyo Hano is a fun ride through the trees between Lower Totemoff and Maxie’s Terrain Park. It’s not steep, but it is fast and runs through a gully like a snowy waterslide....

Nastar

Nastar is a short narrow line at the bottom of Kachina Peak off Main Street. It's steeper than Main Street and with bumps in that give it a staircase feel. Many years ago, the Nastar course was set up on Shalako below where the chute is....

Etch's

Etch’s was new in 2015-16. It’s a combination of open face and trees. The big section feels like it’s wider than it is long. The line drops onto the top of the steep part of Lower Inferno....

Corner Pocket

Corner Pocket is a fun little chute through the trees about midway down Corner Chute. Look for an opening on the left just as Corner starts to bend toward the trees....

Upper Japanese Flag

Upper Japanese Flag is can be a fun sidetrack if you're looking for something different off Honeysuckle. It's not steep or long but if you're exploring, take a look. Upper Japanese Flag isn't open as often as the surrounding runs....

Edeleweiss Gully

Totally Wiard

Totally Wiard is far right of Hunziker Bowl. Use the Hunziker Bowl entrance then take the traverse all the way over. You’ll pass Hair of the Dog on the way. It’s not particularly steep, but it does have interesting rocks....

Hair of the Dog

Hair of the Dog is beyond Hunziker Bowl, just short of Totally Wiard. It’s a short zig-zag line between the big group of rocks and trees bordering Hunziker and a smaller rock formation....

Japanese Flag Glade

Japanese Flag Glade is a short, meandering line through the trees between Japanese Flag and Upper Patton. It’s not steep, but the ruts can get pretty big at times. It’s possible to cut out anywhere....

Kirby's

Kirby’s, or sometimes Kirby’s Gym, is a sweet pocket in the trees between North Face and the lower part of Treskow, To get there, take Treskow. When it begins to open up, cut to the left and peek through the trees that border the length of the wide section....

The Bambi Chutes.

The Bambi Chutes are lines off of Bambi that lead into the space between Sir Arnold Lunn and Walkyries Chute. The line is steep and has plenty of trees. There's a lot more skiing if you head left into Sir Arnold Lunn when you get to the bottom of the chutes....

Hannes Schneider

Prime Real Estate

Prime Real Estate has a variety of long lines through the trees that separate Main Street from Hunziker. There are roomy spots with good flow. There are other spots where you may get sidetracked....

Werner Trib

Werner Trib is the first line after passing through the Werner gate. It’s more open than Werner proper, particularly at the bottom. The top part has some trees then in the middle it gets a little cliffy sometimes....

Eagle's Nest

Eagle's Nest is in the area on the backside of Treskow. The early part is in the trees, then it loops under an enormous cliff and opens wide to the bottom....

Black Dog

Black Dog is a tree-d line that angles right to left and connects T-Bird Trees with High Somewhere. Not too many people take the line, so if the new snow is getting tracked out elsewhere, Black Dog is worth a look....

Pipeline

Pipeline is a sweet, steep tree run you get to from Bambi. There are some great lines here. It does, however, need a good amount of snow and usually isn’t open in the early season....

T-Bird Trees

Look for T-Bird Trees near the top of the small rise on the hike past Thunderbird. It now has a sign post on a tree. There are two options here; to the left is trees all the way to the skirt at the bottom....

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A view of the area