This New Mexico Ikon Mountain Just Got Snow After a Record-Worst Winter
Taos Ski Valley saw its first snow on Sept. 30, starting on the 12,000-foot Highline Ridge after last winter's record-low snowpack. Opening is set for Nov. 26.
Taos Ski Valley in northern New Mexico picked up its first snow of the fall on Wednesday, September 30. Webcams showed snow falling at a steady clip on the Highline Ridge, around 12,000 feet, while lower parts of Taos County were getting heavy rain.
Later that evening, rain turned to snow in the Kachina Basin as well, nearly 2,000 feet below the Highline near the Bavarian Restaurant at roughly 10,000 feet. It was a brief taste of winter, not a base builder. The National Weather Service forecast called for overnight lows just below freezing through Friday and warmer, drier weather returning on Saturday, October 3.
Why a few inches feel like a big deal here
Context is everything. Northern New Mexico has come through two straight years of poor snow, and last winter brought the worst snowpack on record in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and across the state. Taos and other New Mexico ski areas closed early, and the dry winter left almost no snowmelt runoff for rivers, streams, and irrigation ditches.
So an early dusting on the Highline is more about mood than terrain. It is the first visible sign that the pattern may be turning, and it lands in a season when forecasters have been talking up a strong El Niño. We covered what that means for the southern Rockies in our NOAA outlook story. Southern mountains tend to be the ones that benefit, though nothing is guaranteed until storms actually stack up.
When Taos opens
Taos is scheduled to open on Thursday, November 26, 2026, Thanksgiving Day, according to the Ikon Pass list of confirmed North American opening dates. That puts it alongside Snowmass and Aspen Mountain on the holiday start.
- First snow: September 30, starting on the Highline Ridge (about 12,000 feet)
- Lower mountain: snow reached the Kachina Basin (about 10,000 feet) that evening
- Opening day: November 26, 2026, conditions permitting
For Ikon holders weighing a Southwest trip, the lesson from the last two seasons is to stay flexible. Book refundable lodging, watch the early storm track, and commit once the base is real. Taos rewards that patience with some of the steepest inbounds terrain in the region, and the resort has been building a higher-end winter offer too, including the hosted ski week we covered in September.
The first-snow report comes from the Taos News. For terrain, lodging, and getting there, see our Taos Ski Valley guide.