This past Thursday I hopped in my car around 7:30 a.m., picked up breakfast tacos and a friend, and arrived at the Austin Executive Airport at 8 a.m. I parked my car about 100 yards from the plane, downed a quick, complimentary espresso, and was in the air by 8:30. To say this was the most pleasurable airport experience I’ve had would be a massive understatement. 

Once onboard the 30-ish passenger plane, my very lucky friend and I were treated to complimentary cocktails and an array of snacks that blow the traditional airline pretzels out of the sky. In just under two hours, we were on the ground in Taos. A complimentary (are you sensing a theme here?) shuttle transported us up to the ski valley, and we were on the slopes by noon!

This sort of treatment is typically reserved for a Kardashian, but with Taos Air, your airfare, bags, shuttles, parking, and all other luxuries are included for a reasonable price of around $400 round trip. For more about the Taos Air experience, check out this article we published in 2018. 

Taos Ski Valley boasts a world-class ski mountain with a charming small-town feel. It’s also worth noting it’s the world’s first and only B Corp ski resort. We stayed at The Blake this time around, which is conveniently located right in the middle of the main village. The award-winning hotel offers all the amenities of a typical ski resort, but we were especially impressed with the convenience of the “ski-valet.” The friendly staff greeted us each morning with warm boots and the rest of our gear ready to go. 

For dining in the valley, we really enjoyed breakfast at Cafe Naranja, and hanging with the locals at Tim’s Stray Dog Cantina in the evenings. I also highly recommend The Bavarian, which is a ski in, ski out restaurant on the mountain that offers authentic German food and drink. 

Like all vacations, this one was too short, but now with Taos Air, I can book a trip the next time I see snow in the forecast for New Mexico. I’ve also heard rumors they’ll be operating flights year-round to and from Austin this year, which means that a summer camping trip may be on the horizon as well.

For booking and more information visit: www.skitaos.com/taos-air

All photos courtesy of Taos Ski Valley.