TAOS, N.M. – Skiers and riders will notice a big upgrade in the Taos Ski Valley this season. The work began as soon as the season ended.

“That did start as soon as we closed,” said Madeline Kelty. 

It’s out with the old, and in with the new. A helicopter was needed to upgrade Lift four — the chairlift that takes skiers and riders to Kachina Basin from the Bavarian is brand new this year.

“That’s going to be a high-speed detachable quad. It will cut the run time for Lift four to 4.6 minutes,” said Kelty. 

Kelty says folks will need to wait until there’s more snow to experience the shorter ride time on that side of the mountain. However, there will be some new things noticed as soon as Thursday.

“The Martini Tree Bar will be returning for Apres ski,” said Kelty. 

The Martini Tree Bar is named after an old Taos tale.

After COVID-19 and other challenges closed a part of the resort, it’s making a comeback this year.

“At Taos, our motto is ‘Better, not bigger.’ And everything that we do is trying to preserve that essence of skiing. And the experience that our skiers have when they come to the resort,” said Kelty.