Al's Run - Taos, New Mexico - Steep Ski Slope, Heavy with Moguls

The sign above the lift-ticket booth at Taos Ski Valley puts the slope known as Al's Run in perspective: "DON'T PANIC! You're looking at only 1/30 of Taos Ski Valley. We have many easy runs too!''

For a fact, Al's Run has gained a reputation, even among experts, as "a famously difficult run.'' Travel and Leisure magazine went a bit further, listing it among the "World's Scariest Ski Slopes.'' Indeed, it is so heavy with moguls and the drop is so steep that upon seeing Al's Run for the first time one skier described it as "a gigantic egg carton that someone has stood on edge.''

The free-fall drop at the top of the run, mammoth-size moguls lower down, and excellent views of the village below make Al's Run a "bucket list'' experience for experienced skiers from New Mexico, Colorado and far beyond. The run got its name from a local surgeon and ski enthusiast, Dr. Albert M. Rosen, who helped get Taos Ski Valley off the ground.

The length of Al's Run is 1,800 vertical feet. Primary access from the base area at 9,400 feet is via two lifts that pass directly above the narrow bump run. One is a modern four-seat Poma, while the other is the original two-seater, a surface lift built in 1955 by adapting some old mining machinery. The latter is still used on busy weekends.