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How to Avoid Altitude Sickness at Taos Ski Valley

By Cottam's Ski Shops

You can’t guarantee you won’t feel the altitude at Taos Ski Valley, but you can lower the odds and keep it mild. The base sits at 9,350 feet, according to the resort’s mountain stats, so the CDC’s Yellow Book advice applies: go up gradually, skip alcohol and hard exercise for 48 hours, and know the warning signs. Being fit doesn’t protect you, and kids feel it as often as adults. If anyone in your group has a heart or lung condition, is pregnant, or has had altitude sickness before, talk with a doctor before the trip.

Three riders on a chairlift high above the snow-covered base village at Taos Ski Valley, with frosted spruce on the slopes behind

This is general guidance from public health sources, not medical advice. It’s here to help you plan a trip that starts gently.

How high is Taos Ski Valley?

Taos Ski Valley’s base is at 9,350 feet and its summit is at 12,481 feet, according to the resort’s mountain stats. The town of Taos, down the canyon at the bottom of NM-150, sits at about 7,000 feet, according to the Taos Ski Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Those are big jumps for visitors from low elevations. Dallas, Houston, and Austin are all far below 4,000 feet, so a family driving up from Texas climbs more than a mile and a half on the trip.

What is altitude sickness, and who gets it?

Altitude sickness is your body reacting to the thinner air before it has had time to adjust. The mildest and most common form is called acute mountain sickness. According to the CDC’s Yellow Book, it affects about a quarter of visitors who sleep above 8,000 feet in Colorado.

The same chapter says training and physical fitness don’t change your risk, and children are as susceptible as adults. A regular runner can feel it while someone who rarely exercises doesn’t. There’s no simple test to predict who will, so plan the first couple of days for everyone.

What are the symptoms?

The main symptom of altitude sickness is a headache, usually with at least one of these: poor appetite, dizziness, tiredness, or nausea, according to the CDC. It often feels like a hangover. Symptoms usually start 2 to 12 hours after arriving, often during or after the first night, and usually clear within 12 to 48 hours if you don’t go higher.

Watch the little ones. The CDC notes that children too young to say “my head hurts” may instead lose their appetite, get cranky, or look pale.

Some symptoms are more serious and need care right away:

  • Confusion, unusual drowsiness, or stumbling like someone who’s had too much to drink
  • Shortness of breath while resting, a cough, or weakness
  • Symptoms that keep getting worse while resting

The CDC’s Travel to High Altitudes page says anyone with those signs needs to get to a lower elevation and medical care right away. At the base, the resort’s beginner guide says Mogul Medical, next to the Rio Hondo Learning Center, provides urgent care for everything from ski injuries to altitude sickness. In an emergency, call 911.

Does it matter where you stay?

Where you sleep on a Taos trip matters more than where you ski during the day, according to the CDC. Your oxygen levels drop most during sleep, and day trips up high with a night back down lower are much easier on the body. The CDC also recommends against going from below 4,000 feet to a sleeping elevation above 9,000 feet in a single day.

For a Taos trip, that gives you a few options:

  • Sleep in or near the town of Taos, at about 7,000 feet, and drive up NM-150 to ski. This is the gentler choice for the first nights.
  • Break up the trip. If you’re staying in the Village of Taos Ski Valley, near the base, consider a first night lower down, then move up.
  • Stay up high from night one, if that’s what fits your trip. It’s convenient, and many visitors do it. Keep the first 48 hours especially easy, and ask your doctor whether preventive medicine makes sense for anyone in your group.

None of these is wrong. The point is to know which one you’ve picked and plan the first days around it.

How do you avoid altitude sickness at Taos?

To avoid altitude sickness at Taos Ski Valley, go up gradually, take it easy at first, and save the big days for later in the trip. These steps come from the CDC’s checklist for travelers:

  1. Make the first 48 hours mild. Light activity only. A half day on the learning slopes or easy greens beats a full day of laps.
  2. Skip alcohol for the first 48 hours. Save the après drink for day three.
  3. Keep your usual coffee. If you drink caffeine every day, keep drinking it. A withdrawal headache can be confused with an altitude headache.
  4. Don’t go higher if you have symptoms. The summit is more than 3,000 feet above the base. Wait until any headache clears before heading up the mountain.
  5. Ask about medicine before you go. Prescription medicines can prevent altitude sickness and help you adjust faster, according to the CDC. Ask your doctor whether one makes sense for your family, especially if you’re driving straight up in one day.

What about water? The air at Taos Ski Valley is dry, so carry water and drink it. The CDC also notes that dehydration can cause symptoms that look like altitude sickness. Water alone isn’t a prevention plan, though. Going slowly is.

How should you plan your arrival day?

Driving from Texas? Give your arrival day at Taos one job: get settled and pick up your gear. A quiet afternoon errand after the drive is easier than a rushed first morning, and it keeps day one light.

At Cottam’s, you can pick up after 2 PM the day before your rental starts, at no extra charge. When you reserve, you give us everyone’s height, weight, shoe size, and ability, and we size, tune, and stage each setup before you arrive. At 101 Sutton Place, you try your boots and we swap anything that isn’t right. Overnight storage is free with every rental, so you don’t have to haul gear back to where you’re staying.

Then the first morning is short and calm: put on your boots and ease into an easy day.

Reserve skis or a snowboard for your Taos trip, and keep your first day light.

Sources

Checked November 14, 2026. This is general guidance; talk with your doctor about your own health and trip plans.