This year’s Winter Guide comes right on time. The days are shorter, the air is chillier and, as of the time of this writing, snow was finally in the forecast. Those of you who long for the pure, piney solitude of first tracks on the Taos steeps can use our updated, improved ski grid to branch out to other locations (Sipapu usually opens first!) or explore some of the top local destinations for great snowshoeing. If you’re less thrilled about traipsing around in the cold, at least learn how to bundle up —or just cozy up at one of Santa Fe’s welcoming bars for some inner-warming libations. Finally, if you do nothing else, read Anicca Cox’s soaring tribute to winter in northern New Mexico —an homage to the truly incomparable magic of a Santa Fe winter.

It was a rare treat. A chance to be a drunken fly on the wall as Missy Auge, general manager of Tanti Luce 221 (221 Shelby St., 988-2355) and Leif West, mixologist for Southern Wine and Spirits, narrowed their winter drink selection down from a worthy 15 contenders.

Of course, in the interest of thorough reporting, SFR couldn’t visit just one local drinking establishment to sample its winter menu—so we also checked out the seasonal cocktails on offer at Secreto Bar, the cozy alcove tucked inside the Hotel St. Francis (210 Don Gaspar, 983-5700)

Winter is the driest time of year, and here in the high desert, we are especially susceptible to cracking and chafing. The best thing you can do is prep your skin now for the dry days ahead and get into the habit of taking care of yourself to avoid bandaging and pain later.

Hitting the slopes in style is perhaps less of a priority than hitting the slopes at all—lift tickets ain’t cheap, and neither is the gear you need to get up there. But a few important items will make any ski bunny comfortable and attractive, both on and off the slopes, regardless of how much cash you have to spend.

  

One of the most ancient forms of outdoor winter transportation is making a strong comeback these days. In the last couple of years, the number of people partaking in snowshoeing—a low-impact, cardio-beneficial form of snow recreation—has increased drastically.

Canyon Road is magical, sure—but when you see it decorated to the eaves with holiday lights and farolitos, music and the scent of woodsmoke in the air, it takes on a whole new identity.

When mulling over ideas for this piece, I wasn’t sure what to say at first. After all, for the last few years, my time in Taos has been interrupted and punctuated by the season of the semester outside of New Mexico. I have left Taos for education and work, for escape, for adventure. But I always return.

One of the most glibly sensationalized years in the modern calendar, 2012, is nearly upon us. With it come the predictions of apocalyptic doom and the unceremonious end of the Mayan calendar.

From a skeptic’s point of view, “total demise” is something of an overstatement. Change, on the other hand, is inescapable.