Cottam’s Ski Shop In Taos Ski Valley

Taos Ski Valley is amazing. The atmosphere on and off the mountain is fantastic… other than the corporate and lacking experience at Cottam’s ski shop. Ugh. I should have just canceled my reservation based on the snotty phone call from the girl who confirmed my reservation. I only used them because the hotel said I got a discount (which wasn’t honored because I reserved online ahead of time and was later told «it’s the same discount,» which I think makes it not a discount you should advertise).
Customer service is NOT what you will receive from this place. All the way from the aforementioned phone call to the experience checking my rentals back in, to losing tons of time on the slopes because I was given improper equipment, this was the worst experience I’ve ever had renting skis. And I’ve been skiing off and on for about 30 years.
I picked up my rentals towards the end of the day upon my arrival in TSV, so I could set out first thing the next day. I spent more time navigating their labyrinth of elevators and «go down there for rentals» than I did with the guy who actually fit my equipment. If you could call it a fit. They never measured my feet, only relied upon my shoe size, and I found out later, as a result, my boots were half a size too big. Which resulted in my ankles rubbing for two days, tons of swelling, and me being down an entire afternoon with ice packs on my ankles and shins. Just to be clear, I chose a demo package, thinking I’d have a better experience and get better equipment – which I didn’t, despite paying more.
Next problem, despite the guy talking about how much snow was in the forecast, they gave me edgy, narrow carver skis. Totally inappropriate, even dangerous in fresh powder conditions. I fell SO many times because of their negligence (again, I’m not a beginner) and could have truly hurt myself, between having the wrong boots and wrong skis.
I chose Cottam’s because I relied on their expertise, and I got none. And worse, their staff was condescending when I complained; they blamed me. I went elsewhere for equipment in an attempt to salvage my experience in Taos, and found markedly better service, knowledge, helpfulness, and better product availability at Bootdoctors right by Cottam’s. Highly recommend Bootdoctors to anyone. Beware of Cottam’s!

Cottam’s was great and super helpful. The staff helped us locate where to pick up our skis and boots and made sure they fit correctly before we left. They also have tons of apparel and ski gear if you forgot anything. All the staff went out of their way to check on you and make sure you’re having a good day and time in Taos. Highly reccomend.

Cottom’s is the one with the teal awning. Great service and reasonably priced. They give student discounts and they also have a 10% off coupon in the Taos Magazine. Ask for Wade he was incredibly nice.

I have absolutely no complaints. We were a group of 5 (4 skiers and 1 snowboarder) and they had us finished with our rentals in about 15 minutes.
The staff at both the Taos and Ski Valley shops were extremely friendly and knowledgable. Although they had us in and out very fast, they were very efficient with their time. They made sure my boots were the right fit and tuned my bindings to my skill level. We did 2 day rentals and rented from the Taos shop in town. The Ski Valley shop will store your skis and boots overnight at no additional cost. They will adjust your skis and bindings if needed too. Which is extremely convenient! We also chose to return our skis at the Ski Valley shop which is an additional $ 5 per rental. You can make up this cost by reserving online ahead of time to get 10% off your rental, which for me was $ 3/​day.
Overall I had a great experience with Cottam’s. I will definitely rent from them again!

Friendly customer service they are ready to help as soon as you walk in the door great quality ski and boards also have a large inventory of hats gloves hoodies or T’s to choose from in all sizes we were able to hit the slopes within 15 min

Very knowledgeable staff and great service. Had a 3 day rental and went in to swap so I could try another pair of skis. Staff were very helpful at picking the right skis for. It’s also great that they store your ski equipment overnight. They also have lockers for 75 cents to store your stuff while skiing.

Consistantly great service and prices at Cottam’s Ski Shops.
They rent skis, snowboards, helmets and snowshoes. Also all the latest gear and souvenirs.