What would you guys recommend to someone who has next to no experience in skiing, but wants to learn? Any resort in particular that's good for beginner's? Also, anyone been to the ski resort in Santa Fe, or Ruidoso, NM? That would be convenient for me, as NM is right next to Texas (that is, if it's worth going..)
As a beginner you want someplace with lots of greens/blues, a good lift system that won't accidentally overterrain you and leave you stranded atop a bunch of double black stuff with no way out. Good instruction will be found at all major resorts (although bad instruction may also be found most places as well). Most big places have a "never ever" program with packages for tickets/rentals/lessons geared toward absolute novices, including programs for adult novices.
Places that I feel fit the bill best include Snowmass, Breck, Keystone, Park City, Deer Valley, Big Sky, Vail, Heavenly, Steamboat. I think Copper Mountain and Sun Valley deserve special mention as they both have whole mountains without black terrain (American Flyer lift at Copper, Dollar Mountain at Sun Valley) that are great for beginners.
Places I'd avoid like the plague include Ajax and Highlands in Aspen (although Buttermilk and Snowmass are great for beginners), Jackson, Snowbird, Taos, Telluride, Revelstoke, Kicking Horse. Lots of steeps, little (to none) in the way of green runs, not particularly forgiving to beginners.
Most mountains are somewhere in between. Small resorts, like you mentioned in your post, are a mixed bag. They may have little in the way of crowds or may be way way more packed than the big boys. Depends how remote they are and what the local population is like. NM resorts in particular don't tend to get a lot of snow, and will sometimes not open at all for a season (see last season). Tons of Texans head to Telluride/CB/Wolf Creek/Taos because of proximity. None of those are great for beginners. When picking a destination, I always look at it as how much time/effort it will take to ski and whether it will be worth it. The closest "good" (read: not good) skiing to me is in far Northern MN. It takes me 4-5 hours to drive there, and it's really not great (and aaaaaaaassssssss cold). In that same 4-5 hours, I can be in Summit County, Winter Park, or any of the nine world class ski areas around SLC. If you have to travel at all to ski, you might as well spend the extra hour or two and be somewhere dope. I'd only hit local areas if they are truly local (i.e. day trips).
