I've grew up with a house in Angel Fire and married into a family that has a house in Taos. Angel Fire has the best terrain for young kids. There is a long green run called Heading Home that is perfect for learning. The blues are very mellow for the most part so you can consider them open for kids to use. Spring break can be sketchy with snow, but last year it was fine. Plus they have ample snowmaking these days to cover the runs you'd be skiing with kids. Angle Fire is great for hanging out with the family. There's not much of a town, so the charm comes from being forced to hangout in front of the fireplace playing games and hanging out with the kids after your done skiing.
Taos has plenty of beginner runs, but nothing like the Heading Home run at Angel Fire. Their greens are steeper. And blues are the same. However, the town offers a lot more. The ski school there is good.
There's a really cool toy store that has a play area outback and upstairs called Twirl. The local ice rink is open to the public and costs something like $2 per person for unlimited skating. You can also drive out and walk across the gorge bridge. It can be scary. There's also a great pizza joint called Outback that is great.
Overall many more off mountain activities and dining in Taos. But Angel Fire doesn't provide any pressure to do anything other than ski and hangout as there's not much else there.
I love both places. And I definitely wouldn't call Taos pretentious. Especially compared to Santa Fe.
I'd also throw Purgatory in the mix. It's also drivable in a day albeit a few hours longer.
If you have questions about any of them , let me know.
South Llano
