Renaissance man of Taos Ski Valley

Chilton Anderson

A leading spirt at Taos Ski Valley, Chilton Anderson died March 12, 2014 after a long illness. He was 85.

A successful cattle rancher and virtuoso cellist, Anderson was the first ski instructor hired by Ernie Blake in 1955, and was a ski school supervisor for decades. In 1962 he financed construction of 28 hotel rooms appended to Jean Mayer’s St. Bernard restaurant, becoming a partner in the Hotel St. Bernard Corp.

The following year, a group of music professors asked Anderson to supervise the launch of the Taos School of Music, specializing in chamber music. Taos Ski Valley thus became the summer destination for some of the world’s best string quartets and their students. He directed the school, as a volunteer, for 44 summers. Anderson later served as president of the Taos Arts Association (now the Taos Center for the Arts), and in 2000 was honored with the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. He was inducted into the New Mexico Ski Hall of Fame in 2010.

He is survived by his wife Judith, sons Kenneth and David, daughter Kathleen, and two grandchildren. —Seth Masia