NM Cup Winter Sport Series

From our club prez, Clay M.:
Happy Holidays to everyone.  I wanted to get the news and information out to everyone on the New Mexico Cup Winter Sport Series.  It is a combination point series that comprises both cross-country skiing and snowshoe competitions. Essentially, there are three major events that are participating this year (but will likely be expanded in the future).  The events are listed below in order of their respective date.  A big thanks to the folks at Enchanted Forest for hosting so many events this year (currently GREAT ski conditions, BTW), including the Low O2 Mountain bike race.  More to come in the future!

New Mexico Cup Series general information:
http://www.enchantedforestxc.com/events/races-coming/new-mexico-cup-low-o2-challenge-ski-race-february-13th

Santa Fe Striders Snowshoe Classic (Jan. 12):
http://www.santafestriders.org/race_info/event_info.aspx?eventname=SnowShoe2013

Chama Chili Ski Classic (Jan. 19-21):
http://www.chamaski.com/

Enchanted Forest Low O2 Challenge (Jan 26-27):
http://www.enchantedforestxc.com/events/events-calendar/view/16

Additionally, there are other local winter events that you might consider:

* Southwest Nordic Ski Club training time trial (5km or 10km freestyle, no entry fee) at the Pajarito/Canada Bonita Nordic trails, Jan. 5;
www.swnordicski.org

* The Alley Loop, Crested Butte, CO, Feb. 2, 2013 (www.cbnordic.org)

* Mt. Taylor Quadrathlon (www.mttaylorquad.org)

* Pagosa Springs Nordic Events (list below, details can be found on www.PagosaNordic.com):

FREE Learn to Cross Country Ski Clinics
Saturdays, 9-11am, Dec. 15th / Jan 12th  / Feb. 2nd

Free Dog Harness Demo Day, Clinic and Fun Race
Saturday and Sunday, January 5-6, 2013

Pagosa Winter Fest Nordic Ski Races
February 9-10, 2013/ Saturday-Sunday

'PAGOSA PAW' Dog Sled, Canine Skijoring and Cani-Cross Races
February 23-24, 2013 / Saturday and Sunday
(Location: Kuhn Ranch)

Pagosa Springs Quad Challenge
March 03, 2013 ~  Sunday

membership info and news

from our club prez Clay M:
Hi all,

I hope your holidays have been active and merry and you've had a chance to get out and ski.  Dave has been laying down some very nice tracks, and there is good snowshoeing in the woods and Canada Bonita trail.  Hopefully, we'll be able to expand the "snowshoe network" again next year, but there's still plenty of options.

Anyway, I am writing to alert you to a change in how we'll be offering membership registration.  Right now, it's the same old way on the website. The form on the website needs to be updated for this season, I know that...just too many things to do.  Club admin housekeeping has not been my strong suit, and Dina has been busy taking care of all these kids we keep having =)  Anyone want to help us with keeping up with website content?

Anyway, coming up very soon, you'll have the option to register online at: www.newmexicosportsonline.com

It is not quite ready yet and I'm working with them to get it set up.  There is a small processing fee in addition to the club "fees."  I put "fees" in quotations, because we all know it is just a donation and a charge to ask everyone to come work for your skiing =).  I'll be the first to admit that.  It is tax deductible, however.

I'll send out the notice that it is ready as soon as we get it up and running.

We are now a USA Triathlon affiliated club, which means the club has membership liability insurance.  Additionally, we had to add the club's board as an "additionally insured" entity.  Blame it on our litigious world, but it does indemnify the club and the Forest Service for club events.  Everyone needs to sign a waiver for any club activity, including the club membership form.

Your donations and club membership dues help to defray the considerable costs associated with keeping the Nordic trails maintained (year round) for all activities, not least of which is the winter grooming.  Grooming is VERY EXPENSIVE!!!  Trail upkeep and material expenses add up quickly too.  A special thanks goes out to those who have been generous donors over the years.  It has really helped us become a much more viable operation.

Again, thanks to all of you for your support and volunteerism, and here's to a long and great ski season.

Happy New Year

Buy Dave a Beer! Trail Report 12/28/2012

Professional and very timely grooming is brought to us by 'Pro' groomer, Dave Wykoff.  A big thanks goes out to him for the hard work he's been putting in.  It has been great skiing thanks to the little rounds of "freshies" and the awesome grooming.

Still lots of little obstacles (still big obstacles in the meadows) and aspen shoots to watch out for.  Please cut a few shoots when you head out.  Every little bit helps.

Hopefully, we'll be getting a real storm in just a few days.  For the time being, enjoy the skiing we have!

Sanna heading out to enjoy the freshly groomed snow on Christmas Day.   Dave groomed this section of Camp May Rd last, so it hadn't been groomed yet.

Weekend Trail Update 12-22 through 12-24

We had a good weekend of skiing for our first "full" groomed weekend.  Things were a little lumpy and bumpy, with lots of aspen shoots still poking through, and some grass here and there.  But amazingly, things were quite well covered with only those really big rocky sections being an issue.  Otherwise, I didn't even hit anything with my rock skis.

I was pleased with the trail on the early sections, including the front hill, where we completed the regrading/erosion control work.  It groomed and skied nicely, and seems to hold the snow much better.  We did get the usual elk stampede and a couple of errant runners who must have trouble reading, otherwise, the trails looked pretty good all weekend.  Please keep a wary eye out for things until we pick up a lot more snow.  Use caution and ski lightly!

A HUUUGGGEEE  thanks goes out to Paul Graham for his complete dedication to going out and cutting aspen shoots for 4 hrs on Friday, then again Saturday and Sunday.  Sanna got in the action too on Saturday and just skied sans poles and cut shoots.  They were really bad and now there are very few sections left with any in them.

Hopefully, we continue to pick up a few inches here and there to cover all those little obstacles and fill in the holes and trenches.  It'll improve steadily if so.

Thanks also goes out to John B., Chuck C. and Dave W. for all the trail prep work, grooming, blading, sawing, etc.

I'm going to set up our club registration on www.nmsportsonline.com this week to renew club memberships. We also need to update the release form.

Thanks everyone and hope to see you out during the holidays!

Clay

First "grooming" of the 2012-13 ski season

After a busy fall with trail work projects and many, many other things...it was finally time to get up and pack the snow that has finally arrived.  This droughty fall was making us sweat it out, so it was nice to see some good snow that actually had some moisture in it.  

We're very short-handed this year with groomers.  We've lost one groomer (Denny moved to Utah), and Dina and I had another kid a few months ago, so it's going to be lean with the grooming if we get on the pattern of the recent years past.  If you know of anyone who might be willing to spend some cold, tough nights working out on the trails (and can operate machinery and lift some heavy objects... =), please have them get in touch with us.  It's actually pretty cool when you get the hang of it.

All that said, things are looking OK.  There was quite a bit of snow and it was setting up nicely with the cold nights.  It packed out well, but it's still thin for skiing.  Lots of people had already been skiing, but there are still lots of early-season obstacles, so be very careful.  No classic track yet.  Use your rockiest of rock skis if you do go up to ski.  

I packed the lower road out to Point O (still trees down above that point to Point M and to Point F).  The upper trails all got a couple of passes out to the end of the meadow (or, more like to the Valles Caldera fence), but there are some narrow spots due to some deadfall that needs to be removed.  I cleared what I could with a hand saw and just brute force, but we need to get up with chainsaws and even a pry bar to move the rest.  

It'll be lumpy and bumpy, plus there's lots of very tall grass and weeds, no doubt stimulated from last year's fire.  I'd never seen the weeds get that tall - several stretches with weeds higher than the machine.  Also, there are lots of aspen shoots that didn't get snipped.  Consider bringing a little set of hand snippers out with you if you'd like to spend some time helping get the trail cleaned up.  It would be a huge help.

Looks like more snow on Wednesday, but with wind =(.  Hopefully the storm scheduled for Christmas will get us up and running at 100%.  Again, we REALLY need some grooming help.  If we don't get someone new, it won't be groomed quite as well this year.

The SWNSC "garage"

Getting "Kermit" hooked up to the roller

First bit of trail from Camp May

On the lower road looking toward Pajarito

Looking north through the burn damage near the old Point R

Looking up to the upper trail where we had to extend the fencing and do some considerable trail repairs this fall

Over the big hill on the lower road headed to Point P; just out of the burn zone

Looking back up toward the burn zone.  The FS let us move those rocks out to the original Canada Bonita road width

One of the numerous trees that had fallen since the fall cleanup projects

Another broken tree (upper part of the picture to the right of center)

Farther up the trail; snow gets deeper and looks pretty good for skiing

The roller smoothing things out

Lots of grass and weeds had to be rolled and knocked down 

Entering the Canada Bonita meadow near Point L;  pretty deep snow here

Out in the meadow -- it is hard to see where to go with no previous grooming, or our bamboo markers placed for guidance

Trail Work at Canada Bonita

From Clay, our club prez (see note from Lynn B at bottom regarding keeping track of your volunteer hours):

It's that time of year again to get some trail maintenance work done up at Canada Bonita (FS Trail #282 & SWNSC ski trails).  The aspens and locusts are finally not rooting in so much, so it's time to cut them all out.  Also, we have some good news from the Forest Service:  we'll be able to repair a few spots where the fire actually physically burned the trail away where there was a lot of organic material.

The aspens and locusts would best be dealt with using those big "grub" hoes, Pulaskis, and McCleod tools to cut out their roots, but we may not have enough time this season.  We will have to do our best to clear much more of the trail system due to their growth than ever before.  So, a combination of "chopping" them out, in addition to "whacking" them out (which will just see them grow back next year) will have to do.  They have proliferated on the entire trail system this year, no doubt stimulated by the fire.  If you ever want to go do some work on your own, just hike up and start chopping or whacking away; just be sure to get them cut down low so that they don't poke out above the groomed snow line.  Also try to toss them off to the side of the trail, as hikers and bikers will still be using the trail until ski season.

The trail repair areas will require placing our low-side log structures (from dead/down material), then cutting a small section of the high-side portion of the trail to fill in the gaps on the low side.  We also have some drainage bars to create with some grading cleanups.  We'll try to borrow and rent some machinery with low-impact tread.  Hopefully we can find a mini-excavator, and it looks like Sam Gardner will be helping us with his backhoe.

I'm trying to schedule what weekends this work can be done.  It looks like perhaps next weekend (Oct. [12],13-14) will be one of the weekends, and perhaps the weekend of Oct. 27-28.  We may have another couple of chances in November as well.

At any rate, there is a lot that can be done individually with the cutting of all that brush.  I will try to be up there this weekend to do some work and staking for the "excavation."  I'll post the time as soon as I know.  This year will be interesting since we just had a new baby.

Also in the works is a trail day with REI volunteers, and perhaps even some National Guard members helping out.  We'll see on those things.  We could even plan on a group camp out to get even more work done over a weekend.

More to come.  Please try to get up and help when/if you can.

Important note from Lynn regarding keeping track of your volunteer hours:
Please be sure to track and record all your hours of work on the Nordic Ski
Trails.  To do that just send Clay and/or me an email (or email SWNSKIboard@gmail.com) with:
Date of work
Location and what you did
Number of hours

We just completed Phase I of the contract that is part of the SWNS Club Cost
Share Agreement.  This contract so far has paid Reineke Trail Construction Crew
to restore the upper half of Guaje Ridge Trail, North Mitchell Trail, and Guaje
Canyon Trail.  The first bill was for $20,000.  Under the agreement, we have to
match that $20,000 with $10,000 worth of volunteer labor.  That came out to
about 460 hours.  We have $73,000 left in the contract, and to spend it on trail
rehab, we must match it with about 1600 hours of volunteer work.  So you can see
that tracking every hour of volunteer work we do is essential.  It is your work
that is enabling the restoration of all of our trail system. If we were ever  to
get audited for responsible use of Federal funds, someone would take the emails,
or trail sign-in sheets, and call you up to verify that you did that work. They
do that more and more with fire rehab money to assure correct spending.

Thanks so much for your assistance with this!

Lynn

Guaje Ridge trail work completed

Update from Lynn Bjorklund of USFS and Southwest Nordic Ski Club:

Trail work on the upper half of Guaje Ridge trail from Mitchell Trail to Pipeline Road has been completed (for now).  It certainly isn’t perfect, but we are trying to get the most accomplished with the funding.  All those awful locusts have been cleared, the trail widened in spots, a minor reroute constructed, and drainage features added or improved.  Check it out and let me know (comment here) what you think.  This is OUR [due to cost share agreement between USFS and SWNSC] contract with volunteers making it possible, so feedback on how we are spending the money is solicited.  Reineke, our contractor, will be off on another job this next week.  Then the week of Sept 24, they will be back and starting reconstruction of north Mitchell Trail to what used to be Guaje Reservoir.  Next on the agenda in October will be work on the Pajarito Nordic Ski Trails.  We have to wait until after the first frost to protect the Jemez Mtn Salamanders, and we will need a cultural survey clearance that is scheduled for the first week in October.  So, if all goes on schedule, perhaps the second or third week of October we will get the work done up there that will be directed by Clay. Depending on weather and soil conditions, work on reconstruction of the trail up Guaje Canyon may get started.  Once the soils freeze up, then trail work will be over for the year, but the Nordic Ski Club will then be picking up on volunteer hours that will help fund work starting next Spring.

Trail Contract starting on Guaje Ridge/Mitchell Trails

Note regarding upcoming trail work from Lynn Bjorklund of USFS: 

Thanks to SWNS Club, Volunteers, and Clay Moseley!

A contract trail crew will be starting work down Guaje Ridge Trail and north Mitchell trail this next week. There will be daily ATV traffic up and down Pipeline Road that is authorized as approved administrative access so that the contractor (Reineke trail construction) can get chain saws and trail equipment to the start of the trail off Pipeline road. There will be hand crews only on the actual trail, with no motorized equipment except a chain saw to clear downed trees and hazard trees. The Guaje Ridge/Mitchell Trails will be greatly improved soon, and all those locusts and aspen shoots removed off the trail.

Thanks to all the volunteers who made this possible, and especially the Southwest Nordic Ski Club who has partnered with the Forest Service to assist in the rehabilitation of all the fire affected trails in Los Alamos County. Under this agreement, there must be a 50% match of volunteer hours to utilize the federal funding for these contract crews. Clay Moseley waded through the maze of forms, RFPs, and contracting process to make this a reality amidst his own impossibly busy schedule.

 

The contractor will be working the trails that are more remote, such as Guaje Canyon and Caballo, for the next several years while Craig Martin leads local volunteers on the closer access trails.  The sign-in sheet for all these volunteer efforts explains that they are actually volunteering for the Southwest Nordic Ski Club to help meet the match to obtain the federal funding.  Over the next few years we will need something like 1300 volunteer hours to fully utilize these funds. All the upcoming fall work parties and winter grooming hours will count towards this goal.  

 

We are also planning to have Reieke do some additional work on the nordic ski course later in the fall to get the trails in better shape for this upcoming season. 

Pics from the 4/21 work party

The shade fence was taken down, Clay went off into the yonder to cut trees down with Kermit. Sanna, Clay and John avoided being photographed. A good time was had by all.

Thanks to all the volunteers, groomers, members and skiers for the great season, see you when the sunfencing goes back up this fall.

Trail Work Session Tomorrow Morning

We'll have an easy, 3 hour trail work day on Saturday, 10AM at the trail....  this will be April 21st.

We'll be taking down all the plastic sunfencing that kept the snow shaded this past winter.

Because of the fire last Summer we had to put up more fencing than normal ($2500.00 worth!) and so we have more to take down, so we'd love to have a big turnout for this one.

Please join us!

Thanks,

Tom Berg

Pajarito Pinhead Challenge this Saturday 3/24

Hey folks, my favorite race that I am terrible at, the Pajarito pinhead challenge, will be this saturday morning, at the Pajarito mountain ski hill. The pre race instructions are at 8:20am, the race goes off at 8:30 am. Get there a bit earlier to do some minor paperwork.

Depending on snow the race will be a Race up to the top of aspen lift via dogpatch for skinners, or the zero road east for skaters and then:
1. Stop there
or
2. Ski over to the west side and down why not and then back to the lodge via salamander gully. (this is a different downhill than last time)

I am guessing the full race (2) will occur, but snow conditions could take a turn for the worse. Decision will be made tomorrow or sat morning.

Come on out. The race is free. There is good beer and bands at skiesta starting around noon.

Pajarito Trails Groomed 3/9

Groomed for both skate and classic. Meadows were looking sweet with the classic tracks. The trees look good too, but the tracksetter dug down into the old, dirty, icy stuff, so it looked a little ditry but actually was a nice track.

Get you some skiing, looks like we got 3-4" new snow on the trails

Skiing on Sandia crest

Well, looked like Sandia Peak did the road once again last nite. There was 1-2 inches of new snow on top of that. The classic was good; skating would be as well (actually excellent because no one is walking around on the snow up there right now). The UNM loop was quite nice for classic as well. Someone had also skated the loop a few times.

Monday Night Grooming

Made a total of 4 passes.  Ran the  footer for two laps and got rid of the rotten tracks.  Then two laps with the 6 ft setting track on the last pass where I could.  Some places it is OK and others two tractor weights were not enough.  The snow I had busted up on the first lap had set up like concrete by the time I got to setting track.  Need to tow the 4 footer with the chains in conditions like this, but I did not have time for that.  Should be good skating tomorrow.

On Mon, Mar 5, 2012 at 9:59 PM, Dennis Newell

Skiing on Sandia crest, etc.

The service road was groomed Thursday nite very wide (like a 3 lane highway in spots) for skating.
Hardly any footprints! It is packed hard except where a little new snow accumulated in a few spots. It was very cold up there today but when it warms up a bit the skating should be excellent.

Also some good news from a meeting Fredrik had with the USFS; as quoted from fredrik's email
"

Meeting went okay. They are okay with making the upper loop “as wide as possible”. The problem with the upper loop Is that it is in an area with lots of trails and needs to be closed off for winter. Ryan mentioned that he would rather make a loop below the service road and we talked about the old trails that we had their about 10 years ago. He is open to make these wider and mark as “UNM Ski Team Ski Loops”. That could be a good solution since very few people would use these trails except for skiers. We should check out those loops again this spring and I am planning on meeting with Ryan again in May to go over them. I now we had a loop that went down from the gate and did a loop above the big open “clear cut” area and then back again. We should also look at the entire trail we made from the ski area to the gate below the service road. He seems more enthusiastic about widening and even leveling some of these old roads and trails than doing more work on the upper side.

I do not think we will ever be able to close the service road from people walking or snowboarding but we can continue to try.

As I see it our priorities should be:

1-Find place to leave a machine on top close to the ski area. I will talk to them this spring. However, I do not want to leave my $10,000 machine up there all winter so this leads to another problem. We need to find people willing to donate to buy a machine that we can leave up there.

2-Looking at the lower loops and see if it is possible to make them flat and wide enough if we groom continuously.

I talked to Louis and he has skied up there a couple of times. I think it is more about approaching the ski area and ask if there is a place where we can have a machine. It has to be away from their operation so that it is not in the way or is operated on the ski area trails during operation. There might not be a place like this. The other option would be to make a storage place somewhere off the lower look where no snow boarders and not too many other people would have a reason to go. To make a makeshift storage area down there far enough away from the service road might work if we can put signs and mark the machine. Not sure if FS even have to know about it if we are not building any permanent structures. The main point is to have a machine and some equipment that Ron and ???? could drive over the trails a few times when I am gone. We can mark the machine with UNM Ski Team and have a permit on the machine and that way you all can be volunteer coaches and work under UNM’s permit.

The problem is that it is only 2 guys at the FS that can do any work for us as far as cutting trees etc. However, they are willing to help out and they are willing to let us put up signs to designate some trails as ski trails."

Ron

Saturday Grooming update

John set classic tracks this AM as well...conditions are truly great in the woods.  Meadow may be blown in but thie short hike needed to get into the woods loops is worth it.

Pajarito Trails Groomed 3/2

Hey guess what?
Shiny new grooming on 6" of new snow. Just groomed skate for now.

Go grab you some march skiing. Watch those rocks and bare spots.

Pajarito Trails Groomed 2/29

Special leap day grooming for you.
Groomed for skate and classic from point D to point Q. The burn area is melted out bad. Usual late season rock and bare area warnings apply.

Skiing on Sandia crest

I spoke with Steve Gallegos of Sandia Peak earlier this week. He said he would groom the road either Wednesday or Thursday night.

Trails Groomed for Classic/Skate

The pajarito trails were groomed for classic and skate last night. On top of grooming after Sunday's storm, conditions should be excellent. Be really careful on the front hill, the first bit of the upper and lower roads. Thin and bare spots abound. Upper woods and meadow should be excellent. Winds abound. Drifting can occur. Watch for downfall, especially in the burn region. Help clear larger downfall off the trail if you can. Grooming elves are short staffed, but are knocking themselves out to keep the trails in good conditions. Never thought we would be skiing into march post Cerro Grande. Get them a beer or burrito or a beerito. Or something.

Skiing on Sandia crest

Fredrik set classic tracks on the service road which was already groomed by the alpine area for skating (very wide) and on the UNM loop and the lower part of switchback. I wished more people could witness how much work he does to do this grooming; I am always impressed by how much time he spends. The UNM trail need to be widened in spots for skating and classic to happen and much leveling of the trail would be very helpful, but we need more volunteer help to make this happen.

Skiing on Sandia crest

Steve Gallegos of Sandia Peak said they will groom the road tonite. Also Fredrik will go up yet again tomorrow to groom. Classic skiing was not too bad today with a skied in track. And fortunately the snowboarders we encountered were polite enough not to walk on the single track on the road (for the most part). We asked them not to and they complied! Wished all of them were like that.
That's why we need signs to inform the user public.

Skiing on Sandia crest

The area around Ellis got about 10" of snow the night before last. The UNM coach, Fredrik Landstedt, had groomed on Tuesday so Tuesday night's snowfall obliterated that effort. Fredrik attempted to groom again on Wednesday Afternoon but could not park! This has happened 3 times this year so it must be very frustrating to Fredrik. Fredrik has made some big efforts this year to groom this area when the team is in town so please be aware of that. We will cntinue to pursue Sandia Peak Ski and Tramway and the USFS to be able to keep grooming equipment up there so regular grooming can be done. Please call or email both Ryan Reineke at rreineke@fs.fed.us and Kerry Wood at kwood@fs.fed.us if you support this. Also please be aware that Sandia Peak Ski Area (contact is Steve Gallegos) has been incredible this year with grooming the service road consistently and frequently with their alpine groomers. We also will pursue working the USFS to post some signs up there about the grooming that is done and who is responsible for doing it; perhaps with some etiquette guidelines. Please email the two rangers named above if you support this as well.

Trail/Grooming Report 2/15/2012

Trails have received about 14" of new snow from the last two storms. Things look very nice, especially below and above the burn area. Funny thing is, the snow depth varies from 60" to 0.60". Luckily, the 0.60" is only in a couple of short sections. As has been the case since the January thaw, the snow is very thin in parts of the burn area, mainly on the front hill and just beyond Point A, both upper trail and lower road. But, that situation has improved and if you're very careful and just "double-pole" and really tip-toe through the thin stuff, you can avoid hitting rocks...for the moment, anyway.

Please be very careful when skiing down the lower road, and avoid snowplowing at Point A.

It was a lot cooler up there this evening, so things should set up from the grooming work. Trails were groomed for both classic and skate. Classic tracks will be very nice for the next few days.

We're down to a rock-bottom skeleton volunteer grooming effort. Things may not get groomed in the most timely manner. If you or someone you know are willing to pitch in, PLEASE contact us.

Excerpts of an Alley Loop Race report

Friday morning, Clay and I went out for a warm up skate. There was about 2" of new snow on the ungroomed trails. We got fresh fun tracks on Mikes Mile. It was like 2" of ball bearings on well groomed trails. I shot some video. CB is a really beautiful place.


Pre race team Southwest Nordic Beer Drinking and Ski Club:



We hit the last tricky descent and I went wide around a lapped 10k skier, while the guy behind me took the quick inside line passing me easily. The descent has a really fast curve and I got further waylayed by a guy in a Gorilla costume. He sort of did not make the turn at all, and I slowed way down to avoid hitting him. I did talk to Gorilla man after the race, turns out he rented the gorilla suit to spectate in at the tour of colorado, but the rental company would not take it back after a couple of days of him running up mountains alongside the peleton, so he had to buy it, for $80 bucks. Seems like a great deal to me, no hard feelings Gorilla Fella.....


To read the rest of the report, see Alley Loop Race Report on Moscaline

Grooming/Trail Report 2/6/2012

We've been receiving little doses of snow all week, and now the total is just about a foot new since all this started. It's been a strange week of weather with little clouds coming in and dropping these bits of snow, but we'll take it! Temps have been cool, not cold, but we'll take that too.

This evening, Denny went out and groomed the entire system and set classic tracks too. He reported 3" on top of the blading work by John B. So with all of that new grooming work, skiing should be stellar all week. Looks like small chances for little bits of snow through the weekend. Let's hope that comes true.

The local Espanola Ranger District of the NFS has been working with the Valles Caldera org to go out and visually get an archeology assessment for the long-sought-after grooming extension onto the little section of land at the top of the trail system. It would add an easy 1+ km of nice skiing (and easy grooming) to the system. Hopefully, we'll hear something before this winter is over.

Thanks to the groomers!!!

New snow

Sandia Peak got 4-5 inches of fresh powder yesterday and the trails were improved dramatically for classic but no machine tracks. UNM loop had been badly walked in but is much better now.
Chris may hand groom this weekend for skating on the UNM loop; will keep you posted.

Skiing on Sandia crest

The service road has been groomed again (Tuesday nite) for skating by Sandia Peak! Very good skating.

Comments in Support of Chama Chile Ski Trails by TODAY (Jan 31st)!

Apparently the snowmobilers have also been writing in a lot regarding this closure, so it is very important that we get as many comments in support of it as we can. To support closure of Chama Chile Ski Trails to motorized (snowmobilers) traffic please send your comment in by end of TODAY to  amjones@fs.fed.us  (the longer email address listed below bounced for a few people). If you need a sample message to copy you may use/modify this one as you see fit:

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This letter is in support of the closure of Windy Point to snowmobiling. 

Reserving this small area for xc skiing and snowshoeing will help diversify and strengthen local economy and provide recreational opportunity to a wider segment of population.

The Chama Chile Ski Classic that uses that area for their event, should have the right to limited (grooming only) motorized access as it is a historic event. It is the oldest xc ski race in the southwest and is attracting 100s of people every year (as well as non-racers who love to use the groomed tracks to ski and snowshoe for weeks after the event underlining the need and demand for this recreation and resulting need for safety in the area).

This closure would take nothing away from snowmobilers due to the modest size of this area especially when compared to the size of the adjacent spaces that are already open to motorized access.

Please close Windy Point to motorized vehicles!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

see below regarding details of the closure proposal etc.

---------- Forwarded message ----------

It is requested that all comments on this closure be received by January 31, 2012 in order to be most

effectively considered. 

Dina

Date: January 15, 2012
To: Skiers and Snowshoers
From: Chama Valley Outdoor Club

Issue: Rio Grande National Forest Needs Your Comments By January 31
Topic: Winter Closure for Chama Chile Ski Trails Area or Windy Point (see
attachment)

On January 11, the Rio Grande National Forest published a call for comment
to close Windy Point, the site of the Chama Chile Ski Classic, to winter
motorized use for up to 5 years. This is the first step in the scoping
process for our special use permit to continue grooming the trails after
the Martin Luther King race weekend. Please find attached a PDF file of
the notice from the Rio Grande website with more information.

WE NEED YOU TO SEND COMMENTS TO THE FOREST IN SUPPORT OF THIS CLOSURE!

The Forest Service needs to justify this closure, and we can provide that
justification. Please tell the Forest Service to enact the closure for
these reasons:

1. Skiers and snowshoers need a space in the Cumbres Pass area without
snowmobiles where they can pursue quiet winter sports.

2. The proposed closure goes a long way to eliminate the safety and
social conflict issues inherent in mixing winter motorized and
non-motorized use.

3. The Windy Point location of approximately 500 acres is well defined
geographically.

4. Windy Point historically has been a skier area; the 39th Chama Chile
Ski Classic was just held last weekend.

To get comments in as quickly as possible, we recommend that you email to:
comments-rocky-mountain-rio-grande-conejos-peak@fs.fed.us

This is your opportunity to help make groomed trails on Cumbres Pass a
reality. Thank you for your support!

see below actual request for public comment on the closure:

Windy Point Winter Motorized Closure

Release Date: Jan 11, 2012

The Rio Grande National Forest is seeking public comment on a proposed closure order

prohibiting motorized over the snow use at Windy Point.  The proposed closure area that

we are calling Windy Point is on the west side of Cumbres Pass, adjacent to and

north/west of Highway 17. This area has been traditionally used for a cross-country ski

and snowshoe race in January for over 20 years.

The legal description is NMPM T32N. R4E. Sec. 12 & 13.

The purpose would be to provide a motorized closure for over the snow travel on the area

for up to 5 years. This would provide an area, currently not being utilized by motorized

winter recreationists, for non-motorized recreation.  There is a history of conflict between

the winter recreationists who enjoy the Cumbres Pass Area.  There is concern among the

public regarding the safety of mixed motorized and non-motorized use.  The Forest

Service will be encouraging users to come together to propose a long-term solution for

the larger scale recreation use issue.

A map and additional information on the project is available on the Rio Grande

National Forest website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/riogrande/projects 

Those wishing to comment are encouraged to submit their concerns in writing to:

Conejos Peak Ranger District

Attention: Windy Point Winter Motorized Closure

15571 County Road T.5

La Jara, CO 81140

E-mail comments may be sent to: comments-rocky-mountain-rio-grande-conejospeak@fs.fed.us

It is requested that all comments be received by January 31, 2012 in order to be most

effectively considered.  For further information about this proposal, please contact

Jeremiah Martinez at 719-274-6320.

Monday Evening Grooming 1/30/2012

Trails were regroomed tonight. The burn area is definitely having some issues due to all of the debris and black soot in the snow, so be very careful in there and know that down toward Point A, there are actually bare patches now, on both the upper trail and the lower road. They're not very long and can be "portaged" pretty quickly. One could ski up to the bare patches, take skis off, take a few steps and put skis back on, and repeat, about 3 or 4 times, then be on continuous snow the rest of the way.

In the past, I've used "skins" on the bottoms of my skis and just cruised up the hill and across the bare patches until I was beyond them, then took them off and skied the rest of the system. Once I was done and headed out, I put them back on and cruised back down to the car...not a big deal and it was quick and easy and a good way to warm up and cool down. Otherwise, one could just hike beside the ice on the front hill to just beyond Point A and then put on the skis.

Anyway, I ground up the skate lane nicely and left the classic track the way it is for now. I did reset the track out in the upper meadow because there was some nice soft snow and a track would set nicely. It had been destroyed from the weekend multi-use traffic and some drifting. It should ski well the rest of the week. Watch out for some ice around "the Rock" below Point J.

I also groomed the lower cutoffs as much as I could. They take extra loops to get groomed, so they don't always get the attention that the other trails do. They look great at the moment, though.

Lastly, a group of inconsiderate hikers with multiple dogs had hiked the entire trail system when it was somewhat warm, inflicting considerable damage to the trails, especially with our dearth of snow and dry winter pattern. It took more passes than usual to clean the system up (more equipment wear and tear, more gas, more of our volunteer hours, etc...), and it is still evident. That is a serious bummer. I have to admit, it makes me lose a little motivation when I see that. We're desperately short on grooming volunteers, so the conditions will suffer even more from stuff like that...

Hopefully, we'll see some new snow later this week. We need it!

Saturday afternoon conditions on our trail

Altho the temps today were a bit cooler than late January averages, ski conditions were pretty grim looking right up until the new Point B1, and we ended up walking all the way up to there.  However, at the end of our session we were able to ski out as far as Point A, no problem in the warm wet snow below B1.

Skiing up the trail system from B1, things were just great,  we skied from 1:30PM till about 2:45 on blue klister covered with VR40.  Most of the tracks were crisp, styrofoam, not wet, and very nice.  :o)

However 3 hiker creeps and their dog did walk the entire woods trail except for TJ's, hiking down from the top, 3 abreast, on the portion of our trails that the Forest Service has closed to hiking and snowshoeing.    Fortunately they did it this morning while everything was still frozen so they did no damage to the skating lane, and they didn't walk in the classic tracks.

But the upsetting part was when I got up to Point L on top, I could tell from their tracks that they had planned to do just what they did, they weren't lost or confused, their tracks came up the multiple use meadow trail and they turned directly left into the ski trail at L and headed back down the woods trail, no hesitation, or signs of being lost, past several warning signs .... they wanted to hike the entire loop with their dog up the road and down the woods loops, so they did it.  Jerks!

Ah well....

Sure was a great afternoon of classic skiing, and I want to add that had we been skating, it wd have been perfect too.

Thanks to you groomers, this seems to be a rather permanent grooming job you guys did last week. I've never seen tracks hold up so well.   :o)


tom

Skiing on Sandia crest

We need some fresh blood as well to help out. Please anyone that can help by just shoveling for 30 minutes or snow shoeing to help pack trails to enable, hopefully, Fredrik to groom again soon. I and Chris are pretty burned out shoveling snow. But if we can get some new volunteers I think we might do some more next week. The lower switchback trail (about a quarter mile section) needs to be shoveled to level it out, making it wider for the ski and snowshoe traffic and so Fredrik can groom it.
Anyway the service road was groomed again after the last small snow 3"(Monday nite and Tuesday am) + 1" (last nite). The 1" was on top of the grooming. UNM trail is in pretty good shape for classic (no machine tracks) and can be skated if you want to work hard.

Conditions Report 1/24/2012

Denny and Ken went up and finished the job off after the bits of snow (and wind) we received this week. The drifts have been knocked down as much as possible and the finish grooming job looked just stellar, especially beyond the burn area.

Classic track is in, the cutoffs got groomed, the lower meadow trail was rerouted to avoid the icy/wind-blown sketchy section, and the skate deck is smooth and pretty firm.

Remember, there are a few very thin and not-so-great sections on the front hill and also above and below Point A. Be cautious through the burn area, as there are some thin spots that were covered up by this last round of snow. I picked up a TON of sticks, rocks and general tree charcoal from the wind, but there's still a lot more out there.

We may need to shovel some spots next week to see if we can salvage a couple of spots if it looks like a storm is coming...otherwise we give up on it and let them "open up" such that we must walk over them. We'll see.

Otherwise, the rest of the trail system is in fantastic condition. It's crazy how much variability there is in the conditions. It's about 95% excellent as of right now, though!!!

Don't forget about the Low O2 Challenge (New Mexico Cup) up at Enchanted Forest this weekend. See www.efxc.com for details. Ski it, tour it, or race it...all comers are welcome and encouraged!

Trail grooming update

Hi all,

I don't normally post trail conditions via the group emails, but decided to post something since we (or I...) have not been updating the blog very well.  We (club grooming volunteers) are very short-handed with the grooming efforts this year (injuries, absentees, etc.) and things are not as scheduled as they have been in the past.  Hopefully we find some fresh blood, er, uh, new volunteers to help out with grooming in the future =o)

Anyway, we've been receiving little scraps of snow here and there, although last evening's/today's storm is a bit of a bust.  We were hoping for at least 4" more with no wind this time to freshen things up and sit on top of the wind-scoured areas, but we only got an inch or two.  Fortunately, the last storm left more than we had expected, but the wind was not so good.  The meadows got hammered with big drifts that took some concentrated effort to bust through...that effort was last evening in anticipation of today's storm.  We also had to cut out some downfall and clean a lot of debris off the trail.  If you see debris, please take the time to pick it up and toss it off to the side.

Another grooming session is planned for this evening to go over the little bit of fresh overnight and further smooth out the drifts, and finally put in a classic track throughout the system.  After all of the wind the past couple of weeks, we rerouted that sketchy/crusty/icy stretch at the bottom of the meadow (where it enters/exits the woods above Point O) to a tighter, and unfortunately, more off-camber line; but, there is lots of fresh snow on that stretch that will undoubtedly ski much nicer and make for a safer descent into the woods. 

The front hill access and a few short stretches above and below Point A are still at bare minimum coverage and need to be skied with much care and caution.  We just haven't gotten those areas covered since the thaw, so it's likely we'll see some spots "open up" there if we get into another dry pattern, which looks somewhat likely. 

Otherwise, the rest of the trails look fantastic, amazingly!  I don't think I've ever seen this much variability in conditions from the lower to upper parts of the trails.  It was just a strange series of events that have led to this and hopefully we can take some measures in the coming years to rectify the situation.  I'd say less than 5% is at the fair/poor stage, while everything else is good to great.  Just be cautious and have patience on your ski.  There is lots of great skiing to be had out there.

One more request:
Please don't hike/walk in the trails when it's warm, and even try to ski when it's a bit colder.  Trail use in warm temps is very damaging to the base and takes a lot of grooming to fix. 

Have fun.

Clay Moseley

Comment in Support of Chama Chile Ski Trails by Jan 31st!

Please make a comments to emails, phone or addresses below in support of closure of Chama Chile Ski Trails to motorized vehicles during winter! See points and details below. Website with map and address appear at very bottom. Please make sure to comment on this by January 31st!

Date: January 15, 2012
To: Skiers and Snowshoers
From: Chama Valley Outdoor Club

Issue: Rio Grande National Forest Needs Your Comments By January 31
Topic: Winter Closure for Chama Chile Ski Trails Area or Windy Point (see
attachment)

On January 11, the Rio Grande National Forest published a call for comment
to close Windy Point, the site of the Chama Chile Ski Classic, to winter
motorized use for up to 5 years. This is the first step in the scoping
process for our special use permit to continue grooming the trails after
the Martin Luther King race weekend. Please find attached a PDF file of
the notice from the Rio Grande website with more information.

WE NEED YOU TO SEND COMMENTS TO THE FOREST IN SUPPORT OF THIS CLOSURE!

The Forest Service needs to justify this closure, and we can provide that
justification. Please tell the Forest Service to enact the closure for
these reasons:

1. Skiers and snowshoers need a space in the Cumbres Pass area without
snowmobiles where they can pursue quiet winter sports.

2. The proposed closure goes a long way to eliminate the safety and
social conflict issues inherent in mixing winter motorized and
non-motorized use.

3. The Windy Point location of approximately 500 acres is well defined
geographically.

4. Windy Point historically has been a skier area; the 39th Chama Chile
Ski Classic was just held last weekend.

To get comments in as quickly as possible, we recommend that you email to:
comments-rocky-mountain-rio-grande-conejos-peak@fs.fed.us

This is your opportunity to help make groomed trails on Cumbres Pass a
reality. Thank you for your support!

see below official request for public comment on the closure:

Windy Point Winter Motorized Closure

Release Date: Jan 11, 2012

The Rio Grande National Forest is seeking public comment on a proposed closure order

prohibiting motorized over the snow use at Windy Point.  The proposed closure area that

we are calling Windy Point is on the west side of Cumbres Pass, adjacent to and

north/west of Highway 17. This area has been traditionally used for a cross-country ski

and snowshoe race in January for over 20 years.

The legal description is NMPM T32N. R4E. Sec. 12 & 13.

The purpose would be to provide a motorized closure for over the snow travel on the area

for up to 5 years. This would provide an area, currently not being utilized by motorized

winter recreationists, for non-motorized recreation.  There is a history of conflict between

the winter recreationists who enjoy the Cumbres Pass Area.  There is concern among the

public regarding the safety of mixed motorized and non-motorized use.  The Forest

Service will be encouraging users to come together to propose a long-term solution for

the larger scale recreation use issue.

A map and additional information on the project is available on the Rio Grande

National Forest website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/riogrande/projects 

Those wishing to comment are encouraged to submit their concerns in writing to:

Conejos Peak Ranger District

Attention: Windy Point Winter Motorized Closure

15571 County Road T.5

La Jara, CO 81140

E-mail comments may be sent to: comments-rocky-mountain-rio-grande-conejospeak@fs.fed.us

It is requested that all comments be received by January 31, 2012 in order to be most

effectively considered.  For further information about this proposal, please contact

Jeremiah Martinez at 719-274-6320.

Skiing on Sandia crest

Sandia Crest received about 1.5" new snow Saturday night/ Sunday am and the service road was groomed by Sandia Peak. Much improved skiing, both classic and freestyle.

Skiing on Sandia crest

Service road in very poor shape due to foot traffic and icy/hard-packed conditions; Steve Gallegos (head groomer) @ Sandia peak said they would groom the road tonite (no classic tracks). This will improve the conditions on the road immensely. Forest trails are still mostly powder but some of them have been walked in and there is a lot of debris due to the high winds we've had. The UNM team will be back next week so expect Fredrik will do some badly needed grooming on a few of the trails (and set tracks on the road).

Fun event Jan 28-29th and more events coming up!!!!

Come out for some great winter fun at the NM Cup/Low O2 Challenge events at Enchanted Forest XC Ski and Snowshoe Area on Jan 28-29th!

There will be snowshoe, classic ski and skate ski events as well as free fun kid races! This is a great place to bring the whole family to! This event is put on by Enchanted Forest and Southwest Nordic Ski Club.

   

Lodging: Golden Eagle Lodge in Red River is offering event participants early check in, late check out and off-season rates on their rooms. Some of their rooms have kitchens if you need one and our members have stayed with them many times with great reviews. Check them out here: www.goldeneaglelodgeredriver.com 

Non-skiers: If you've been wanting to try a new winter sport and have been held back by gear/equipment considerations, this is the perfect opportunity! Enchanted Forest has everything you may want to rent for snowshoeing, classic skiing, skate skiing as well as lessons! Come up to check out the scene, meet new people, experience the beautiful trails and views and enjoy winter, and who knows, it may become your favorite cross-training activity!

Also, great new quad event being put on by Pagosa Nordic on March 3rd. Perfect for triathletes and ends with a swim in an open air hot springs pool! If you are interested and would like a skier to do the xc ski leg for you, let me know by filling out the Contact Us form on our homepage, we'll find you one. Or use this NM Cup weekend to try the skiing out - you may like it and want to do it yourself (its a 5k or 10k, your choice).

You can get the event flyer and paper registration form from http://swnordicski.org under Club News and Upcoming Events section front and center (scroll down to see all events).

You may also register online here:  http://www.active.com/running/red-river-nm/new-mexico-cup-low-o2-challenge-2012 

Photos from last year's event are here:  https://picasaweb.google.com/102429734917982531356/NMCupLowO2Challenge2011 

More fun winter events happening EVERY weekend between Jan 28 and March 10th including the famous Just Desserts Eat and Ski on Feb 25th. See full list here (scroll down and click each event name bar): http://swnordicski.org/