Ski Season is Over =( Trail Report for 3/14/2013

Dave went up to attempt one last grooming, but the last couple of days (and the ubiquitous lack of deep base) were just too much for our poor trails.  Here is Dave's very detailed and descriptive report:

Ski season is over, burned out patches everywhere

So, that is a wrap for the grooming.  There may be some late snowstorms (...wishful thinking, especially this year!), but we won't groom anymore.  Thanks for all the support, and we hope you got out on some of the good days we did have this year.  There were quite a few good days, but it just didn't stay that way this year.  This is the third (relatively) bad ski year in a row!  I'm starting to notice a pattern, unfortunately.

The good thing is that we did a lot of great trail work that kept things in good shape for much longer than they would have otherwise.  With a bit more work to the trails, especially in the burn area, we can improve on these low-snow years by quite a bit.

Don't forget about the tree planting coming up in April.  That will help immensely!!!

New Snow, Trails Groomed 3/9/13 & 3/10/13

Whew...  Just in time!  We were saved by 8" to 9" of new snow.  Last week's meltdown was stopped and we got one of the best storms (I know, that's sad...) of the year Friday and Saturday.

Groomers were having trouble motivating and wondering what to do, but the snow was substantial and had a lot of water in it, with cold temps, so it turned out to be a good weekend for skiing.

Trails were rolled Saturday, then groomed on Sunday morning.  It was cold on Saturday, but the sun came out on Sunday, making the burn area a bit mushy.  Above that, it was like mid-winter.  It didn't get all that warm, but the loss of base in the burn area sure makes the ground warm up this time of the year if the sun comes out.

We just never built up a good base down low this season, so it dies a quick death when the sun comes out in March.  Too bad -- the snow up above the burn area is still good.

Maybe one more re-groom this week, then it'll be time to fold up the equipment and call it.  It's a bit early, but that has been our fate this year.  Overall, we had some terrific skiing at times this season, especially early on with the long cold snap we had.  Too bad it had to end early.

Still great skiing up at Enchanted Forest.  Check their website and go ski there these last couple of weeks that they're open.

We'll need some help with post-season trail cleanup, sometime in early April.  Mainly, we'll need to remove all the shade fencing, roll it up, and then store it away.

Here are some pictures of Mila and me out skiing yesterday:

At the big curve on TJ's - with the very large Douglas Fir in the background

At Point C - it was a tough day to ski the loop with the state of the trails through the burn area, but she was happy once we got onto TJ's loop.  

Looking up the big "Doug" - so glad it didn't burn all  the way!

Near the "new" coat tree at Point C - it's current arrangement reminds me of the season we've had this year...

Tree Planting on our trails April 12-13th, 19-20th.

From Lynn B:

Tree planting is coming in April for 56 acres of severe burn around the Nordic Ski trails near Pajarito Mountain.  We have set dates for tree planting, so feel free to sign up for one or more.  The dates are April 12-13 and April 19-20.  Both are Friday, Saturday dates.  Hours are 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.  Meeting place is the far west end of the Pajarito Ski Hill parking lot. 

I actually had Jennifer's email incorrect in the first message.  You can sign up with her at jasublett@fs.fed.us.  You can also reply directly to this email and sign up that way.  We need to get an email list of all who are interested in case of changes to the schedule due to unexpected weather.  

I think we have about a 50-50 chance of actually getting all 10,000 trees planted on those days without weather cancelling at least one day.  The little Douglas fir trees are very particular.  It has to be above 40 degrees with no snow on the ground, some moisture in the soil, but not too much, and it can't be windy.  Does that sound like a typical April day?  If there are one or more days cancelled due to weather, we will then open up reservations for the next weekend which will be April 26-27, again a Friday, Saturday.

Everyone who signs up will be volunteering for the Southwest Nordic Ski Club.  This will enable us to bank more hours in order to meet the match for continuing contract work to repair trails taken out by the Las Conchas fire.  This season we are targeting Guaje Canyon trail from Guaje Reservoir to Pipeline Road and the Caballo Mountain trails. 

If you have additional questions or wish to sign up by phone, please call the Espanola Ranger District at 505 753-7331 and ask for Jennifer or Lynn.

Sign up soon to reserve your spot with the planting teams.