Snow Fence Hanging Party THIS Sun Oct 25th, 9:30am!

 

 

We just now found out that our faithful snow-fencing-party organizer from previous years, Paul Graham, has chosen personal life over the our trail's snow fencing needs ;) He is available at end of Nov but we are hoping to be burried in a good amount of snow by then!

 

SO! we are going to try to round up some volunteers to hang as much as we can THIS Sunday Oct 25th.

That's you (and anyone you can wrangle into it on our behalf :) !!!!

 

Let's meet at 9:30am at the ski club shed (across from Canada Bonita trailhead).

If you come up later, just walk on up the trail and join a group.

Dress appropriately, bring gloves if you would like them, water, snacks, and wear layers. We will have Clay distribute the fencing rolls and bring up zipties. Something to hold your share of zipties for easy one-hand access will make things much better (regular pants pocket are NOT great as when you have to bend/squat and the ties will poke you and fall out).

 

Those of you who have participated before - you know it's a lot of work, but also quite a bit of fun with a good group of folks and is totally doable with kids helping or playing around, so come on up and bring out the whole family!!

We'll see how far we get this Sunday and then plan next weekend accordingly.

Hope to see you up there!

PS Mila says she (we?) will make really good cookies for those who come up! :)

Enchanted Forest season passes 50% OFF for club members until Nov 15th!!!

Did you know that our long time friends and sponsors and our favorite ski area Enchanted Forest Cross Country and Snowshoe Area has started their early season passes deals?!

Their passes are currently 25% off to the general public as early season price, however, for current Southwest Nordic Ski Club (SWNSC) club members the passes are 50% OFF! What a deal! That means that a full season family pass (which also comes with a 10% off merchandise and special events discount!!) is only $150!!

see full prices here (50% off price is NOT listed since it's only for our club members) http://www.enchantedforestxc.com/prices/season-passes

WHEN: 50% off discount to SWNSC members is only good until Nov 15th. That means you need to RENEW your SWNSC membership (or join) by Nov 13th to allow time to get your coupon code (see below) in time to purchase your discounted pass by Nov 15th.

HOW TO GET YOUR 50% OFF COUPON CODE:

1) Renew or join SWNSC online  here

2) within 2 days you will receive coupon code and instructions to purchase from us. Please contact us by messaging our facebook page or comment on this blog post right away if you do not receive it in 2 days.

3) make sure to use coupon code by Nov 15th to get your 50% off discount.

4) Feel good because SWNSC is a 501c3 non-profit so all membership fees and donations are tax deductible!

5) Feel even better because you are supporting a lot more than our club and our ski trails: SWNSC is also a contractor with USFS which allows the club to procure federal money to use to improve trails in our area (NOT just our ski trail!).

6) Tell your friends, like our facebook page and follow our blog!

Thanksgiving Camp by Crested Butte Nordic - Sign up now!

Hey folks,

I'm sure most of you know of the Thanksgiving Nordic camp put on the Crested Butte Nordic center. A fairly large group from our club goes every Thanksgiving.

 

Beautifully groomed trails with Crested Butte in the background. Quick ski before Thanksgiving dinner: 2014 camp.

 

sledding hill!!!!!

Getting around town for kids is easy :)

The house rentals in town are the best prices of the year (summer season is over but downhill skiing hasnt quite started yet - although there is often FREE downhill skiing on the early snow conditions that weekend, so you can take your downhillers and they'll have fun too). So you can get a great place right downtown and have a great time enjoying what is the most fun and best way to start your ski season by taking the awesome clinics Crested Butte Nordic Camp provides (they even have Intro clinics, so bring on your beginners!).

 

2014 kids thanksgiving clinic at CB Nordic

The list of instructors is amazing and the cost of clinics is more than reasonable (and is a fundraiser for the non-profit nordic center - great cause). You get a LOT of attention in all the clinics as well as video analysis for the intermediate/advanced clinics. This year, they also have a FREE kids ski camp which your kids can attend (grades K-6) while you are taking your clinics. They also have lots of gear rentals so you can try skating or classic, if either are new for you. Kids rentals are usually free during camp!!!

 

 

 

 

Here is the link for the camp: http://cbnordic.org/thanksgivingnordicskicamp/

And here is the link for the rental place we usually use for houses (or vrbo works well too). And we ALWAYS recommend the wonderful Cristiana Guesthaus (and their spectacular breakfast!!) they have been longtime sponsors and supporters of CB Nordic and they give 20% off to the camp participants (see camp page for details at right side under Lodging Deals).

Usually, even if going separately etc, we do try to hold thanksgiving day dinner at a larger house with all of us as a potluck. If you are interested in participating, let Dina (see email) know soon so we can arrange the potluck food etc.

Hope to see you out here!! 

So what are you waiting for?! Sign up today!!! :)

More blood, sweat...and money: TrailWork, Fees/Donations, NEW WEB DOMAIN!!!

from our club prez, Clay:

Photo courtesy of Lynn Bjorklund

OK, I'll admit that the club is loosely a charitable organization that continually asks for blood, sweat and tears...and your money, but it is great to be able to xc ski when there's good snow, right? There would be no possible way to have any of the skiing if we didn't have all of the above from all of you, so please help in any way you can by volunteering and/or renewing your memberships.

 

Just so you know, the club does function beyond just local XC skiing by maintaining the trails up at Canada Bonita and beyond. Club equipment is used by and donated to other local trail organizations, as well as club volunteerism, and the list goes on. We're all connected, so it is a good cooperative organization.

Club membership is mostly a charitable donation, but it also adds a bit of "political" clout to our cause and helps us to be in the running for grants and so forth. So please renew!

 

Here is the link to the renewal registration (don't forget, we are 501c3 organization and your donations and club fees are both tax deductible!! - you can request a reciept for your records when paying via link below):

http://www.newmexicosportsonline.com/events/details.aspx?id=29230
 

Also, we have a new website domain (still hosting our old website for now):
www.swnskiclub.org   ...as you may have noticed, the old one got hijacked by an unsavory group who has held it ransom. Shame on them!

We'll be producing a new website over the next few weeks with more up-to-date information and etc. Thanks for your support and patience.

 

Lots of trail work has been completed by a few hardy volunteers, but there is more to be done. We'll be cutting brush and fixing fencing some this coming Sunday (Pajarito Trail Festival is on Saturday). Come November, we'll be doing the "all hands" trail weekend to hang the fencing, so please set aside some time on the second weekend in November to help out with that if you possibly can. Info will be coming...

 

Thanks to all of you!

Temporary storage shed for UNM grooming equipment on mountain

Fredrik (UNM ski team) has been given green light from Ben Abruzzo to put  a storage container on the meadow area at the south end of the service rd.  Looks like usfs is very close to approval as well.  The plans are this season for a temporary structure which will be a conex (sp?) about 10' long by 6' wide by 7' high (I believe).  There will be a cost associated with rental, possibly transport, and for fuel for the snow machine.  Local skiers are asked to donate (if they choose to do so) to the UNM ski team and designate donations to fund shed rental and grooming expense (fuel, etc.).  More updates to come later.

Ron

Snow Fence take-down party this Sat 4/11/15

Hi all,

Help volunteer so that we can pay for trail projects!!!  Your volunteer hours all count in our trail construction funding projects!  All those trail crews you've seen around the County have been paid for through a cooperative agreement with the Forest Service and the Southwest Nordic Ski Club.

Spring is definitely here, and for sure, we won't be doing any more trail grooming.  But, we do have to keep the Canada Bonita trails maintained.  We'll be taking the shade fencing down this coming Saturday, so please come up and help, even if it's just for a little while.  It all helps.  All you need to bring is a pair of clipper pliers (diagonal pliers) or even a pair of needle-nose pliers.  We'll have a few pairs extra, but it's easier if people bring their own.

It's not a hard job and is a good volunteer opportunity.  If you do come up to help, please send me your volunteer hours so that we can enter them into the Forest Service volunteer cost-share register. Or you can enter them yourself by going to our homepage and clicking the red hexagonal "VOLUNTEER, enter hours here!" button.

Thanks to everyone who has helped with everything over the years.  It's been a tough few years with the droughts and fires, and now more drought and falling trees!

Hope to see folks on Saturday!

(read Paul Graham's email for the details below...)

Clay

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Paul Graham

Hello everyone,

We are hoping to recruit folks to please help take down the Nordic trail snow fencing this Saturday (4/11).

With a large turnout we can make short work on this project. If possible plan at least even a small bit of your time to help. No effort is to small.

The routine by now is pretty much known: Cut zip-ties, roll fence, leave rolls on trail edge.

I will plan to be on the trail around 9:30 starting at the far fence line end (lower road) .. (but you can pick any spot along the fence line to take down fence if you need to limit your time and walking to the far fence line ends).

See you Saturday, Paul G.

Skiing still to be had!

Looks like we could still be skiing (classic anyway):

Meeting next week

Notice:  If you are interested in seeing groomed or more frequently groomed nordic (xc)
ski trails in the Sandias  please come express your concerns and desires at the last "more kids in the winter woods" meeting on April 9 (Thursday) from 6 to 8 pm in Tijeras.  Please see the flyer below for more info.

We Need Your Ideas!

Final Community Meeting

for

“MORE KIDS IN THE WINTER WOODS”

Thursday, April 9

6:00 to 8:00 PM

Los Vecinos Community Center in Tijeras

Come celebrate all we’ve done

and give your input for the future!

 For more info contact: Susan Smith, Community Coordinator

susan.smith@talkingtalons.com

281-1133 ext 3#

Sandia peak skiing, service rd

I skied classic on the service rd today and it was quite good considering the recent warm conditions and lack of grooming.  Looked like plowing may have been initiated already at the gate to the parking lot.  So the last day to ski the service rd may have been today.  Check with Jay at tram to verify.
I saw Klaus Weber up there teaching some hs students to ski on the service rd.

New snow

Sandia peak received several new inches of heavy wet snow  yesterday and early today.  I and my gf Shi skied in a classic track along the west side of the service road to just beyond the snowboarder area.  Someone else (name was Andrew I think--an MD) skied from the parking lot).  Tom K was also going up later and will classic so there should be a few km of skied in trail (if it doesn't get post holed or snowshoed over).  Only 3 people up xc skiing no one else on road at all.  If this could be groomed we would have great skiing until April for sure.

Sandia peak skiing

Shoveled top of first hill north of ski area.  Classic skiing ok on service road.  Quite warm up there.

Trails meeting

We need all available skiers who are interested in groomed trails in the Sandias to attend the trails meeting with the USFS and other groups on Wednesday March 18th from 4 to 5:30 at the Tijeras library.  Steve Roholt will be moderating the discussion.  

Skiing & Trail Report 3/13/2015

Still some great [spring] skiing to be had on the Nordic trails!  Trails got a fresh grooming on Wednesday evening, making things all smooth and fresh again.  Thanks to all the volunteer groomers who have stepped in to help out since the last round of storms.  It has kept things skiable until the really go through the spring burnout.

It's time to go back to rock skis, though.  Those areas that suffered the "June-uary Thaw" are now looking dicey again, but the rest of the trail is still awesome.  Perhaps we'll get an "end-of-season" touring track pulled back in, but if it doesn't snow again, we may call it for grooming operattions (if it doesn't snow again soon).

Here are some pics of the trail yesterday:

Still some coverage in the burn area, but lots of foot-hikers are starting to ignore the signage =(

Great views of Pajarito Mountain (this is probably the worst of the Nordic trail)

Just around the "New Point B" zone...full coverage

Nice and smooth skating, but a little warm and soft.  It made me think of exactly where to be stepping on my skis!

Some really lovely sections!

So different with all the light in March

Lots of trees are thinning themselves out along the trails

Meadow sections in really nice shape

Looking back to the east

Update on skiing in Sandias

From Steve Roholt comes this report:

Great skiing on service road, spring conditions good coverage. 

Last weekends grooming made it like this.

Contrast with the ungroomed 10 k loop below. 

Fredrik not able to groom the past few weeks. The 

skiing should be good for a few more weeks, especially if we get a couple

more storms.

Grooming

The service rd was groomed very nicely bu the downhill area.  Good skating.  Classic is not too bad either but no tracks as Fredrik was unable to groom.

Trail Grooming Photos 2/28/2015

Very nice storm!  But, some weird weather did follow it.  Fortunately, we only got snow on the trails and it should hold up pretty well until the end of March, barring any weird tropical anomalies.  Saturday was just beautiful classic skiing.  Sunday was nice too, but a bit wet and sloppy.  It was a good time to play around with different skis and klister.  I have a pair of "Zero" skis that have hardly ever been used, but they worked great in those wet snow conditions on Sunday. 

Anyway, enjoy these pictures of our Saturday morning "re-groom" job.  We had actually groomed the night before too, but it was still snowing heavily and we ended up with at least 10" more overnight. 

(click to make the pictures bigger) 

NMCup xc ski races and fun events Sat-Sun March 7-8th.

This coming weekend (Sat-Sun March 7-8th) our Southwest Nordic club and Enchanted Forest will hold NM Cup XC Ski races at Enchanted Forest XC Ski and Snowshoe Area!! Info is below. The list of events this year include a pace race relay, great for newbies and mixed ability participants! Come up if 
you can, should be a lot of fun!! Race courses will be groomed especially for these events.

Never been to EFXC? Here is a first-timer info post we have on it including driving and rentals info: click here.

Don't want/aren't ready to race? Just come up to check EFXC and the events out and see how much fun it is (and see that anyone can race, even those learning how to walk often race :). Kids will have others to play with after and before events, it should make for a very fun weekend! Still not comfortable? Take a private or group lesson from EFXC's knowledgeable staff! Call ahead about lesson times.

Registration is day of each event at the EFXC base lodge. 

8:45-9:15am for adult races and until 11am for kids races and relays 

You will sign a waiver and get a race number. If participating both days please save your number to use it both days.

COST: each participant will need to buy an EFXC day trail pass for each day they are racing. Races are free with purchase of trail pass.

Althea racing with her grandpa

List of events!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday March 7th

--5/10k classic races (individual/time trial start, 30sec apart), 

--0.25/0.5k  kids races (flat, 1/2 laps around the base area), 

--3k kids race using blue and green trails (out Powder Puff back on March Hare loop, has hills and downhills)

--Pace Race relays: 2 people per team. Guesstimate your time and the winner is the team whose total time is closest to their own guesstimate. Length of each leg will vary from 0.25-1km based on each participant's ability. All loops are around base area. Great for cheering each other on and a fun way to mix participants of all abilities together! If you have an odd number of interested folks, we will find you a pair just before the race :)

Sunday March 8th

--7.5k/15k skate races

--0.25/0.5k  kids races (flat, 1/2 laps around the base area)*

--3k kids race using blue and green trails (out Powder Puff back on March Hare loop, has hills and downhills)*

*kids who know how to skate are encouraged to skate in the Sunday races, but classic will be fine as well for kids races.

2/28/2015 Los Alamos Nordic Trail Report

We got up on the trails last night and rolled the trails, followed by some passes with the 4' Tidd, plus an optimistic pass with the classic track setter.  It was snowing pretty hard at times, so we knew it may be gone by morning.  But, with that much new snow, it gets hard to groom through anything, so we've had to stay on it so that we don't get stuck, at least more than we did anyway.

Jim Fredrickson got back up this morning to start running the rollers again, so we're keeping it packed through the new layers of snow.  It's a process, for sure.

So, please be patient and just enjoy some classic touring.  If there is a break, I'll go run the classic track setter for a better classic skiing experience.  There just won't be any skating until the storm lets up (sorry).  Hopefully, we can get the whole thing groomed out for this next week.

Sorry I don't have any pictures.  It was wet and cold last evening and my phone quit working.

New snow

Sandia peak has received several new inches of snow in past 36 hours.  Hopefully service road gets packed by downhill area tonite or tomorrow nite.  Downhill area only open on weekends now.

Ron

2/27/2014: New Snow on the Los Alamos XC Ski Trails!

Well, looks like this late-winter blast will provide some more nice skiing for a little while.  It's been tough for me to make it up there to keep up with every little storm that has come through lately, so there have obviously been some gaps in trail maintenance.  I think the last "grooming" was the quick packing job I did two weeks ago: (https://www.facebook.com/swnordicskiclub/posts/946086965415990).  

These last few little doses have been pretty nice, but those few segments that got burnt out during our heatwave kept melting back down, despite the additions to the good snow pack in other areas.  It's weird.

Anyway, it has finally snowed enough that I got some volunteer support, including a potential new groomer!  (yay, and whew!).  So, we'll plan on heading up to pack things down this evening, plus maybe get in some groomed classic track for the weekend, depending on how much snow we receive.

Most certainly, I would not count on skating this weekend.  We'll pack and get a "best line" classic track set that follows the path of most snow on the trails.  

PLEASE, do not skate over the groomed classic tracks!

I'll report back this evening when we're done.