Pajarito Mountain to La Cueva Ski Tour

NOTE: Sign up for this trip is via email to the trip leaders, NOT via the Mountaineers website.  Advanced signup is required with a deadline of Thursday night, February 6th.
 
This ski tour will start from the west end of the Pajarito Mountain ski area parking lot at 6 AM sharp.  The tour will be led by Scott Baily, with Norbert providing logistical support.  All skiers must sign a Valles Preserve waiver and a Los Alamos Mountaineers Club trip waiver before departing, and we’ll also collect the $10 Valles Preserve access fee (in cash).  We also need to work out car pools or car shuttles so that we can leave some cars at Pajarito Mountain and some at La Cueva.
 
The ski tour route will go through the Valle de los Posos on Valles Caldera Road VC09, then utilize that road to cross the Valle Toledo and enter the Valle San Antonio, a very beautiful and remote valle.  Then skiers will take VC08 to VC10, exit the Preserve at San Antonio Creek, and ski down San Antonio Canyon to the highway near La Cueva. The ski tour is roughly 25 miles. If possible, there will be a stop at the San Antonio Hot Springs at mile 20 to rest for an hour and soak aching muscles.
Because of the length and the initial steep descent on a jeep road into the Valle de los Posos, this trip requires an advanced level of cross-country ski touring experience and is strenuous.
 
The route taken by this trip is the classic route taken many years ago by Mountaineers trips from Pajarito Mt. to La Cueva when the ranch owners gave permission to do the trip.  This was the Mountaineers' most popular winter excursion for those fit enough to go.  We are grateful to the Valles Preserve for the opportunity to repeat this adventuresome trip.  Late winter can provide very good skiing conditions on a hard surface with just a thin layer of soft snow.  But if there is not enough snow on February 8th, or if there is a snowstorm, or too much snow for the party to break trail for that distance, we will postpone to February 22 or later.
 
This trip is open to members of the Los Alamos Mountaineers and guests who are in good enough shape to ski 25 miles.  Doing a long classic ski tour in such beautiful country is a great adventure, and provides a sense of accomplishment and some wonderful memories.  But skiers will need to maintain an average speed of 2 to 2.5 mph to reach the highway by dark.  The last few miles of this trip are always an exercise in will power!   If you are unsure of your conditioning, a good rule of thumb is to get in at least 50 miles worth of shorter trips beforehand to build up the leg muscles.  And it's especially helpful to include a couple of 12 to 15 mile-long trips.  These really help build endurance and make the long trip much more enjoyable.