El Cajete Ski Tour

This ski tour was done as a hike in 2014, and was an enjoyable outing. This year we should be able to do it on skis! The trip will start from the Valle Grande Visitor Center at 9:30 AM, so let's meet at Sullivan Field at 9:00 to carpool up to the Valle. The trip is open to members of the Mountaineers and their guests. Before departing, all skiers must pay an access fee or show an NPS pass and sign a Mountaineers trip waiver. A few of us should try to arrive early so we can take one or more cars to the end of the route for a car switch. The route utilizes existing winter ski tracks up to Valles Caldera Road VC02. Then we will ski west on VC02 through El Cajete to the end of VC02 at State Highway 4 just east of La Cueva. We will have an opportunity to see the El Cajete volcanic basin, the south side of Redondo Peak up close, and Redondo Meadows. This trip is roughly 10 miles, with an estimated 5 hours of skiing time. It requires an intermediate level of cross-country ski touring experience to negotiate a few short steep downhill stretches and moderate fitness. Advanced signup for this trip is required so we will know who to expect at the trailhead and what transportation arrangements we need to make for the car switch. Please e-mail Norbert at norbert.ensslin@gmail.com or phone at 662-1408 to sign up so that we can communicate back and forth about weather conditions, car-pooling options, skiing experience, etc.