When New Mexico has a good snow year, there are great opportunities for both XC skiing and Snowshoeing. Many of the same places that make good XC Ski areas are also excellent choices for snowshoeing as well, although more remote hiking trails make for the best snowshoeing. When entering the Backcountry always follow safety precautions no matter how you travel. Here are some good suggestions for starting to plan your next XC ski Trip. Drop By Sangre De Cristo Mountain Works for more detailed information.

Photo courtesy of Atlas Snowshoe Photo courtesy of Atlas Snowshoe

Chama Valley - 10 km BC Trails Chama Valley chamber 505-756-2306 Chama Valley has 10 km of un-groomed XC ski trails. Ski area is located at Windy Point north of Old Town Chama, at the 2 mile marker. Chama is a great place for light BC Tours as well as snowshoe adventures. Home of the Chama Chili Ski Classic held each year over the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. For more information about the Ski Classic, telephone 505-756-1926 or go to the website: http://www.chamaski.com. Cross-country “classic” 5K and 10K ski and 5K snowshoe events for all ages and abilities. Race location is on permitted groomed trails in national forest at Windy Point, below Cumbres Pass, on Hwy 17. There is also a 1K groomed loop for the beginner or non-competitive skier. Race registration and Pasta Feed on 1/17; Race day registration and Breakfast Buffet at High Country Restaurant (in Chama), beginning at 8am. Warming hut at start/finish; age division awards; long-sleeve t-shirts; commemorative pins; awards for fastest male and female times; Awards Ceremony with free green chili stew and live entertainment beginning at 4pm at High Country Restaurant. Snow Fiesta activities include Snowmobile Poker Run; Chile Cook-Off; Broom Hockey; Ski Joring; fun for the entire family. Enchanted Forest - 30 km Trails Enchanted Forest is New Mexico's largest full-service cross country ski area offering trails groomed for both classic and freestyle skiing. The facility, located 3 miles east of Red River on the Carson National Forest, offers the best of all worlds - stunning mountain vistas and meandering forest trails which give a back country feel in a groomed, patrolled area. The trail system is groomed with one side tracked for classic a.k.a. diagonal stride skiing and the other left smoothed for snowshoeing and freestyle a.k.a. skate skiing. (If you are not familiar with skating, imagine roller blading on snow - except you have control and stopability on hills.) www.enchantedforestxc.com Pajarito Mountain - 12 km Pajarito mountain is located in the Jemez Mountains Just west of Los Alamos. Pajarito is operated by the Los Alamos ski club and offers 12 km of XC ski trails. The trails are of varying difficulty mostly suited toward the intermediate skier. The trails include single Track, double Tracks. Trails are mixed in level from advanced to easy. Contact Pajarito mountain for more information rental available at Sangre de Cristo Mountain Works. Angel Fire Resort* - 22 km Angel fire is probably Northern New Mexico’s most complete XC ski offering. Angel fire is a major resort and caters to all snow activities. A great place for family fun. Angel fire boasts a 4 trail system covering 22km featuring skating as well as single track. www.angelfireresort.com Nor Ski Tracks de Santa Fe* - 5 km This is a small Nordic track being groomed on occasion by volunteers. Located just above the Santa Fe Ski Basin the nor ski is a High altitude work out. Trails are mostly Intermediate and above. Metal edge skis are nice in this terrain.Not the best place to bring a Dog. Aspen Vista Trail Aspen Vista is good ski tour. due to the elevation gain this ski track is best suited for people on touring gear with skins as it is almost all up hill at least on the way out, Very fast track coming down, metal edges and solid control are required. Pacheco Canyon Road Pacheco Canyon Road is a forest service road which begins high on the ski basin road and drops all the way to Tesuque and the Tesuque Pueblo. This is a great snowshoe track as well as a good beginner ski tour. You can Ski to the large bend in the road that approaches the Rio En Medio and turn back. Not reccommended to descend any further than the Rio En Medio Junction. Vallecitos Mountain Ranch Vallecitos Mountain Ranch is wilderness ranch offering guided snowshoe or cross country ski trips and facility rental for groups. For information contact refuge@vallecitos.org Huts and Yurts Golden Alpine Holidays San Juan Yurts Hinsdale Haute Route Tenth Mountain Division Hut The Yurts at Chama Sangre de Cristo Mountain Works AT and Telemark Skis and Boots - Demo, Rental, and Service Snowshoe Rentals Call 505-984-8221 for more info or email us at info@sdcmountainworks.com XC Ski Events New Mexico Early Feb Taos Mountain Stampede  Amole Canyon Trails Mid-Jan Chama Chile Classic 5/10 k  Chama Valley Trails http://www.chamaski.com Mid-Feb Mount Taylor Quadrathalon http://mttaylorquad.org