Mountain Blog

Effective Thursday, May 19, the road to Pajarito Mountain has been closed by the Santa Fe National Forest, due to Stage III Fire Restrictions and complete closure of the forests. At this time, all summer operations are on hold until further notice, including Summerfest, chairlift service, bike and hike, lift-served downhill mountain biking, hiking on the mountain, cafe operations, and retail operations. Pajarito Mountain is continuing to advocate for summer operations and will update the mountain blog, website and social media with further information as updates become available. 

The Los Alamos Reporter recently reported:

Los Alamos Fire Chief Hughes noted that Cibola ...

Rise to the Mountains.

The mountains beckon us. Whether on skis, boards, bike or even on foot, when we traverse these mountains, they move us. Connecting, relaxing, learning, progressing, mastering, surrounded by these peaks – it’s all a high calling, indeed. The 2022/2023 Power Pass is our passage to Rise to the Mountains, and it’s on sale now. Here’s what’s new in this year’s lineup and the tried-and-true features that are staying the same – all passes include no price increases over last year:

Introducing the Power Pass Core

Formerly known as the Power Pass Local, this pass carries a new name ...

Enjoy the thrills of lift-served downhill mountain biking this summer at Pajarito and beyond with the Mountain Bike Power Pass. This pass provides unlimited summer 2022 access to Purgatory Resort, Brian Head Resort, Pajarito Mountain,  and Spider Mountain — all for just $199. 

Here’s a preview of the parks that are included on every Mountain Bike Power Pass.

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Tucked away on the eastern edge of the Jemez Mountains, Pajarito delivers a raw and throwback experience. Born over a decade ago and still maintained by the ...

Save the date: the 2022/2023 Power Pass goes on sale on March 22! This year’s season pass lineup will feature a couple of surprises and also the mountain access that makes the Power Pass the most powerful pass in the Southwest. Here’s just a small preview of what to expect starting March 22:

Our 2021 holiday gift guide includes the perfect gift for the snow or mountain lover on your list! Curated by Pajarito pros, this guide will help you share a lot of holiday cheer and Pajarito pride this season.

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At the top of Pajarito, a 10 million gallon water retention pond holds the promise of more consistent snow and a little peace of mind. 

This year, Pajarito, together with Mountain Capital Partners has invested more than $250,000 to re-line the water retention pond that holds millions of gallons of rainwater and snowmelt. Each winter, Pajarito will use this water to create snow to jump-start the winter season. Over the years, the lining of the pond has deteriorated, making it impossible to hold onto the water. With this investment, Pajarito hopes to rejuvenate snowmaking to open earlier and stay open. 

The full ...

The PSIA/AASI (Professional Ski Instructor Association/American Association of Snowboard Instructor) recently presented Tom Long, General Manager of Pajarito Mountain, with the Distinguished Service Award for his many contributions to ski teaching. Long recently attended a ceremony in Breckenridge, Colorado to receive his award. 

Long has been working in the ski industry since 1966, and has had a significant impact on the development of ski curriculum across the nation. His accomplishments include helping develop the PSIA/AASI three-tiered ski and snowboard instructor certification program across the country. He ...

It’s the very best time to buy your season pass for the 2021/2022 winter season.

Prices will never be lower for passes. Have you heard about our no-interest pass payment plan? It’s a great way to spread out the cost of your pass over time. Check out our list of reasons to purchase your pass before April 14. 

1 – Pay No Interest With our payment plan, you never pay interest. Worry-free payments make purchasing your pass easy–and affordable. 

2 – Maximize Your Payments If you purchase your season pass by April 14, you’ll be charged nine monthly payments spread through November 30, 2021. More payments ...

Pajarito Ski Patrol and COVID-19 

Pajarito Ski Patrol are accustomed to encountering challenges at Pajarito Mountain. From unpredictable weather to slick slopes, the patrol takes most challenges in stride. Not, however, when it came to handling COVID-19. When the obstacles arose related to emergency response during the pandemic, the patrol rose to the considerable challenge. 

The group, composed of 70 volunteers and a handful of paid patrollers, began meeting in early summer 2020 to plan for the changes necessary to patrol safely. The group consulted with longtime patroller Dr. Robert McClees, current Medical Director of the Pajarito Mountain Ski Patrol and owner ...

PC: Peter Dickson

The latest snowstorm that dumped 13″ means we can open the mountain! With so much warm weather and dry conditions, we are very happy to get the lifts going. As a special thank you to passholders, we are opening up first to you. You’ve been patient and supportive, and we’re grateful. All passholders are invited to come. Power Pass, Power Pass Select, Power Pass Local and Pajarito Value passholders are all welcome to enjoy these special days Friday, January 22 and Saturday, January 23. We’ll be ...

We will be open for two special passholder appreciation days January 22-23, and we will open to the public Sunday, January 24. Tickets to the public will go on sale later this week at Pajarito’s online store at www.pajarito.ski.

We are planning to have the Beginner Chair 3 and the Aspen Chair 4 running. The cafe will be open, but there will be no indoor seating available. NEW! Guests ...

Last night’s cold temperatures allowed us to wrap up our snowmaking operations; however, we still need a little more natural snowfall to open. We are doing everything we can to make sure that when the snow comes, we’ll be ready!

Continue to keep an eye on our website as well as our Instagram and Facebook pages for the latest updates!

The snow has blanketed northern New Mexico this week with and early fall storm, and Pajarito has enjoyed 13” of the fresh stuff. We’re always thinking about winter and this just got our stoke over the top! We can’t wait to welcome you back December 11. 

Here are a few photos to enjoy of this week’s snowstorm, courtesy of our media team contributor JoAnna O’Neill @joannacoolbeans

Pajarito Mountain Ski Area Announces Local Restaurant Grant Winners

Pajarito Mountain Ski Area, along with Mountain Capital Partners and the Coleman Charitable Foundation are delighted to announce the local restaurants that were selected to receive their grant funding. 

The local restaurants that received the grant funding are Viola’s, Rose Chocolatier and Fleur de Lys.

“With 16 local restaurants applying, it was a difficult decision,” said Tom Long, General Manager at Pajarito Mountain. “But we are honored to be able to make an impact for these three great, local restaurants.”

The grant, which the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce helped coordinate and promote in coordination ...

The Girl Scouts of America has awarded our hometown ski patroller Natalie Aulwes with its highest honor – the 2020 National Gold Award Girl Scout.

She designed and built a ski patrol helipad at Pajarito at the top of the Townsight lift that runs on solar power. In an interview with KRQE, Aulwes said: 

“I wanted to do something to give back to Ski Patrol and everything they’ve done for me, one of the problems we were having was getting our patients efficiently to our old helicopter pad.”

Aulwes said part of the problem was transferring the patients from the sled to the ...