Mountain Blog

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 ...

Pajarito Mountain Ski Area, along with Mountain Capital Partners and the Coleman Charitable Foundation are pleased to be funding a grant to support local restaurants in Los Alamos County. The Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce and MainStreet will assist with the application process and distribution of funds.

The grant is aimed at helping local restaurants withstand the difficulties caused by public health restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Any restaurant located in Los Alamos County is eligible and encouraged to apply.

“Our local restaurants have struggled to remain open. In the uncertain economic environment that we are all living through, resources like this ...

Families are important to our community here at Pajarito. We love to see generations on the slopes, learning to ski our storied hill. That’s why we offer a FREE season pass for children ages 10 and under, so that it’s more affordable and accessible for them to get on the slopes. We also make it a priority to have a lot of options for parents when it comes to season passes, to make it affordable and accessible for you, too. We have options starting at just $249 for our adult Value pass, it makes nearly unlimited skiing at Pajarito a ...

You know Pajarito, but do you know the other resorts in the collective? Most are within one days’ driving distance, and all offer something unique for your skiing and mountain biking adventures.

Sipapu

Sipapu Ski & Summer Resort is located in Vadito, New Mexico. The full-service resort offers a variety of rustic lodging options slopeside, as well as a full service restaurant and bar. In the summer, Sipapu has a hilly disc golf course and fishing on the Rio Pueblo. 

Hesperus

A small ski hill near Durango, Colorado, Hesperus has a great night skiing scene and a really fun tubing hill! 

Purgatory

Purgatory, also near Durango, ...

Pajarito Mountain is excited to offer multiple season pass options for the 2020/2021 season. From the classic Power Pass that offers unrestricted access at all collective resorts to the NEW Power Pass Select, you have a wide range of season pass options to choose from. While each pass is unique, it can be challenging making the right choice. We’ve included this fun infographic to help make your decision easier. Answer each question, and read more about our season pass options below. 

Power Pass

Storm the slopes with the most powerful pass in the Southwest. The Power Pass offers unrestricted access ...

The Power Pass Select is the newest addition to the Power Pass lineup for the 2020/2021 season. Offering unlimited skiing and snowboarding at six different locations, this pass is your ticket to exploring other resorts in the Power Pass collective while still enjoying your home mountain of Pajarito. From exciting benefits to new experiences, here is what makes the Power Pass Select perfect for your next ski season.

The Power Pass Select offers unlimited access to Pajarito, plus Sipapu, Hesperus, Brian Head, Nordic ...