Mountain Blog

Tom and Tommy Long, the Mountain Men of Pajarito

Some fathers and sons rebuild old cars, some go hunting or others hit the road for adventure. Very few have the opportunity to both work and play together – except our very own Tom and Tommy Long! Tom, a 50-year ski industry veteran, has been working at Pajarito since 2004. He’s our General Manager. Several years ago, Tom brought his son, Tommy, onboard whenever he needed an extra hand. In 2009, Tommy started full time, and is now our Snowmaking Manager.

Tommy and Tom Long on the lift

While working at ...

Summer is two weeks away, and the volunteers at Pajarito have been hard at work clearing the mountain bike trails and getting the routes ready for your steepest bike dreams.

As of Sunday, May 19, the team has cleared:

The roads on the east side of the mountain are cleared all the way to the top. With all of our moisture this season, some areas are still a little wet and muddy, but with the New Mexico sun, that should clear up by opening day. The lift will be running 9 ...

Ullr sent us a subtle reminder to buy next year’s season passes yesterday: 

April 23, 2019

Check out that snow! We’ve been busy prepping the mountain for both summer and next winter (can you believe it?). Here’s an update on what the mountain team has been doing:

Water in the Pond = Snowmaking for Next Winter! We have been pumping water to the pond around the clock since the very end of March. The system is working great and the run-off is impressive. During the warm part of the day, we can see almost 400 gallons per minute entering the collection cistern. ...

Thanks for a great season! Thanks to all of our pass holders,  guests, and employees for making this season a great one. Here are a couple of our favorite guest photos from the 2018-2019 ski season. 

Opening day at Pajarito.PC: @benjithethird

Zack Hill skiing through some blower snow!

PC: @carrie2426

PC: @aidan.ortizzzzzzz

PC:@chrissyqmartin

Torchlight Parade PC: @anothernmdirtbag

PC:@goodnightlosalamos

Zack Hill in deep powder!

PC:@nathan.burnside

Pup enjoying Pajarito!PC:@mtntortuga

Bluebird Day at the little bird!PC: boiimertle

Thanks for a great season. Summer operations are scheduled to start June 6th, see you ...

College Students, Faculty, & Staff Ski for just $35 Wednesday’s and Thursday’s the end of the year with a valid student or faculty ID.

Not Valid: March 13, 14, 20, 21

This deal can only be purchased at the Pajarito Ticket Office.

Pajarito is working hard getting ready for opening day (December 21st) and mother nature is working in our favor. This past storm brought Pajarito 8-9” at the base and 10-12” on top! Mountain crews have begun track packing much of our beginner and intermediate terrain. We try to track pack to compact the snow in high traffic areas so snow does not get skied off. 

More snow is in the forecast! We are expecting snow tonight through Saturday. Check our snow report for updates and look at our mountain cam for live video.

Views from the base area before track ...

This is no joke – there’s 4″ of fresh snow at Pajarito and it’s still coming down. OpenSnow is calling for another 2-4″ to fall throughout the day. Stay tuned to our Facebook and Instagram for more updates on how we’re getting ready to open. Opening Day is scheduled for Friday, December 21. 

Here are some of our favorite snow day photos to get you excited for winter!

Pajarito’s most popular fall festival, Ullrfest, happens Saturday, September 29. Ullrfest features New Mexico Brewersfest with a dozen local craft beers, live music, lift-served hiking and biking,  races, a disc golf tournament, costume contest, and more.

Ullrfest event organizer, Thad Hahn, gave us the inside scoop on this fall’s most anticipated event.

Remind us who Ullr is (pronounced “ULL-er”). Ullr is the Norse God of snow. He is an excellent archer, hunter, skater and–most importantly–skier.

Why do we have a festival dedicated to him? The ULLR Festival honors ULLR and is a community event in anticipation of bringing a good ski season to Pajarito.

Which ...

Ski Season is right around the corner! Today marks 100 days until the kickoff of the ski season for Pajarito Mountain, which will open for the 2018/19 season on Friday, December 21. El Niño is forecasted for the 2018/19 season, which means more powder days! The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is currently predicting El Niño conditions for this winter, which tend to produce a greater than average snowfall across the southern Rockies, benefiting New Mexico.

“Everyone at Pajarito is excited for ski season to begin,” stated Tom Long, general manager at Pajarito. “Our crews have been hard at work ...

The word Pajarito in Spanish means little bird, and if you are looking for birds at Pajarito, there are no shortages. Pajarito and the Jemez Mountains are full of wildlife! There are thousands of animals that help keep the surrounding area beautiful! They are also vital to the ecosystem. Pajarito is doing its part to balance wildlife and guest needs. Pajarito has animal proof trash cans and cleans up the slope of garbage that animals might think is food.  Here are some of our favorite photos of animals at Pajarito:

Bighorn sheep, deer, and elk are indigenous to Jemez Mountains. This ...

Do you love seeing where your feet can take you? Pajarito is the perfect place for summer trail runs. The cool mountain breezes will wick away sweat, while you climb up to beautiful views of the Valles Calderas on trails that are just perfect for running. Looking to fuel up on your run? The Pajarito Mountain Cafe is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11am to 2pm and the perfect place to re-fuel with drinks, cookies, and bars or to replace those calories you burned after a run with juicy burgers, breakfast burritos and more!

Trail runner by Vint Miller

There ...

The relationship between father and son is one of the most unique bonds. Some rebuild old cars, some go hunting or hit the road to spend time together. Very few of them have the opportunity to both work and play together – except our very own Tom and Tommy Long! Tom, a 50-year ski industry veteran, has been working at Pajarito since 2004. He brought his son, Tommy, onboard when they needed an extra hand and in 2009, Tommy started full time. They have been working together ever since!

Tom and Tommy hard at work sampling the product (snow!)

While working ...

Dozens of New Mexico craft breweries on the deck at Pajarito.

Summer’s officially here and it’s time to kick it off right. Pajarito will be hosting its annual Summerfest all day on Saturday, June 9th, with lift access to hiking and biking trails, live music, and—of course—plenty of local craft brews. There are so many ways the whole family can enjoy the Summerfest experience. The disc golf tournament, dual slalom mountain bike race, and live music are sure to keep children—of all ages— entertained!

With the purchase of a Mountain Bike Power Pass or uplift ticket access to our extensive hiking ...

Summer is in sight! Lift served lift-served hiking and biking starts May 18th and will continue every weekend to October 28th plus:

Friday, May 18th 12pm-4pm for pre-riding the Rocky Mountain Race Series.  

Monday, May 28, 9am-3pm for Memorial Day.

Thursday, June 21, 4p-8 pm for Summer Solstice.

Monday, September 3, 9am-3pm for Labor Day.

In preparation for summer, crews have removed trees and branches from trails. Opening weekend will feature the Rocky Mountain Race Series. With Cross-Country, and Slalom on Saturday and Short Track and Downhill on Sunday, there is something for everyone. New this year, we’ll have Rocky Mountain Maiden downhill rental bikes. ...

Pajarito Mountain Ski Area will host the first race of the 2018 Rocky Mountain Race Series, May 18th through the 20th. The Rocky Mountain Race Series is a five-stop a multi-discipline mountain bike series in Colorado and New Mexico. The series will include downhill, cross country, short track and dual slalom.  The series will include categories for juniors ages 8 to 18, in three-year age groups and 10-year age groups for adults, in both endurance and gravity disciplines. With all of these categories, there is something for every skill level of racer.

On Friday, May 18th will include all-day registration and ...