Last May, a two-thirds majority of voting members of the Los Alamos Ski Club approved the transfer of Pajarito Mountain Ski Area to Los Alamos County and the management group that operates Sipapu Ski and Summer Resort. Since then, these teams have worked hard to ensure skiing and snowboarding at Pajarito for the 2014-2015 winter season and beyond.
Located 70 miles east of Pajarito, Sipapu is the state’s fastest growing ski area and northern New Mexico’s oldest resort. Sipapu co-managing partner and founding family member Bruce Bolander said the group is dedicated to honoring Pajarito’s legacy while investing to secure the future of skiing and snowboarding at Pajarito for years to come.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with our neighboring mountain,” said Bolander. “Pajarito Mountain offers some of the best terrain in the state along with a rich heritage built by the Los Alamos Ski Club and the Los Alamos community. We’re dedicated to preserving that history while utilizing our 62 years of experience to create quality, affordable skiing and snowboarding for everyone.”
While the core of the ski area will remain the same, several improvements are planned, starting with Pajarito’s operating schedule: Pajarito historically operated on weekends, holidays and additional days as conditions permitted. This year, resort officials expect to open for weekend operations by Thanksgiving Day, and the lifts will turn daily beginning Saturday, December 20 through Sunday, March 29. Weekend operations will run through April 12, 2015.
This schedule is very similar to Sipapu’s operating schedule, and Sipapu officials say that their experience in mastering the art of snowmaking has helped them guarantee the state’s longest season for over a decade – even in the less-than-ideal conditions last year when Sipapu picked up only 80” of snow (on average, Sipapu receives 190”). Sipapu officials are eager to put this equation to work for Pajarito.
Furthermore, Sipapu’s background in partnering with local ski shops, restaurants and hotels is extensive, and Marketing Director Stacey Glaser says she looks forward to bringing their best practices to the Los Alamos business community as well.
“One of our key initiatives at Sipapu is partnering with local businesses to create lodging packages and tourism programs that drive guests not only to our slopes but also to the surrounding businesses,” Glaser said, “We are committed to creating a win-win for everyone.”
In addition to these changes, the two ski areas also unveiled the New Mexico Power Pass, the state’s preeminent season pass. As the only pass that’s available everyday at two New Mexico ski areas, the New Mexico Power Pass also includes three free lift tickets at each partner ski area (which includes over 20 mountains in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and throughout the country).
Last winter, National Geographic named Los Alamos one of their “Best Secret Ski Towns” (and the accolades for this community didn’t stop there: since then, Los Alamos won Liveability’s “Best Small Town” contest and USA Today named Los Alamos as one of their coveted “10Best” list in August 2014). The Los Alamos Ski Club, Los Alamos County and the Sipapu Group are working hard to ensure those rave reviews continue coming – both for the benefit of Pajarito Mountain Ski Area and the Los Alamos community.