Grooming Reports
With 1-2 ft of snow and continued cold temps, things are taking shape, coverage is good and the the new sections and reroutes are looking sweet. We are grooming out an access route from above the S 10K parking as well this year. Our general plan for this season, conditions permitting, is to groom on Fridays and then early in the following week and we will send out updates. We have not set any clinic dates yet but that is in the works. Happy New Year!!
- Grooming Reports
As detailed in our SNSC Google group e-mail, with this last storm of around 26-28 inches of powdery snow we got underway with grooming, but much work remains to get the trails fully groomed and classic tracks set. Klaus and the trail down to Aspen loop are well rolled out. We rolled out the service road multiple passes but is still soft with lots of foot traffic, so probably the service rd. will be pretty choppy until we get back to it. The Sandia ski area, in past seasons, has nicely groomed the service road but we were told they are busy getting lifts fixed so don’t think we can count on that this season. We will get back to grooming in the next several days so stay tuned. Plan is to have classic tracks set by next weekend. Here is Scott’s Dec. 2 video:
Probably our finale for a season which is closing out with a mountain of snow. Scott and I, later joined by Ray, set out to groom after an hr. delay of the tram. Still good quality and quantity (depths to 5ft) of snow. Warmer temps by midday led to soft sticky conditions in the sunny sections. Klaus trail and down to and including the upper meadow, were groomed out with the baby ginzu (no classic track set). Intentions were to groom to 10k but the sticky snow by mid-day forced us to abandon that plan. Todays winds may have led to some drifting in the open areas. Big thanks to our new groomers this season, Ray Iturralde, David Dunlap and Jim Dryden and also to Steve Roholt for his assistance. Cheers to a great season!
- Grooming Reports
At least 12-16 in of fresh powder is closing out the season with a bang. Snow is a bit dryer than the last few rounds but did pack down pretty well with the roller. Scott and I headed down to 10K, with Scott scouting ahead to keep me from making any wrong turns in the deep snow. Lower trails and Klaus compacted well and should firm up overnight. Ray then hooked up the tracksetter; nicely setting tracks on the Service Rd. which also should firm up overnight.
As Scott mentioned, the Tram will soon be plowing the Service Rd to allow work crews access to begin work on the tram. Several seasons ago after the plowing, we did try to groom the Service Rd along the side, it was not successful. Thankfully we have Klaus and are planning on grooming Sat. Mar. 25 for the last hooray of the season.
- Grooming Reports
Greetings, We had a very productive day on the trails today. Scott, Steve and I were joined by SRD Forest Service personnel, Joseph Jaffa-Martinez SRD Trails Foreman and Jeffrey Cervantes. Jeffrey will be completing his FS required ATV training this month and Joseph has been doing grooming this season and was very active on the mini-excavator work last summer on Klaus. The trails had a hard crust in the AM so with the ginzu groomer attachment we de-crusted and smoothed, while Steve and Scott pruned low branches and shoveled along Klaus. As a storm with possibility of snow coming tonight, we did not set classic tracks. The classic tracks set by David last weekend on the Service Rd. are hanging in there. Great skiing to be had and even a dusting of snow will freshen up the trails nicely. Plan is to groom again on Saturday and also set classic tracks, weather and road conditions permitting.
Great to see so many skiers out on such a splendid day! The grooming crew had all hands on deck with Jim Dryden, David Dunlap, Ray Iturralde, Scott Dietrich and myself taking care of bid’ness. After getting a bit lost on the lower course on Thursday, got back on on track with scouting help from Scott and completed roller compacting throughout the trails. Still amazed at the amount of snow, occasionally stepping off the ATV and sinking up past my waist. We should be good through March! Jim set classic tracks on the Service Rd and the trails should be great for Sunday and Monday…. Probably will be back at it next Wed. and set more classic tracks.
- Grooming Reports
Steve, Paul and I took the tram today and were greeted by massive amounts of fresh fluffy snow, 2+ ft. deep on average, with 3+ ft. drifts. Some of the most challenging grooming conditions I have encountered. To keep from getting stuck, first used just the ATV with no attachments and then came back over with the roller, so was slow going. Got the Service Rd and and Klaus trail compacted, which are still a bit soft but looking decent. On my ATV only outing to the lower trails, drifted snow abounded. Got down through the upper 10k meadow but below that encountered an area of obstruction with branches and possibly a buried downed tree and could not continue to the lower 10K meadow. Had intended to roller compact down through the upper meadow, but identified a mechanical issue with the ATV hitch and opted to call it a day. Great to be back on the grooming detail after a tussle with Covid. Thanks to Scott, David and Jim for their fine work the past 2 weeks. DOT was busy plowing and sanding most of the day and the highway is now open as of 4pm today and the Ellis parking lot is plowed. We will be back at it on Saturday.
- Grooming Reports, News
Scott, David and I completed grooming of the trails Saturday with assistance from Steve Roholt on the shovel. Despite lack of new snow, trails groomed up well except for burned out areas on the Service Rd. and lower 10k meadow. Set classic tracks where snow permitted. Highway was clear as of Saturday. Sunday through Wed forecast for snow (yea!) and winds (boo!) so we are planning next groom for Thursday Jan. 19.
Also our XC clinic is planned for Sunday Jan. 22
Clinic Information:
January 22nd, 2023 Meet at 9:45 at the gravel pit area (park at Ellis and go up the service road a quarter mile). If location needs to change due to conditions, we will notify via email. Clinic instruction from about 10am – 11:15am. Must have your own equipment.
Options:
- – Kids age 5+, Classic Technique, led by Jon D & Liz Q
- – Adults, Classic Technique, led by Steve R
- – Adults, Skate Technique, led by Karl W
Please RSVP for the clinic via this form and then email sandianordic@gmail.com with the signed waiver attached. The clinic is free for members –
Also there may still be spots available for the 19th Annual Snowshoe Race hosted by The Friends of the Sandia Mountain to be held Saturday Jan. 21 see FOSM Sandia Snowshoe Classic for details.
- Grooming Reports
Was a bit breezy and cooler than the weekend today. Fairly large patches of dirt/gravel showing though on the Service Road now, but possible to ski around them for now. Klaus and the lower trails are in decent shape and Joseph on his first outing with the track setter, expertly groomed and set classic tracks where there was sufficient snow. We also put out a few more trail signs here and there. Good skiing to be had on Klaus and the trails down to 10k where it is thinning out but still skiable. The snow fencing we put up is doing its job. The northern section of Klaus is suitable for novice skiers while the south section, now well signed, is more challenging but great fun negotiating the turns and short hills. THINK SNOW!
