All Kinds of Upcoming Outdoors Events - Oct '11

Lots of fun stuff happening around town over the next few weeks, thought I ought to take note of them all in one place.

In conjunction with the Santa Fe Fat Tire Society, the National Forest Ranger District is holding its 2nd annual Moonlight Project, an evening trail maintenance event on the Borrego Trail up in Hyde Park. Allow me to translate: Trails, cool people, s'mores, b.y.o.b. (discretely of course). A combination that cannot be denied. As a Forest Service project, long pants, long sleeves, above ankle boots, leather gloves, and a headlamp or lantern are required gear. Friday Oct. 14^th, 6pm-830pm, Borrego Trailhead, Free

The annual Santa Fe Ski Swap is scheduled for this weekend (.pdf), Fri 14^th - Sun 16^th at the Genoveva Chavez Rec. Center. Get rid of your old gear or find great deals on new or semi-new gear from around the area. Pick up discounts on area season passes if you haven't already done so, browse the silent auction items, all proceeds benefit the Santa Fe Ski Team. Oct 14^th-16^th, Genoveva Chavez Ctr, $25 Fri evening 7-10pm, $2 Saturday 9am-5pm, Free Sunday 10am-2pm

The fellas at NM Bike & Sport are hosting a Specialized Bike Demo this Sunday at La Tierra Trailhead-West (NM 599 to La Tierra, 1/4 mi north). There will be both road and mountain bikes to look over and demo, as well as breakfast burritos and coffee to accompany the riding. Sunday Oct. 16^th, 10am-230pm, La Tierra Trails, Free

This one is a bit of a stretch but bears mentioning anyhow. It's Albuqueruqe's 4^th Annual HopFest at Hard Rock Casino in Isleta, easily accessible via the NM Rail Runner (departing at noon, arriving 2pm, last returning train at 630pm). Loads of brewery reps will be on hand including Santa Fe Brewing Company, Marble Brewery, Il Vicino, Turtle Mountain, Ska Brewery, Pagosa Brewing Co., Odell Brewing, Left Hand, Deschutes, Sierra Nevada, Silverton Brewing, plus live music Cold delicious bee-yah. Saturday Oct. 22^nd, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Isleta, $25

The weekly Sunday group run organized by the Santa Fe Striders will once again traverse the Dale Ball Buster, 12mi of hilly trail and climbing, over sections of Dale Ball, the Santa Fe Canyon Preserve, Picacho and Atalaya Peaks, and coming to an end at the Barrett-Arnold's for a barbeque and refreshments. The run is not competitive, timed, or charged for - a ton of fun though. Prizes have been awarded in prior years for standout costumes. Bring a bomber or box of cookies if you're feeling charitable. Sunday Oct 23^rd, 9am, Dale Ball Trailhead-Hyde Park, Free

The North Face Speaker Series comes back through town in what I think is it's third year? Well it's my third year anyway. This year's tour brings American alpinist Cory Richards to talk about his most recent expedition on 8000m peak Gasherbrum II. Last year's speaker was Norwegian skier/base-jumper/Banff film star Karina Hollekim. Two years ago it was American alpinists/adventurers Conrad Anker and Jimmy Chin. This year's event is courtesy of Outside Magazine and REI Santa Fe. Arrive early to find parking. Wednesday Oct. 26^th, 7pm, Santa Fe's Armory for the Arts, Free