New Mexico Snowpack Melts Six Weeks Early

Atalaya in storm clouds

Beautiful rainy week in northern New Mexico. I love it when it's like this. Ever run in the foothills when you're literally ascending/descending through cloud banks? Bad AF. One time I was up there with clouds and fresh spring snow but the snow was saturated and melting and all the ravines and drainages were running and cascading like a Japanese garden. Top 5 all-time run that one.

So I was checking out the area river gauge data to get a sense of how much rainfall arrived this week, and I saw something unexpected that made me kinda grumpy. Yeah there's enough rain in this week's storms to bring the Rio up 500 cfs. But when you look at the 60 day graph you can see that the 44 year average (the yellow triangles) are showing that we ought to be at peak snowpack runoff right now. The blue line however shows that our snowpack burned off the last two weeks of March. Not cool. Beautiful weather we're having but June/July could be rough when our water is chilling down in Elephant Butte.

Here's the Santa Fe River data. Same story. No average trend line to compare but the melt in March is clear as day with a longer tail than the flow in the Rio. No mames buey.  

Related Posts:
 - RAIN - NM River Flows Spike to 30 Times Avg Flows (2013)
 - Snowpack at Santa Fe & Taos Fall Short (2014)
 - Arroyo Washout (2014)

Ski Season Cometh - Santa Fe Ski Swap

New terrain at Taos Ski Valley

Stopped by the ski swap this morning. I love the swap if only just to get fired-up for the coming winter wonderland. Chatted with friends, mostly loads of unsupported speculation on this season’s snow estimates; quick conversations about yurt trips and Colorado trips that may not happen and general super-psychedness… Good stuff. Picked up a helmet for the two year old. He now looks like a two year old astronaut. His helmet already flashing a fresh new decal for Crested Butte. The ambition appears to be high with that one.

Lots of New Mexico ski news this off-season including new lifts at Wolf Creek and Taos (Kachina Ridge!), and the change of ownership at Purgatory which was bought by the ownership group that owns/manages Sipapu, Pajarito, and Sunbowl in AZ. Their marketing team was at the swap giving out vouchers for a free day at Sipapu in exchange for email and contact info. SOLD! Worth the price of admission.

Also scooped up something called the New Mexico Extreme Ski Card. It offers buy-one-get-one lift passes at Taos, Pajarito, Sipapu, Angel Fire, Purg, Crested Butte, and a free pass at Enchanted Forest, all for $89. A spot-on deal for a guy that can only get out for a few days of downhill each season and likes to hit the xc trails. Plus, the card’s transferable to my dirtbag friends. SOLD!

Related Posts:
- Taos Ski Valley Bought up by Wall St. Financier
- Colorado Yurt Trip - Neff Mountain
- New Mexico Ski Season Arrives Early (2013)

Snowpack at Santa Fe and Taos Fall Short of Last Season

Sunday was the final day of the ski season up at Ski Santa Fe. The final day as well up at Taos Ski Valley including the final day the resort will be operated by the Blake Family since its founding.

Not a great year for skiing in northern New Mexico due to the dry weather and light snowfall. Continuing a trend of below average years, this season's snowpack came in below last season even though the snow arrived a month early for us. Pajarito Mountain never opened. The departure of Santa Fe Mountain Sports marks the second ski retailer to close up shop in the last four three years. All a bit sad for those with memories of snow and wintry seasons of years' past.

Below are some interesting year-over-year comparisons, from this season and last, of reported base depths at Ski Santa Fe, Taos, and Crested Butte, CO. They're sourced from onthesnow.com , my go-to snow/ski app for tracking ski conditions (which is not at all helpful in NM since the next ski season is nine long months away). The base totals in red for Santa Fe and Taos clearly show the large early accumulations in Nov/Dec then very meager additions for the rest of the season until late the final month. Colorado saw quite a bit more in the way of moisture and storms beginning in February that just didn't sweep south to our end of the Rockies. Last year most of the Colorado snowpack tracked fairly evenly with ours, an average base depth at the Butte of 40-50in (not an impressive amount).


Lots of other cool snow stats to click through for recent years at the website, showing a highwater mark of 258in of total snowfall in calendar year 2010. Just 71in in 2007. Last year's snowfall, which mirrors this one, recorded 147in of total accumulations.

Related Posts:
 - Taos Ski Valley Bought up by Wall Street Financier
 - Sangre de Cristo Mountain Works Closes its Doors
 - New Mexico River Levels Spike to 30 times Average

Quiet Happy Snow Running

A serene view in the Arroyo Chamiso - 12/5

Fluffy white snow is billowing down on the City of Holy Faith today. A very pleasant surprise. Another storm is scheduled to pass through this weekend bringing even more snow our way. If your skis aren't yet tuned and ready to throw in the truck you've got another day or two to get things squared away.

Perhaps you're the type that doesn't get snow-happy, and are already pining for next year's trail running & racing schedule. I should now have one posted through the spring. One new event on the schedule is the Santa Fe Rando Fireball up on the ski slopes, part of the Colorado COSMIC series. Sounds pretty legit, glad they added us to their race series.

Related Posts:
- 2014 Trail Racing Calendar
- Charms of Winter Running
- Santa Fe's Arroyos
- I Heart Snow



View Arroyo de los Chamisos - Santa Fe in a larger map

The Charms of Winter Trail Running

Sunrise along the Santa Fe River - Picacho Peak in outline

The shorter days can sometimes crush the motivation for getting out. Tights, hat, a pair of gloves and weekends are a solid defense for this insidious malady. Along with a few friends I've been diligently keeping the rust at bay with morning runs that canvass the foothills above town. The rewards of trail outings in the off-season are the near total solitude and the incredible beauty of snow and winter light.

Morning light on the Sangre de Cristos from Dorothy Stewart

Moon and sun mountains cast tall shadows toward the Sandias

Atalaya's north ridge with new snow - Sangres in the distance

Sending one of the steeper sections on the Atalaya Ridge - Hadji and his two wonder-dogs up ahead

Morning summit of Atalaya - views over the Rio Grande Valley of the Ortiz and Sandia Mountains

And a few gratuitous non-running images:

The snow covered Jemez from La Tierra - Caballo Peak partially obscured by cloud

Winter weather and snow descend on the Sangres before breakfast

Thompson Peak and snow-filled Valentine chutes at sunrise with morning storm clouds 

Thompson Peak at left from a closer vantage on Dale Ball trail, Hadji and Adam at center, Picacho Peak at right. 

Mini-me enjoying a run with Dad past a sunset so dazzling it obscured the photo

Related Posts & Trail Maps:
  - Atalaya Mountain
  - La Tierra Trails
  - Dorothy Stewart Trail

New Years in the Sierras

Squaw Valley's Olympic Rings

End of year generally means that I'm roaming a warehouse somewhere counting inventory. Living the dream sons! Ah, but for the second straight year the warehouse on my schedule was located near Tahoe, CA, so my off-days became a snowy wonderland of awesome. 

Set up base camp in Truckee where more than three feet of snow fell earlier in the week. I literally clicked into my nordic setup and skied off the porch and into the woods on several evenings. That, is living the dream.

Turns on the downhill slopes of Squaw Valley on New Years Day with the Desert Babe, where I snapped the sweet photo to your left there. 

This brings me around to a bit of trivia that I have dutifully researched: The US has hosted the Winter Olympics four times since their inception in 1924. Squaw Valley hosted in 1960. Without looking it up - who can tell me where and when were the other three US-hosted Winter Olympiads?

Leave your best guess in the comments. I'll add the answer Friday evening although I'm sure curiosity will get the better of the guesser well before then.

Sunset at Squaw

Sunrise in the Sierras

Feliz Navidad y Prospero Ano Nuevo

Falling snow arrived on Monday evening to make this year's Christmas in Santa Fe a white one - bringing with it peace and wonder, warmth to holiday drinks, and added cheer to the farolito arrangement at Casa Dirt.

Merry Christmas, and best to you and yours. 

Peace on earth and goodwill toward man - Santa Fe, NM

Christmas 2011

Christmas 2010

 
 

Santa Fe's First Snow of the Year - 2012

Dawn breaks on the season's first snow 11/16/12

A drier than average Fall finally broke to form last Sunday with the season's first substantial snowfall. A few of us were actually out running that morning, complaining wickedly that the forecasters had blown their previous day's call for snow. Roughly four inches fell in town later that afternoon, fourteen inches were reported on the mountain. Not as much as a flake fell south of La Bajada, even in Tijeras, near Sandia Crest in the hills above Albuquerque.

This was not the year's first snow of course which arrived November 16th. Pretty late in the year compared with previous years unless you count a very small dusting of the trees up above 9,500ft in mid-October. The November snowfall was exciting, not because I'm charting this stuff, but because it was the first snow that mini-Dirt had ever seen! Little guy couldn't seem to get his stoke on though due to the part about it being freezing cold. Not enough perspective yet on what stuff is awesome and what stuff is so-so. He'll get the hang of it before too long.

Myself, the Pistol, and Lucy (Sangres far left)

In any case, we made note of 2011's first snow (up on the mountain) here.
2010's first snow (in town) noted here. 

Area ski resorts are up and running - as of yesterday (Sat. 12/15). Snuck in my first turns of the season early this morning. Daniel Gibson does a great job writing about area conditions in his Snow Trax column in The New Mexican, so I'll defer to him on what's open and what the conditions are. Interestingly Wolf Creek got jobbed on last week's storm, receiving a paltry 4in. of new. Pretty sure they'll catch up during the first few hours of the next system that blows through. 

If you need any extra motivation for the winter season - a clip from In Deep, Sean Pettit, Hains, AK, 2009. Snow! Snow! Snow!

Running Plus Snow Equals Awesome - Dorothy Stewart Trail

I looked out my window yesterday and saw snow, and that got me back into my running shoes. An easy three miles through the arroyos. I hadn’t run in so long the chronometer on my watch still reads my time from New York (Nov.). Both funny and sad. 

After some work at the office I saw that the foothills were still socked in with cloud, so I excitedly jumped back into the shoes and headed up for an evening loop of the Dorothy Stewart Trail. Nothing beats running in snow (and fog!). They ought to charge admission for this but I see only one other set of tracks on the trail, practically criminal. After steep climbing to gain the ridge, I catch my breath and take in this last bit of winter. Darkness falls and I push happily along my way, exchanging knowing high-fives with the many snowy pine-branches welcoming me back.

Distance: 5mi roundtrip

Starting Elevation: 7,200ft

Max Elevation: 7,900ft

68min car-to-car. Can be run in under 55min in decent conditions. Snow and darkness will add significant minutes but pay you back with brilliant fun and adventure.

Ponderosa overpass

A solitary friend in space-time

Hi-five

The ridge trail

Dorothy Stewart's six-and-a-half switchback hill (Talaya Hill) in silhouette

Snow at switchback seven

City lights

Man with headlamp

Trailhead and snow with city beyond

Nearby Trails:
  - Atalaya Mountain
  - Complete HDD Trail Listing

View Dorothy Stewart Ridgeline Trail in a larger map