Month: February 2020

Wacky Late Winter Weather

Weather is like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re gonna get, especially around here this time of the year. That storm was weird, with warm rain below 8,000′, and wet slop above that until about 9,300′. The snow that did fall on the lower parts of the trail mostly just added water until it got colder and finally accumulated about 2″-3″, and above a certain level, was pretty good stuff. The new snow in the meadow trails was quite good.

We did get out and groom everything, then it snowed 2″ more (good snow) and the wind blew. So, there’s a mish-mash of conditions, but mostly are quite good. The skiing in the trees should be nice, with a good classic track (probably requiring some klister combo) and a firm skate lane. The meadow trails will likely be wind-blown drier snow. Gonna be cold these next couple of days, then there’s a warm-up over the weekend followed by another (bigger?) wet storm for next week. Roller-coaster weather season, for sure.

Image result for forrest gump
You never know what you’re gonna get with New Mexico weather!

Salomon Demo Day Coming to Enchanted Forest, March 7

Finally!!! A leader in the cross-country ski industry is coming to New Mexico for a full-on Demo Day! You won’t want to miss this. We’ll be hosting games, short races, and possibly food for this fun event. Enchanted Forest has been having a GREAT ski season, so come up for some amazing skiing and to try out the great skis from Salomon — the choice of USA’s Jessica Diggins and Sophie Caldwell! For more info, go to the Facebook event on our page.

February 20, 2020 – Still good skiing

Things are holding and thankfully the intermittent warm weather from these past couple of weeks hasn’t killed our season. We’ve received just a bit of snow in between warm days, strange pattern, and now it’s cooler, so there’s still good skiing out on the trails. Be VERY careful on the now very thin and narrow “Front Hill” access trail from Camp May up to Point A. It is very narrow and icy when it’s cold. Hopefully, this warm, wet storm will grace us with a big dump of high-moisture snow, followed by a cold snap. Conditions reports are posted on the club blog site.

With 1″ new and a crusty layer underneath, it was worth a quick grooming pass on the lower trails

All Groomed! 2/13/2020

A big thanks to Travis and Zach for getting things roll-packed (with the nice corduroy compactor wing down) the other day after the storm. It made a full grooming effort possible last night after the kids’ group practice. Conditions are just about as perfect as they get, so be sure to get it before it transitions too much. Kevin Reid is planning on freshening up the skate lane Friday night, so weekend skiing should be nice. Check our blog site for more info.

Some beautiful conditions – here’s a bit of that narrow section on Dave’s Dogleg

New snow coming?

Looks like a good storm coming tonight, with another couple on its heels this week, along with colder temps. after this past weekend’s warm-up, we could use some new snow. Most of the trail system has a good base with good conditions, if not a bit transformed (and icy when not freshly groomed), but there are those few little sun-exposed sections that have suffered some melting from the warm weather. A good storm should fix that. Trails were groomed well for the weekend, with a freshen-up Saturday night under the full moon. Should be improved by next week.

Kick wax suggestions for tomorrow’s classic TT

Looks like it will cool off tonight, but with today’s mild and breezy weather, the new snow will be a mix of slightly to totally transformed down low, with dry crystal snow up higher. These are somewhat tough conditions to get the kick wax just right. The best blend will be something like a violet/purple on the whole kick zone, with a very thin layer of a warm universal or multi-grade universal klister in a shorter zone (not as long as your normal kick wax zone). This will provide kick everywhere and won’t be too slow in the dry snow areas. Embrace the klister!

Full Moon Ski Social – this Saturday, February 8

Join us for a full moon social ski out to Cañada Bonita this Saturday evening, February 8th at 6pm. We’ll plan on heading out about 6:15pm or so, sorting out into easy-paced (i.e. talking pace) groups. Bring your favorite warm beverages and treats for before/after/during libation breaks. All-comers welcome, including kids. Bring a headlamp just in case, but it gets really bright when the moon is shining on the snow. Should be a lovely evening!

OK, not quite on a full moon ski, but it is a wonderful sunset photo looking down (eastward) the Cañada Bonita from February 7, 2017. The light may be even better than this when it’s a clear full-moon evening…

Classic Technique TT – Saturday 2/8/2020

We’ll be hosting a free classic technique time trial on the trails this Saturday, first skier off by 9:30 AM (sharp-ish). We’ll groom in a good track on Friday evening, and it’ll be about a 5km or 6km, depending on how we figure out the course. We’re looking at running it directly up to the upper trails and back (one big loop, minus TJ’s and Dave’s Dogleg)…maybe, but that is still yet to be determined.