10,440 foot Pajarito ski resort in Los Alamos, NM.
The Las Conchas Fire in New Mexico has already burned over 60,000 acres, reached the Nuclear Town of Los Alamos, NM, and is now burning Pajarito ski resort. Los Alamos contains the University of California Laboratories where Nuclear weapons were created. The Manhattan project, yeah, click on that link and have your mind “blown.”
As of mid-day tuesday, June 28th, 2011, the Las Conchas fire had burned over 60,000 acres.
Las Conchas Fire, New Mexico. photo: inquisitor.com
At a noontime press conference in Los Alamos yesterday, NM Fire Chief Doug Tucker, who clearly cares about skiing, said:
“It made a run for the ski hill last night, and we fought fire last night on the ski hill from about ten o’clock,” Tucker explained. “We continue to put out spot fires there now. It ran to the ridge, it ran over and spotted into the ski hill.”
“The lodge is safe,” Tucker told reporters. “We were able to put out the spot fires around the lodge. We had some spot fires in the trees, but most of this fire has hooked around and gone on top of Camp May and toward Santa Clara Canyon.”
Satellite image of Las Conchas fire from June 27th, 2011. photo: Nasa
La Nina was harsh to Pajarito in the 2010/11 ski season leaving only 57 total inches compared to their normal annual snowfall average of 125 inches. Pajarito was forced to close on January 7th, 2011 due to a lack of snow this past winter.
Pajarito ski resort was originally created as a place for the crazy nuclear scientist to ski. Yes, even nuke nerds love skiing.
Pajarito’s claim to fame? Dean Cummings, the pro freeskier/Alaska Pioneer/Owner of H2O Heli Ski grew up skiing at Pajarito.
Dean Cummings on Meteorite Mountain, Alaska. photo: H2O
Pajarito Statistics:
-Top elevation: 10,440 feet.
– Bottom elevation: 9,200 feet
– Average annual snowfall: 125 inches
A little spanish for yas: Los Alamos = The Poplars. Pajarito = Little Bird