How A New Water Pipeline Will Create The ‘Snowmaking Capital of New Mexico’

Los Alamos, New Mexico — A new pipeline will be an important project for Pajarito Mountain’s future for two major reasons.

Last week, Los Alamos County and Pajarito Mountain announced that construction will begin on April 1st on a new pipeline that will transport water to the ski resort. The move is part of the Jemez Mountain Fire Protection Project, which aims to reduce the risks of wildfire. In addition, they will be constructing upgraded electric and fiber optic lines on Camp May Road.

The funding will come from a couple of sources. $7.9 million was approved for the project by New Mexico’s legislature. According to KQRE, additional funding for the project, potentially as much as $18 million, is coming from Los Alamos County and the ski resort.

These will be huge additions for Pajarito Mountain. Currently, the New Mexico ski resort relies on stormwater and runoff for its snowmaking reservoir at Pajarito’s summit. This new pipeline will connect water from Los Alamos to a 250,000-gallon water tank at the base area. From there, another pipeline will bring water up to the summit. This change means more water will travel up the mountain, meaning they can produce more snow. This will result in earlier openings, a deeper base, and later closings. In addition, this added snowmaking capacity will help battle wildfires, which impacted Pajarito back in 2011.

Jasen Bellomy, who’s the general manager of the ski resort, described the importance of this project in the press release:

“For decades, Pajarito has been known as a hidden gem — offering incredible terrain but always at the mercy of Mother Nature. With this project, that changes. We’re set to become the snowmaking capital of New Mexico. This means earlier openings, more terrain and a more reliable ski season for our local community and beyond.”

Despite the lack of natural snowfall (only 73 inches), Pajarito had a successful season, partially thanks to its existing snowmaking infrastructure. The projected closing date at Pajarito Mountain is March 29th.