A small New Mexico ski area is in the middle of a transformation that could fundamentally change how reliably it operates each winter.
Pajarito Mountain, located outside Los Alamos, is undergoing what the ski area calls the largest infrastructure investment in its history.
At the center of the project is something Pajarito has struggled to secure consistently for years: water.
A new pipeline running nearly five miles from Los Alamos to Pajarito will provide a reliable supply of water to the ski area’s 10-million-gallon reservoir. Pajarito says the project will increase the amount of water available for snowmaking by 2,700%.
That new water supply is triggering a much larger overhaul of the mountain’s snowmaking system.
Pajarito is installing new snowmaking pipelines, electrical infrastructure, pump houses, and snow guns across the mountain. The initial expansion will increase its snow gun fleet by 200%, with a longer-term goal of growing the fleet by 300%.
When the current phase is complete, Pajarito expects its snowmaking coverage to increase by approximately 50%.
The work is already well underway.
Pajarito reported in July that construction on the snowmaking expansion was 85% complete. Crews have been burying electrical lines and installing snowmaking pedestals approximately every 150 to 250 feet along trails receiving dedicated snowmaking.
Those trails include Beginner West, Beginner East, Bread and Butter, the Learning Zone, Pussycat, Lower Lumberyard, Lone Spruce, Bruce’s Blvd East, and Bruce’s Blvd West.
The goal isn’t simply better snow conditions. Pajarito is trying to make its entire ski season more predictable.
The ski area has historically been heavily dependent on natural snowfall and runoff. During poor snow years, that can create serious problems before the season even gets going.
According to Pajarito General Manager Jasen Bellomy, the mountain has only managed to open for Christmas two or three times during the past seven years.
Until now, Pajarito’s snowmaking operations have depended heavily on rainfall and runoff to fill its 10-million-gallon reservoir. The new pipeline will provide a steady source of water throughout the winter, allowing the mountain to replenish its reservoir rather than relying solely on whatever nature provides.
Los Alamos County says the new system is expected to keep the reservoir full year-round and provide Pajarito with a dependable source of water for snowmaking. Pajarito says that should translate into more consistent seasons, earlier openings, and longer operating periods.
Combined with the mountain’s expanded snowmaking system, the new water infrastructure could fundamentally change how Pajarito approaches the beginning of each ski season.
The transformation isn’t limited to snowmaking.
Pajarito has also been rebuilding and maintaining lift infrastructure. This summer, crews removed the return bullwheel from the Aspen Lift to replace its bearings, while a new communication line is being installed to improve communication between the lift’s terminals, operations staff, and ski patrol.
Trail work is happening across the mountain as well.
Upper Mal’s has undergone extensive brush clearing, while the former Crazy Mother Terrain Park is being regraded into a regular ski run. Bruce’s Blvd West has been cut and graded as it prepares to receive dedicated snowmaking.
Even the parking lot is being regraded.
But the most unusual part of the entire project may be what happens to all that water when it isn’t being turned into snow.
The pipeline is part of the larger Jemez Mountain Fire Protection Project, a partnership involving Los Alamos County, Pajarito, and the state of New Mexico.
The same infrastructure bringing reliable water to the ski area is designed to provide a major water source for fighting wildfires in the surrounding mountains.
That matters enormously at Pajarito.
The ski area and surrounding Jemez Mountains have been hit by major wildfires in the past. Those fires have also affected skiing by creating exposed burn scars that can have difficulty retaining snow.
“The willingness of the state and federal government to help support this project to protect the community is just really cool,” Bellomy told Ski Area Management.
The new pipeline will also supply potable water to Pajarito’s facilities and nearby Camp May Park, while underground electrical improvements are designed to increase reliability and reduce infrastructure exposure to wildfire and falling trees.
For a major destination resort, installing more snow guns might amount to another offseason capital project.
For Pajarito, the implications are much bigger.
This is a mountain that says it has historically averaged around 60 operating days per winter. A reliable water supply, vastly expanded snowmaking system, and upgraded infrastructure could potentially double that.
Pajarito summed up the objective of the project rather simply: more snow, sooner, on more of the mountain.
For a ski area that has spent decades waiting to see what Mother Nature provides, that could change just about everything.
