There’s no doubt that Los Alamos has a crazy long list of outdoor activities to keep the fun going all year round. With miles upon miles of trails, quick access to a variety of public lands, ice skating, skiing, horseback riding, hiking, trail running, and mountain biking, we’ve got outdoor fun no matter the season! But if you’re ready to elevate your mountain biking experience, you need to head for the ski hill.

Did that look like a typo? It wasn’t a mistake. During the off season, Pajarito Recreation LLC offers a Mountain Bike Power Pass that not only gives you the opportunity to utilize the ski lifts up on the mountain to elevate your ride, but also offers the opportunity to bike other resort properties!

Bike Pajarito Mountain!

If you’re an avid mountain biker, you’re probably aware of the Pajarito Mountain bike trails. However, for those of you who are simply looking for a fun activity this summer, you might want to check it out!

Is your bicycle looking like it just can’t hack a 1440 gain in elevation? No problem! The Pajarito Mountain Bike Shop has you covered. They stock the latest and greatest in Mountain Bikes for rental. This means you don’t have to drop your summer vacation budget on a bike. You can rent the cream of the crop and enjoy! This is also a cool plan if you’re shopping for a new bike. It’s like getting the test ride of a lifetime.

Not Just A Simple Trail

Pajarito Mountain has always been a place for outdoor enthusiasts to volunteer. The original ski mountain was created in the fifties by a group of locals who just wanted to enjoy the outdoors in winter. You can read more about the history of skiing in Los Alamos HERE. But sometime in the early 2000’s, a group of Mountain Bike enthusiasts approached the management at Pajarito Mountain and offered to expand the summer activities by hand cutting bike trails to make a truly awesome riding experience.

Over the last twenty years, these trails have been developed and maintained by hardcore enthusiasts, expanded, and mapped until they create a network of bike experiences to satisfy all levels of mountain bikers. You can see a map of trails on the Pajarito Mountain website. And best of all, it’s possible on certain days to ride a chairlift to the top of the mountain and cycle down! It is beyond cool to enjoy the breathtaking summer views from the chairlift to the top of the ski hill before riding your way to the bottom.

Bike Patrol

Anyone who has tried skiing has probably heard of the Ski Patrol. At Pajarito, the ski patrol also includes the Bike Patrol. In the last few years, the club trained and maintained Bike Patrol has joined with the National Ski Patrol (NSP) organization. Some members of the winter Ski Patrol also belong to the Bike Patrol, but not everyone does year round duty. And if you’re a cycle enthusiast who has any interest at all in becoming part of the Bike Patrol, you don’t have to be a NSP member to join in!

Cyclists interested in Bike Patrol should check out their info page here. Bike Patrol is on duty anywhere on the mountain during operating hours. For those members of the NSP, the duties aren’t much different from that of the winter season. Except you can’t toboggan an injured person during the summer so logistics takes quite a bit of planning and communication. Patrol members often say that the rewards of being an outdoor/wilderness first responder are worth every second of hard work.

If you want to volunteer with the Bike Patrol, you’d become a “Bike Host”. Bike hosts become a point person for visitors to the mountain helping with navigation, safety, and even helping with small bike repairs when necessary. While bike hosts don’t go through the same rigorous Outdoor Emergency Care certification process, they do receive a lot of the same training until they feel comfortable with their role on the mountain.

Take Your Power Pass On The Road!

As with ski passes purchased through Pajarito Recreation LLC, the Summer Mountain Bike Pass gives you access to a variety of other resorts with Mountain Biking opportunities. This includes Spider Mountain Bike Park in Austin, TX! Talk about a great way to enjoy summer. Check out Spider Mountain on the web HERE.

So next time you’re wondering how to get the whole family outside for some fun on a beautiful summer weekend, visit the Pajarito Mountain Website and plan to get out and ride! And when you’re ready to join our community here in Los Alamos, give me a call. I love to talk Los Alamos!