Post-season Cleanup Day1 Update

[Clay Moseley]

Weather and other stuff probably contributed to a really skeleton crew turnout of 4 today.  As a result, we didn't get everything done. There's still about 50-60% remaining, although not as far out as what we've covered as of today. 

We got the trailhead and Point-A signs down, the farthest sections of fencing and the trailhead sections down, and a few of the main front hill sections down and stored away in the shack.

We left a few wire snips behind the big tree at the trailhead. I realized that having something like a 5 gallon bucket or something similar is better than plastic bags for disposal of the zip ties.

[Dina Pesenson]

Actually, I put the snips on the ground just behind the big roller behind the USFS trailhead kiosk board thingy. They are wrapped in plastic bags. Don't forget to return them if you borrow. I will be up there tomorrow.

Dina

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SWNSC Contacts" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to swnsc-contact...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swnsc-contacts/CANNioTK_B0L%3DwbaQJm3PfCKA3ZSxUGH51jvuXD%2BSf5x_PHSTgw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Siobhan Niklasson]

What time are people planning to go tomorrow? I can help for a couple hours, probably around 9?

Siobhan

On Sat, Apr 27, 2024, 8:28 PM Clay Moseley <tcl...@gmail.com> wrote:

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "swnordicski-members" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to swnordicski-mem...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swnordicski-members/CANNioTK_B0L%3DwbaQJm3PfCKA3ZSxUGH51jvuXD%2BSf5x_PHSTgw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Dina Pesenson]

I won't make it there by 9am but feel free to start whenever! We should've added that a lot of upper layer is left and most of us would need a step stool or similar to reach some of the ties at the top. I'll bring one when I get there but guessing that will be closer to 10ish.

Dina

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SWNSC Contacts" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to swnsc-contact...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swnsc-contacts/CAM8X2S82bJwa4Ha56scPjxoc%3DXHnAbcQ%3Dt58sQXLYTwMUFR5YA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Siobhan Niklasson]

Unfortunately I have to leave by 11 to catch a flight, but we do want to help so Anders and I will plan to be there at 9. Hopefully some others might be able to join us! Zach had some good stools last time ... Zach, do you still have those around?

Siobhan

[Zachary Leonard]

Good morning all, I will bring my two step benches that tend to be very stable for this work and allow us to get the upper fence. Diego and I will be up there by 10.

Zachary A. Leonard

712 42nd Street
Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544
(505) 699-4053 (cell)

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swnordicski-members/CAM8X2S-skp%3DsuUD7rrrHm%2BWRj0-8qbVdHn7V6ZHvmQD9c%3DK5DQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[Zachary Leonard]

Good Morning, 

Diego and I are headed up at 10:00 and we'll bring the aluminum ladder/bench to safely take down the top layer. 

Zach

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swnordicski-members/CAM8X2S82bJwa4Ha56scPjxoc%3DXHnAbcQ%3Dt58sQXLYTwMUFR5YA%40mail.gmail.com.

--

[Clay Moseley]

There are a couple of step stools in the shop as well. 

Thanks everyone. 

[Juan A. Saenz]

Oli and I will be there around 9:30 or so. If anyone wants a ride, let us know.

Juan

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SWNSC Contacts" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to swnsc-contact...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swnsc-contacts/CANNioT%2BMF_y6-uYobwB510W%3DZV7Te6g0KrC_EtGdjzH%3D1X9E%2BQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[Jasmina Demirovic]

Nick is about to head up to help. 

Sorry we are late. We had a very slow morning after yesterday Albuquerque track and soccer day. 

Jasmina 

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SWNSC Contacts" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to swnsc-contact...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swnsc-contacts/CAM8X2S82bJwa4Ha56scPjxoc%3DXHnAbcQ%3Dt58sQXLYTwMUFR5YA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Ann Satsangi]

Clay, 

I'm sorry to miss this weekend as I was out of town. Is there anything more to do?  I’m happy to go up after work tomorrow (Monday) and help any final bits if needed. 

Ann

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swnsc-contacts/CAGjZ%3DF0%2B-q7kGpfZ8wUTS0_Vf-g%3DaPEn8wc6huYuF-XWAzDZJg%40mail.gmail.com.

[Clay Moseley]

Thanks to everyone who came out to help remove the fencing.  It's a bit of a chore, but it definitely made for a great season.  The front hill stayed amazingly well preserved even into April.  

We'll need to head out one more day to load, haul, unload, and stack it into the storage shack (the old "Rambo" shack, we call it...) for the off-season.  I don't think it requires more than a couple of people and a bunch of tie-down straps.  It's always a challenge to see how many rolls we can fit into the trailer each trip out.

There are quite a few repairs to be made to the various pieces of equipment.  We didn't quite finish repairing everything from the season before, so things only got compounded as the season went on.  The Tidd-Tech G2 groomer especially, got hammered this year.  It would be a funny experience to be out grooming at night and see something weird poking up in the snow, only to find it was another piece that had broken off on previous passes.  Some of it we can weld back together, but there are a couple of things that will need replacement parts.  There are a few electrical components that also need some attention.

So, while it was a good season for snow and skiing, the equipment always takes quite a beating.  There are also a few places where we need to cut back the tree messes that came down during those 2-3 big wind storms.  With all the snow out there, we were just able to get things cleared enough to get through.  With all of that work, the saws require some much-needed maintenance attention as well.  

We usually go out a few times in the summer to clear the little bit of stuff, usually old/dead aspens, that fall here and there.  Come fall, it'll be time to get back out with the brush cutter stuff to clear what grows over every summer.  

The final tally for time spent grooming was about 270 hours!  The extended March season really boosted the hours up over most seasons.  This was one of the longest seasons since I've been doing this (25 years now!).  Comparable winters:

2000-01 - the best winter with the most snow and longest season starting in early November and finishing in late April.  At one point in early February, there was over 7 feet of snow on the ground.

2003-04 - started slowly, but then picked up after Christmas, with a HUGE February.  March and April stayed cold with additional snow.

2004-05 - started early (November) and snowed frequently all season with a few big storms.  Last day to groom was April 15, and trails could still be skied on May 1.

2006-07 - a solid season from beginning to end, which came abruptly with a big heatwave in late March

2009-10 - started early, stayed quite cold all winter with no warm spells at all.  Was probably the most ideal year for grooming and skiing.

2014-15 - fairly good winter that went to late March -- difficult with lots of trees falling.

2015-16 - fairly good winter with lots of snow in town and skiing at parks (difficult with lots of trees falling.

2018-19 - good winter with that huge storm around New Year's, but had a bad ending with the "bomb cyclone" storm in March.

2019-20 - decent winter that had a good late March stretch of skiing.

There are a few others that deserve honorable mentions --  07/08 and 08/09 didn't get a lot of snow, but were at least quite cold, so the xc skiing was pretty good.  Last year (22/23) started quite late, but then was pretty good from January all the way through March, so if it had started earlier, it would have been considered one of the better years.  There are also a few stinkers in there, the worst being:

1999-00 - infamously dry and warm, resulting in fire conditions leading to the Cerro Grande fire.  Season was short, grooming was brief and intermittent.

2001-02 - low snow, shorter season

2002-03 - repeat of 01/02

2005-06 - it was quite cold that year, but it hardly snowed at all.  No grooming.

2010-11 - it started off pretty good actually, but then just quit snowing after January and got dry and windy in the spring, leading to bad fire conditions that allowed the Las Conchas fire to burn even the highest elevations (Cerro Grande at least stopped above a certain point).

2013-14 - just a warm/dry year.  There were about 6 weeks that were good, but it was a short season.

2017-18 - dry and warm, hardly snowed at all.  It did finally snow in late February, which allowed us to have a marginal 2 weeks of grooming and skiing.

The others fall somewhere in between.  I always think we did pretty well if we got to groom and ski into the second week of March.  Anymore, if we get to groom and ski before Christmas, we're doing pretty well.  This year was certainly great for that.

Here's the very first photo posted on our club "blog," taken just above Point-A, January 2007 (winter 06/07).  We have to put fencing along this stretch now: