Sandia Nordic Ski Club

Sandia Nordic Ski Club was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity on April 17, 2017. The primary mission of the Club is twofold: 1) to advance the sport of cross-country skiing in the greater Albuquerque area, and 2) to work in conjunction with the USFS and other volunteer organizations to construct, maintain and provide the public with access to groomed cross-country ski trails in the Sandia Mountains of New Mexico. Additional components of the Club’s mission statement include the following: · Promote the sport of cross-country skiing, including classic and skate skiing techniques, to families and individuals of all ages and abilities · Provide the public with instruction on the various styles of cross-country skiing, as well as cross-country ski trail safety and etiquette · Promote the health benefits associated with cross-country skiing · Promote and support youth and adult cross-country skiing competitions and community events · Purchase and maintain cross-country ski trail grooming equipment · Partner with the USFS to help promote healthy forest management strategies and support environmental studies related to the potential impact of trail construction The trails Sandia Nordic currently maintains were groomed since the 1980’s by the recently disbanded UNM Nordic Ski Team, with help from volunteers who were not formally organized as a club. Importantly, the trails were never officially designated as recreational trails by USFS. In the absence of formal trail designation, it was not possible to make improvements to the trails. On June 5, 2017, Sandia Nordic Ski Club, Inc. filed a Special Use Permit application with USFS seeking permission to move forward with trail improvements including widening narrow sections, leveling sections with side-hill canting and rerouting downhill areas to better follow the contours of the mountain. In July, 2019, the Sandia Nordic Trails Improvement Project (SNTIP) was officially incorporated into the Sandia Ranger District (SRD) Schedule of Proposed Actions as a component of the broader Sandia Trails Improvement Project (STIP). On March 26, 2021 SNTIP was formally approved by SRD in the STIP Decision Memo, thereby granting approval to begin making the necessary improvements to the trail system. The Club currently has a Group Volunteer Service Agreement with USFS. A few top accomplishments include: 1) Getting the Sandia Nordic Trails officially designated as USFS purpose built cross-country ski trails. 2) Recipient of Summer 2022 NM ORD Trails+ Grant. Grant funding has allowed for the purchase of an additional Yamaha Grizzly ATV and enabled rental of a mini excavator for trail improvements. 3) Since its incorporation, Sandia Nordic has raised to $101,657 through membership fees and donations. These funds have enabled the Club to purchase new state of the art grooming equipment including a 700 cc Yamaha Grizzly ATV with snow tracks and various grooming attachments manufactured by Yellowstone Track Systems. 4) The free cross-country skiing clinics for adults and children that Sandia Nordic provides several times a year have been extremely well attended and have led to a noticeable increase in the number of skiers using our trails.