Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing offer intimate outdoor experiences that are practical, inexpensive, and healthy, and these activities do not damage our mountains or valleys. There are no expensive lift tickets, a minimal learning curve, no noise from the great machines driving the ski lifts, no long lines—and no snowboarders speeding past. Cross-country skiing, also called Nordic skiing, is done on flat land or rolling hills and trails. When Nordic skis are equipped with special attachments, a skier can climb up hills, but the conventional approach is to keep elevations to a minimum and glide along mountain hiking trails.
Christina Genuario-Gill, the Inn’s general manager and an avid cross-country skier, is happy to recommend trails and guide referrals. Or you can contact Outspire Hiking and Snowshoeing for guided tours. Valle Grande in the Jemez is a great location for beginners, while the Nordic tracks and Aspen Vista trail in the Santa Fe National Forest offer trails of various levels of difficulty, all with easy access from Santa Fe.
Skiing and snowshoeing are some of the best ways to experience New Mexico’s crystal-clear air and sweeping mountain vistas, both of which are enhanced by crisp cold weather and New Mexico’s big sky.
