Pajarito Mountain Ski Area

Pajarito Mountain Ski Area. Los Alamos Historical Walking Tour. Skiing has always been a favorite pastime for Los Alamos residents. Ranch School boys trudged up Sawyer's Hill and skied the short incline. During the Manhattan Project, European scientists, accustomed to spending winters on the slopes, built a rope tow. Explosives expert George Kistiakowsky reportedly used some of his inventory to blow up trees to create more runs. In 1943, the Los Alamos Ski Patrol was established on Sawyer's Hill and eventually moved to Pajarito Mountain, a 10,441-foot peak that is part of the Santa Fe National Forest. Between 1957 and 1962, volunteers moved buildings, developed runs, and built the first lodge at Pajarito Mountain. Pajarito means little bird in Spanish. The plateau, canyon, and mountain received their name in the early 1900s from archaeologists Edgar Lee Hewett and Adolph Bandelier. Today, the ski area is privately owned, with year-round recreation, including downhill and cross-country skiing, biking, and hiking., Bottom: Manhattan Project personnel utilizing the rope tow on Sawyer's Hill; Right top to bottom: The Los Alamos Ranch School boys were the first skiers in these mountains, circa 1920s; Neils Bohr skiing on Sawyer's Hill, circa mid-1940s; Manhattan Project scientists helped expand the ski hill. (photos courtesy Los Alamos Historical Society), Pick up a copy of the Historical Walking Tour Guide at the Los Alamos History Museum, Bradbury Science Museum, Los Alamos Nature Center, any of the Visitor Centers, or one of the visitor guide kiosks around town. Download one by scanning the QR code, or go to visitlosalamos.org.