Pajarito Mountain Snowmaking Project Tied to Fire Protection, Funded by Power Pass Sale

A snowmaking infrastructure project at Pajarito Mountain will double as critical wildfire defense for the Jemez Mountains, funded in part through the sale of Power Pass season passes managed by Mountain Capital Partners. The announcement, made March 18-19, tied the ski area's first-ever reliable snowmaking system to a public-private partnership with Los Alamos County and the state of New Mexico.

The Pajarito project is described as a cornerstone of the Jemez Mountain Regional Fire Protection Project. A pipeline will deliver water to snowmaking operations beginning in the 2026-27 season, while a 10-million-gallon reservoir will support regional fire protection in a mountain range that has seen devastating wildfires in recent decades. The dual-use design means infrastructure built to keep Pajarito's slopes covered in snow will also give firefighters a dedicated water supply in one of New Mexico's most fire-prone landscapes.

For Pajarito specifically, the stakes are significant. The snowmaking project is expected to significantly increase coverage and, for the first time in the mountain's history, allow for consistent daily operations. Pajarito has long operated at the mercy of natural snowfall, which varies sharply year to year at 10,441 feet elevation above Los Alamos. Reliable snowmaking would fundamentally change how the community-oriented ski area can plan and deliver its season.

The Pajarito improvements headline a network-wide reinvestment fund of more than $37.5 million in mountain infrastructure committed by Power Pass globally. The fund also includes a new fixed-grip quad lift at Lee Canyon in Nevada, the resort's fourth new lift in three years, which will expand access to West Bowl and open additional terrain for the Las Vegas community.

Power Pass, which spans resorts from the Southwest to the Pacific Northwest and the Chilean Andes, simultaneously announced its 2026-27 passes are on sale at the same rates as the prior three years. The fourth consecutive year of no price increases is positioned as a deliberate affordability strategy even as capital reinvestment accelerates across the network.

No breakdown of how much of the $37.5 million is allocated specifically to Pajarito was disclosed in the announcement, nor were the individual funding contributions from Los Alamos County, the state of New Mexico, or Mountain Capital Partners. Construction timelines and permitting status for the pipeline and reservoir were also not detailed. Those specifics will determine whether the snowmaking system is fully operational when the 2026-27 season opens later this year.