The Skinny on Chama

The hiss of our skis halted, and we stood silent but for our gentle panting and, off in the piney woods, a coyote’s wail. The snowy peaks and dips of the San Juan Mountains unfurled before us in the night. Each lunge and thrust of our legs had carried us to the top of this rise, 10,000 feet above the New Mexico-Colorado border. Winded, we paused, hushed and awed by the moonlight’s eerie cast over Rio Grande National Forest.

A whoop shattered the spell--the triumphant cry of first one, then another, then all of us flying down the hill, soaring, tumbling, laughing to the bottom on the skinny skis of cross-country adventurers.

Two winters ago, that snowy weekend with a full moon turned into a quick and thrifty fling for three Albuquerque pals and me. Clancy and Debbie, intrepid cross-country skiers, led the charge. With a few high-country trips under my skis, I was eager to tag along. Paula, a beginning skier but an avid outdoor enthusiast, rounded out the group.

We aimed our SUVs at a well-kept secret in the Four Corners: the rustic charm and outstanding Nordic (cross-country) skiing of Chama, a village of 1,250 that elevates “sleepy town” beyond its stubborn cliche.

About 180 miles north of Albuquerque, Chama has a short main street stocked with a few down-home restaurants and a host of lodgings that, from May to October, cater to trout fishers and riders on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. In winter, the town turns into a placid retreat for cross-country skiers. It’s a laid-back scene, one that the Chama Chamber of Commerce doesn’t even bother to advertise.

“People just show up,” chamber office manager Pam Levin said. Word hasn’t spread too far; most visitors hail from New Mexico or Colorado.

Melissa Porter, who runs an equipment rental company called Chama Ski Service with her husband, Bob, sums up the experience: “It’s not your Aspen or Taos. It’s the you-and-nature experience.”

No lift lines. No fees. No masses yearning to ski free. Just wide-open spaces, a bounty of trails tracing mile upon mile of expansive national forest, and a history of high-quality snow. Dry La Nina winters have challenged that track record in recent years. The last two winters were hit or miss. This year, though, a series of snow days starting on Halloween has brightened spirits.

Even in bad seasons, skiers can find snow by driving up to an hour north of the Colorado border and tacking on more miles on Forest Service roads. With a four-wheel-drive vehicle and a set of snow chains, the options are almost limitless.

I was a less-than-athletic Midwesterner when I first strapped on a pair of borrowed skis and sampled the snowy flatlands of suburban Chicago in the 1980s. With a few tips from a veteran and a few hours of practice, I considered myself proficient--until I discovered that in the Rocky Mountain West, “cross-country” doesn’t mean “flat.”

Still, I’ve come to prefer the all-terrain style of skiing to the downhill mode. It offers a great workout, a rare communion with nature and an attractive price tag. For about $5 per child and $10 per adult, visitors in Chama can rent skis, poles and boots; sleds and snowshoes rent for similarly modest fees.

The Porters offer customers free maps and advice on which trails to explore, depending on their ability and energy level. They also can recommend an instructor. But as I found on this trip and others, one regular cross-country skier in your group is all the expertise you need.

With the Carson (as in Kit) National Forest to the east, Edward Sargent State Wildlife Area to the west and Rio Grande National Forest to the north, challenging slopes abound in the Chama Valley.

My group opted for moderately demanding trails with mind-blowing views to the north. Leaving Albuquerque around noon on a Saturday, we drove north on Interstate 25, through the pinyon- and juniper-dotted sand hills lining the Rio Grande, then skipped north onto U.S. 285 at Santa Fe (stopping at a Wild Oats Market to stock up on organic eats). At Espanola we cut west to U.S. 84, in the heart of Georgia O’Keeffe country, and up to Chama.

In the winter, after the trout streams have frozen over and the excursion train has shut down, lodgings with vacancies abound. At the high end: Corkin’s Lodge, a 738-acre gated resort on the Brazos River, where private cabins rent for $140 to $190 a night.

At the other end of the spectrum are a host of budget-minded places on Chama’s main drag, with rates running as low as $45 a night at Little Creel Resort and $59 at River Bend Lodge. Many have private cabins, and some offer amenities such as hot tubs.

We chose economy over style and reserved a cabin at the Elkhorn Lodge, where doubles start at $85 a night. Ads for many of Chama’s lodges promise “rustic elegance,” but don’t be surprised when they deliver more rusticity than elegance. Elkhorn Lodge had the basics--beds with adequate linens and blankets, bathrooms with hot showers, and a kitchenette with pots, pans and dishes.

The three-hour drive from Albuquerque left us with a bit of daylight, so we zipped past the lodge for our first skiing jaunt. Driving north of town on New Mexico 17, we crossed the Colorado state line and rapidly rose 2,800 feet to an elevation of 10,000 feet. The trails of Trujillo Meadows high in Rio Grande National Forest beckoned.

A turquoise sky hovered above two feet of packed snow with a few precious inches of powder. Figuring exertion would combat the chill, we topped our tights and turtlenecks only with wind pants and wool sweaters, left our day packs in the cars and carried only cameras and canteens.

Earlier skiers had cut a trail into the meadows, so we followed, step-kick-glide, step-kick-glide. The altitude and effort were taxing, but we pressed on, eventually hitting a rhythm that changed the daunting into the wondrous.

Within minutes we were well beyond the highway and deep into stillness. Occasional breezes whisked across towering spruces, shaking their snowy limbs clean. I began to notice more details. To see the jagged patterns of ice crystals. To study the twiggy marks of a rabbit’s passage. To hear the burble of an ice-crusted stream. I held my breath and swore I detected the whisper of snow falling on snow.

Downhill skiers often dismiss the Nordic style as too much work and not enough speed, but they miss the point. It does take extra effort, but only a tad more than a rugged day on the steep slopes. And with every hill we climbed, we got an exhilarating ride down the other side.

Throughout the winter in Chama, there are trails for all skill levels, from beginners out on snow-covered railroad tracks with little incline, to climbers ascending a mountain and telemarking their way down. By alternately driving one knee forward while dropping the other behind, Nordic skiers cut wide, graceful turns down slopes that would impress any downhill racer.

December through March is the heart of the cross-country ski season. During President’s Day weekend, hundreds of skiers converge atop Cumbres Pass on the New Mexico-Colorado border for the Chama Chile Classic, with 5- and 10-kilometer race routes. The Porters recommend a starter series of 14 designated trails, which range from a half-mile to five miles. Once you’re in the national forest, though, you can ski for a seemingly endless number of miles on paths you carve yourself.

Another heart-pounding option: Strap on a backpack and spend a few days weaving from one yurt to another. The tiny huts, operated by Southwest Nordic Center and Cumbres Nordic Adventures, come with beds, stoves and kitchen basics. They’re nestled in the San Juan Mountains, separated by trails up to six miles long.

Although that away-from-it-all experience tempted, my group was content with our choice. With the sun setting low on our trail, we packed up and drove back to town, checking into our cabin before scurrying down the street to Viva Vera’s Mexican Kitchen.

Chama restaurants feature plenty of burgers, barbecue and beer. Santa Fe-style fine dining has not yet arrived, so it made more sense to whip up feasts on our own. Our only meal out was at Viva Vera’s, a don’t-miss local hangout. Good food weighted the table--burritos, enchiladas and chiles rellenos, accompanied by beer and sangria.

As dinner at Vera’s ended, a full moon rose, and with it, another chance to ski. In the time it took to wriggle back into our gear and drive north to the Red Lake Trail, dinner became what Clancy called “chile fuel.” Choosing a gentle pace, we strapped on the skinnies, sampled the hills, sipped wine and saw Orion rise in the eastern sky. Afterward we played poker in the cabin before settling into some well-earned sleep.

The next morning, stoked with a homemade feast of eggs, potatoes and salsa, we stuffed our packs for an all-day workout. We pushed up, up, up a trail on the north side of Neff Mountain, just beyond Cumbres Pass. Our muscles responded, our eyes and ears were alive, our taste buds craved the fruits, breads, cheeses and chocolates we carried for energy.

The weekend’s only sour note was the buzz of snowmobiles. The popular vehicles are everything cross-country skis are not--noisy, polluting and distracting for people contemplating the beauty of the land.

The snowmobiles are out in force mostly on the weekends, so skiers have better luck finding peace and quiet during weekday outings. The Forest Service has started a program to segregate skiers and snowmobilers in different areas, with mixed results.

We did our best to ignore the snowmobiles and to focus on the fantastic skiing. As we flew, so did the hours.

The weekend ended with our headlights pointed south on a highway--toward work, the city, the bills, the chores. If only I had more time, I thought, I would tack on a downhill-ski day in Taos. If only I had more time, I would soak in a hot tub at the Ten Thousand Waves spa in Santa Fe. If only.

A little sad, a little sore, I headed home, every so often glancing in the rearview mirror. I saw a window of the weekend growing smaller with each mile, and the memory turning into a smile.

GUIDEBOOK

Charming Chama

Getting there: Southwest flies nonstop from LAX to Albuquerque; from there, Chama is a three-hour drive north. Restricted round-trip fares start at $198.

Where to stay: My group chose the Elkhorn Lodge, on the main drag through town, with doubles beginning at $85. Route 1, Box 45, Chama, NM 87520; telephone (800) 532-8874 or (505) 756-2105, fax (505) 756-2638, Internet https://www.elkhornlodge.net.

Corkin’s Lodge has cabins in a gated compound southeast of Chama off Highway 512; the rate is $140 to $190 a night. P.O. Box 396, Chama, NM 87520; tel. (800) 548-7688 or (505) 588-7261, fax (505) 588-7263.

Another option: yurts in Rio Grande National Forest. The cost is $65 to $100 a night, depending on the day, number of skiers and the need for a tour guide or lessons. Reserve through Southwest Nordic Center, P.O. Box 3212, Taos, NM 87571, tel. (505) 758-4761; or Cumbres Nordic Adventures, P.O. Box 73, Chama, NM 87520, tel. (888) 660-9878, Internet https://www.yurtsogood.com.

Where to eat: Dinner for two at most restaurants in town will cost less than $20, excluding drinks. Viva Vera’s Mexican Kitchen is the local favorite; 2202 New Mexico Highway 17, local tel. 756-2557.

Foster’s Hotel Bar and Restaurant is in Chama’s oldest commercial building; 393 Terrace Ave., tel. 756-2296.

High Country Lounge & Restaurant is a steakhouse at 2290 New Mexico Highway 17; tel. 756-2384.

For more information: Chama Chamber of Commerce, 499 S. Terrace Ave., Chama, NM 87520; tel. (800) 477-0149 or (505) 756-2306.

New Mexico Department of Tourism, 491 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501; tel. (800) 545-2070 or (505) 827-7400, fax (505) 827-7402, https://www.newmexico.org.