ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In many mountain towns, cross‑country skiing depends on more than snowfall — it depends on volunteers. In Los Alamos, those volunteers are the backbone of the Southwest Nordic Ski Club, where coaches and community members teach skiers of all ages how to glide, balance, and fall in love with winter.
Perched in the mountains above town, quiet trails carry more than fresh tracks. They carry a tradition more than 50 years old — a tradition that’s found new life thanks to longtime club leaders Dina Pesenson and Clay Moseley.
For Pesenson, the club’s revival began with her own kids.
The club secretary and coach says, “Clay and I end up getting married and having kids. And the kids said, ‘Oh, we don’t really want to ski. It’s not fun. Can we ski with other kids?’ So we started bringing our friends’ kids in and trying to do little groups.”
What started as a small effort to create a youth group quickly grew into a bustling community of skiers — from tiny first‑timers to retirees discovering a renewed love for snow.
Longtime club member Jim Schulz says the volunteers make skiing accessible even for beginners in their later years.
“They’re so patient, and they really are helping us learn to be better skiers. And that’s really what it’s all about,” said Schulz. “You know, when you’re 70, it’s sort of nice to get better at something rather than worse.”
Pesenson says that “play” is at the center of every lesson, especially for kids.
“It is really, really fun to have a bunch of kids playing snow with you, and you realize the play is really where they learn,” Pesenson said.
Cross‑country skiing looks graceful from a distance, but Moseley, the club director and president, says it’s built on technical skill.
“Cross‑country skiing is the art of being able to ski on one ski all the time. And that is true,” said Moseley. “Weight transfer, being able to balance on one foot all the time, while navigating icy, bumpy terrain.”
To help skiers master it, volunteers lead lessons, maintain trails, prep skis, and run events — all while juggling jobs, families, and their own winter adventures.
Pesenson says the team’s commitment is what keeps the club thriving.
“Working with people who are willing to consistently put that much time in and to keep things going — it’s kind of like this very uniting feeling of being with the core people, the people who really make things happen,” said Pesenson.
The result is a network of coaches and helpers sustaining a winter tradition that might otherwise fade in the Southwest’s unpredictable snow years.
“Keeping it alive is probably the biggest thing in summary, but passing it on to the youth is a big accomplishment,” said Moseley.
Whether it’s a first lesson, a fresh coat of wax, or another groomed loop on a cold morning, volunteers are keeping the rhythm of glide and stride alive — one skier, and one snowy day, at a time.
