FOSM sponsored the Sandia Snowshoe Classic for the 19th time Saturday. The event was a huge success with over 130 participants despite the cold, clouds, and icy Crest Highway at the start of the day. Congratulations to Mike Madden and his organizing team of Silke Bletzer, Steve Roholt, Sim Cook, and Jeff Young. Accolades also to Byron Garner and his team of marshals who readied the course pre-event then made sure participants stayed on the course. Special thanks to Jeff Huser for hauling a trailer-load of equipment to and from the Crest and serving as MC and timing coordinator.

Students from Cottonwood Classic Preparatory School, who helped with the timing;
Members of Cibola Search and Rescue, who were there in case they were needed (and thankfully were not);
First responders and Sheriff’s deputies from Bernalillo County, who helped with traffic control and were on standby in case of an emergency; and
DOT personnel who plowed the highway and parking lots.

Those unable to join in the fun Saturday can vicariously experience the thrill via videos and photos posted at https://friendsofthesandias.org/snowshoe-race/. You can see the excitement on the faces of the participants as they proceed from start to finish of the approximately 3-mile course thanks to photos provided by Stefan Martin and Dan Benton. You also can join Dan as he listens to the Grateful Dead on his drive up. Unfortunately, YouTube blocked the Eagles singing "Hotel California” thereby losing the irony of hearing "On a dark desert highway, Cool wind in my hair…” while Dan maneuvers up the icy Crest Highway in the clouds.