The Friends of the Sandia Mountains (FOSM) are hosting a community event in the snow in which people who love the winter weather can get some exercise and socialize from more than-10,000 feet high. On Jan. 18, the 21st Sandia Snowshoe Classic 5K race will begin on Sandia Crest, and participants 13 and older are invited to strap on their most durable snow-ready footwear and trek through the Cibola National Forest.
Registration is $45 and includes refreshments, swag and parking. Spots are limited to 175 participants so now is the time to sign up — the race has filled up early in the past, and there will be no registration on race day. Gifts will be awarded to winners in each age group, and the overall top three winners in male and female groups will receive cash prizes.
FOSM has sponsored this January event under a Forest Service permit since 2001 with cancellations in 2018 due to lack of snow and 2021 during the COVID pandemic. The intention has always been to create a fun event for participants of all ages and skill levels, but elite racers definitely show up to compete. After some participants pointed out a couple of years ago that the course was a little short of a 5K, FOSM stopped calling it the Sandia Snowshoe Race and began referring to it as the Sandia Snowshoe Classic. Nonetheless, last year the course was lengthened to a full 5K using a section of the Tram service road, and this year they will utilize JackRabbit Race Management professional timing experts to record accurate race times.
FOSM — incorporated as New Mexico Friends of the Forest — is a nonprofit working in partnership with the United States Forest Service to protect and restore the natural, cultural and scenic resources of forest lands. Their focus is conservation and education within the Sandia Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest and adjacent lands.
Mike Madden, president of FOSM and director of the Sandia Snowshoe Classic, said weather permitting, FOSM volunteers are up on the mountain three to four days a week and
clocked in about 9,000 hours of labor last year assisting the Forest service with tasks like keeping trails clear and picnic areas tidy.
“If a tree falls down in the trail, we remove it to keep the corridors open for people to recreate,” Madden said. “We do painting, we’ve re-roofed restrooms and outhouses, we’ve painted kiosks and signs. We have a chainsaw crew that are certified with the Forest Service so we do a lot of good for people’s recreational experience.”
All race proceeds go to the Friends of the Sandia Mountains for preservation and maintenance of trails as well as other U.S. Forest Service resources.
You can view the Sandia Snowshoe Classic course map here.
Register on the race website at 21st Sandia Snowshoe Classic 2025.
Sandia Snowshoe Classic
11 p.m.
Jan. 18
Sandia Crest
NM 536 West, Sandia Park, NM
$45
