In the early 1980's at the behest of UNM's cross country ski Coach Klaus Weber, Tim Johnson, Dave Platts, Donna Berg and Tom Berg started the Los Alamos Junior Nordic Ski Team, a United States Ski Association sanctioned kids' x-c ski racing program. Our 1st season's activities took place on the Los Alamos golf course due to a lack of groomable trails in the mountains above town.

By the second season we were working on a trail (The Pajarito X-C Ski Trail) specific to groomed x-c skiing which ran parallel to the old "Quemazon Trail", at that time a four wheel drive road (and hiking trail now called Guaje Trail # 282) which still leads from Pajarito Ski Area up thru Canada Bonita to the Pipeline Road.

Over the years the x-c ski trail has been improved and maintained by ski club members working with the Forest Service, and has become a very popular hiking, biking and horseback riding trail in the off season. The original Forest Service Guaje Trail 282 has been improved and maintained by club members as well, and the Southwest Nordic Ski Club has groomed both trails each Winter for 20 some years for public use at club expense.