Ski patrol rescues snowboarder from canyon

It was freezing and rapidly getting dark on Pajarito Mountain Sunday when Mica Melnikoff realized he was lost.He and his friend Kevin Smith had come up from Albuquerque to test their snowboards on Los Alamos’ ski hill. At around 3:45 p.m., following a trail around the perimeter, the two became separated. Smith ended up on top of the lifts but Melnikoff found himself climbing down the side of Pajarito Canyon, well off the trail and hip-deep in snow.“The canyon is incredibly dense – almost impassable – and a very dangerous place to be with the sun going down and temperatures hitting single digits at night,” said Eric Schaller, assistant patrol director of the Pajarito Mountain Ski Patrol, which found the disoriented, exhausted snowboarder some two hours after Smith alerted them to the situation.Smith said when he didn’t see Melnikoff come back around the trail, he asked two passers-by if they had seen a snowboarder.

If you subscribe to the newspaper, you receive FREE access to all the exclusive content of the web site! Simply register to receive uninterrupted access to our award-winning and in-depth local online content!

Renew Current or Past Subscription / Register for Online Subscription

If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the Los Alamos Monitor, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.

Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.

Newspaper Acct. ID:
Street Address:	(exactly as it appears on the label)

If you are a subscriber and you do not know your account ID or don't have a copy of your newspaper available that shows the information on the address label you can click continue below to search for your account.

New Subscription/30 Day Free Trial Account

If you are new to the award winning Los Alamos Monitor and wish to get a subscription or simply gain access to our online content then please enter your ZIP code below and continue to setup your account.

ZIP Code:

Create a limited access account.
Register to participate in community forums, post on the community calendar, blog etc. This registration does not give you full access to read our award winning content, etc.

The Los Alamos Monitor | lacirculation@lamonitor.com | 505-662-4185
256 DP Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544
Office Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday