MASTER OF HERDSIRES: Every livestock breed has the one Stud that surpasses all others-- not just in looks but in every element of excellence that defines the breed. In the alpaca, this element is primarily the fleece: Fineness of micron - Brightness and soft handle - good staple length - curvature - density with low primary fiber production, and most importantly, UNIFORMITY of all these traits. Snowmass Elite Legend possesses these qualities and continues to produce them year after year in his offspring. The other element that distinguishes a stud above others is perfect conformation--including the ideal head. Snowmass Elite Legend possesses every element we desire. He was used almost exclusively over Snowmass’ white females because of his excellence and purity in clear bright white genetics. They rarely used him over colors as they have been trying to selectively breed for prediction of solid color. As time went on, they decided to breed Elite Legend to a few of their strong colored females. The outcome was so remarkable that they realized the importance of bringing him into their color breeding program on a strategic level. Snowmass Elite Legend has graced many of the North American Alpaca breeding programs with his progeny. One after another carries on his vital excellence passing on the fleece characteristics we need to bring the North American Alpaca Industry to the heights of the finest alpaca fiber producers. Aside from his accolades in shows, Elite Legend's fiber production across his progeny is the most valued element of his success. Snowmass Alpacas has proudly said that Snowmass Elite Legend is the most distinguished White Huacaya Stud standing in the WORLD. Tierra Prometida Alpacas is proud to announce that we now co-own Snowmass Elite Legend with Cas Cad Nac Farm. Though he is not being offered for outside stud service, Elite Legend will be in Texas at Tierra Prometida Alpacas and his genetics are available through the purchase of females bred to him and through the purchase of his offspring.

Chalice is that rarest of the rare: a daughter of the legendary imported Peruvian female, PPeruvian Jesusa! Her sire is some slouch named Archangel, but more on him in a minute. Jesusa's genetics can be found in some of the most prepotent alpacas in the world. From here alone there are most notably Golden Sovereign and his full sister, Magdalena, who between them have produced more Champions for CCNF than any other sibling pair in our program's history. At Snowmass Alpacas, where they originally imported Jesusa, she can be found in many of their most important lines but most notably in that of Snowmass Quechua and all that he has meant to the North American herd. All of which brings us to the question of Chalice's breeding for her 2013 cria. We elected to breed her in 2010, albeit very distantly, with Snowmass Elite Legend. Anyone that has touched that spectacular male or seen his offspring understands the potential of that cross. To combine Elite Legend's outrageous density, stapling, and uniformity with the fineness (18.9 AFD at 7 years of age), uniformity, and phenotype of Archangel is or as the case is now, was, an invitation for lightning to strike and strike it did. The resulting little female cria, named CCNF Jesusa after her grandmother, was everything we had hoped for. As a debutante member of our spring show string MJ (mini Jesusa) won blue ribbons at the NAAS and Futurity as well as the AOBA National Fleece Show! Not too shabby. She is also among the core group of Elite Legend daughters that we are absorbing into our foundation herd in hopes of furthering our program's breeding goals long term/ Chalice gave birth in late August to a gorgeous white male sired by Snowmass Elite Legend, meaning that this latest cria is CCNF Jesusa's full sibling. For the time being, Chalice will sell with her new EL boy at her side. She has now been bred back and is conformed pregnant to our 2013 Futurity Herdsire of the Year, Snowmass Matrix Majesty, who sired her blue ribbon winning 2012 daughter, CCNF Mariella!