It’s no secret that our spring weather is unusually hot and dry this year. It’s a hot topic among outdoor enthusiasts up here in Valley County.  Instead of hoping for snowflakes, we’re itching for the snowlines to recede and open up even more of our favorite recreation spots.

Here at Brundage Mountain, we are WAY ahead of schedule when it comes to our spring melt-off. We seem to have skipped right over ‘mud season’ (at least for now). I can’t remember ever seeing green grass in the base area the first week of May. And while it’s tough to pinpoint exactly how many weeks ahead of ‘normal’ we are, digging through our photo files had revealed some striking comparisons.

Here is a photo taken from the entry road yesterday afternoon (May 8, 2013):

Here is a photo taken last year from roughly the same spot. (May 9, 2012):

As you can see, there was significantly more snow on The Face and Easy Street, which are both pretty much bare right now.

You’ll see an even bigger contrast if we look back two years. This photo was taken May 11, 2011:

Here’s one more quick comparison. May 8, 2013:

May 11, 2011:

Not only was the base area ground covered with snow, we still had a snowpack on the roof of the lodge!

All of this bodes well for anyone interested in downhill mountain biking. We plan to open our season on Friday, June 28 and unless the weather pattern changes drastically, we should be able to open all of our trails in time for the Grand Opening. We’ll bring you some more updates as that date draws closer, but in the meantime, enjoy this seemingly mud-free mud season!

– April