“What a treat!” she said with a smile as she glided to a stop at the top of Swinger. I was taking a picture of the sign, and both Kim and her ski partner, Jim, knew exactly why I was there.

“What a treat, it’s groomed!”, she continued. Kim and Jim, no strangers to Brundage Mountain, had been thoroughly enjoying the soft, velvety corduroy on 45th Parallel.

They were even more excited to see that Swinger and its next door neighbor, Stump, got freshly groomed this morning.

Normally, our mountain crews leave these two tributaries as ‘powder runs’, but today they got a thorough comb-through, to the delight of many who ventured this way.

Jim zipped right down the run, eagerly embracing the generous fall-line, with Kim right behind.

You’ve probably spotted Swinger before as you rode up the Centennial chairlift. It’s that nice, steep pitch over there to the right.

One run over from there is Stump, also normally left as a ‘powder run’, but groomed into soft, silky stripes today.

It didn’t take long for our frequent visitors to spot this unique opportunity. While most people LOVE our wide, evenly pitched groomed runs (like 45th, Engen, Main, Alpine, North, etc.) It’s fun to dive off onto these trails for a little extra adventure.

Stump isn’t as steep as Swinger, but it’s got some fun pitches and rolls to it.

After all, variety is the spice of life. And the people who love to ski Swinger and Stump on a powder day need not despair…there’s now a nice, smooth surface just waiting for the next blast of fresh fluff. (Even better news, according to the latest forecast, it could come as soon as tonight!)

– April