Once the chairlifts stop running and the snow begins to melt, I get a lot of questions about what we do up here at Brundage Mountain. People often say, “you must get a lot of down time”, or “don’t you guys get bored up there.”

While we do miss the hustle and bustle of our winter visitors and extra seasonal staff, there is always plenty to do at Brundage Mountain. That’s especially true for the die hards in our lift maintenance department. No matter the weather or amount of snow on the slopes, they are hard at work prepping our five chairlifts for another winter of service. (And, don’t forget, the Blue Bird Quad runs all summer, too).

So while trail crews wait for snow to clear and our friendly mountain bike program staff waits for the visitors to return, the lift maintenance crew is happily going about their work. To borrow a motto: neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, nor the winds of change, will stay us from the swift completion of our appointed rounds….

Blue Bird lower terminal is prepped for inspection (above and below)

Lance rebuilds a sheave for the lower terminal of the Blue Bird (below).

Nate removes the electric motor from Easy Street. (Below)

I couldn’t even begin to understand all the work that goes into maintaining the chairlifts, but luckily, we have hard-working and talented experts for that. And I’m sure I’m not alone in my appreciation for having safe, reliable transport to my favorite winter playground!

– April