When it comes time to list off-season improvements at ski resorts, the term 'summer grooming' usually tops the list. But what is summer grooming, exactly? Surely the ski resort doesn't run it’s grooming machines over the rocks and brush, does it?

Not at all. Summer grooming refers to a trail maintenance program that reduces brush, removes dead trees and branches, and in some cases utilizes heavy equipment such as backhoes to rearrange some aspects of the ski run. Right now at Big White, a crew is removing rocks, brush, downed trees, and other obstacles. "We hope to have at least fifty or sixty runs cleaned up by the end of the summer – all the way from Gem Lake to Black Forest" reports Big White Operations Manager Jeremy Hopkinson. "The crew use hand operated tools and hike each run to minimize our impact on the environment as much as possible. This also allows them to do a complete job and not miss anything"

A larger scale project will start later this summer, backhoes and heavy equipment will be brought in to actually reconstruct some of the trails serviced by the Ridge Rocket. "We'll remove the topsoil, strip the ground, rearrange rocks and boulders to fill in low spots, cover it up with topsoil, and then re-vegetate and hydro-seed the run. We re-graded upper Serwa's a couple of years ago and it's like a lawn up there, now."

Slope reconstruction is not just about filling in dips; it's also about building up and exaggerating natural contours on the runs. "We want the trails to be interesting to the skiers and boarders," Hopkinson says.

For a mountain that relies on 100 percent natural snow, summer trail maintenance at Big White is mandatory, and continues once the snow falls. Hopkinson says, "The runs often look a bit different once they have a half metre of snow on them. After the first snow falls, we'll still be removing obstacles on the runs to smooth out the terrain for the grooming machines packing the snow.