Giants Ridge in St. Louis County leaving half runs fresh, grooming others

Giants Ridge in St. Louis County has shifted its trail strategy this winter so crews intentionally leave roughly half the runs in a fresh-powder state while grooming the other runs, new General Manager Duane Stutzman said. “We made the decision that we want to keep powder on the mountain. We’ve gone through many of our runs, and now we only groom half. You can enjoy out west skiing here in the Midwest,” Stutzman said.

Giants Ridge officials framed the change as a tactical move to conserve snow and extend quality conditions through the rest of the season. They will not make any more snow this season and hope the current natural layer will extend slopes time till April 4, a planning target the resort is now using for operations and staffing.

Storms this week left a foot of new powder on the hills at Giants Ridge, and some of that snow “stayed just like that” where crews chose not to groom, giving skiers and snowboarders pockets of fresh powder alongside corduroy-covered runs. The practice began as a pilot last year and has been broadened this season, moving from a test approach to a resort-wide tactic across many trails.

Stutzman, identified as the resort’s new General Manager, said the change has produced visible customer enthusiasm on the hill. “I’ve seen a lot of high fives from people excited about this,” he said. Marketing around the season has leaned into that reaction, with public messaging describing fresh powder as “another reason Giants Ridge is having a great season.”

On the operational side, the resort’s decision not to make additional man-made snow narrows managers’ levers for shaping the season. Giants Ridge announced the grooming shift and the conservation goal as a way to stretch natural snowpack; the public statement describing the move used the phrase “crews are intentionally leaving roughly half of the runs in a fresh‑powder state while grooming other runs. The shift aims to conserve snow and extend quality conditions through the re” (text truncated in the announcement).

Several specifics remain pending from Giants Ridge management: the exact number of runs affected, which named runs will be left ungroomed on which days, and whether the half-and-half rotation will change if temperatures rise. For inquiries or to request public-file assistance related to the coverage, contact Vicki Kaping at (218) 727-6864. Giants Ridge plans to operate with the April 4 target in mind while managers monitor weather, skier traffic, and the durability of the fresh powder pockets.