News

Payette National Forest Supervisor Keith Lannom signed a Special Order on December 15, 2011 closing 4,730 acres of terrain on Granite Mountain to over-snow motor vehicle use from January 15 – March 31, 2012.

“The focus of this initiative is to provide exceptional winter recreational experiences for all. The Payette and its partners, such as the Winter Recreation Forum, and area communities worked together so that this area continues to be known for offering high-quality winter outdoor activities for experts, families, and people of all ages and abilities,” said Forest Supervisor Keith Lannom.

The Special Order is a one-year trial and is the result of several years of collaboration and public comment.

“We want to thank the Winter Recreation Committee for coming together to find consensus on this issue,” said Brundage Mountain President and General Manager Rick Certano. “Both local and regional recreationists, including snowmobilers, backcountry skiers, alpine skiers, as well as the County Commissioners, worked with the Forest Service to find common ground and get this accomplished.”

The two and a half month closure means no snowmobiles would be allowed to operate in this area from January 15 through March 31.

“This will allow our backcountry Snow Cat clients and other backcountry skiers to enjoy prime conditions on top-notch terrain like North and South Dead Tree, Baby Face and Free Willy,” said Brundage Mountain Snow Cat Adventures Manager Niki LeClair.

Snowmobiles can still access Granite bowl via the boulevard or from the Twin Lakes area.

The Winter Recreation Committee also found consensus on winter use of some other popular areas, and agreed to support the continued shared use of Slab Butte and another area known as ‘76’.

The Payette National Forest has produced a map that shows areas closed to motorized over snow vehicles This map is now available to the public, free of charge, and is available at all PNF offices, at major winter Trailhead kiosks, and on the PNF web site.

The Granite closure area was specifically designed to utilize the already existing and approved snow-cat roads for closure boundaries. The southern boundary is Six Mile Creek, and the western boundary is Road 294, both are easily definable geographic and man-made features, which should help snowmobilers easily recognize the boundaries on the ground.

Brundage Mountain is proud to introduce the newest member of our family, Bruno, the Brundage Bear!

The name Bruno was the top selection from our naming and coloring contest.

11 year old Olivia Nelson suggested the name and submitted this colorful rendition of Bruno.

(more…)

McCALL, ID – Brundage Mountain Resort celebrates its 5oth Anniversary in November, and in honor of that milestone, the ski area is offering its biggest pre-season sales event ever.

“We want to make it as easy and as affordable as possible for everyone to help us celebrate our anniversary season,” said resort spokesperson, April Russell.

The promotion, which is dubbed the “Best of Brundage” Anniversary Sale, begins on Thursday, October 20th and features six different products that will be on sale for a limited time only.

“Our goal was to provide a wide variety of special offers in order to fit everyone’s needs,” said Russell.

Most deals will be offered for two weeks at a time, but a pair of very special products will be sold only to the first 50 people who purchase.

The “Best of Brundage” Package goes on sale at 9:00 am on Friday, November 4 and includes an unlimited 2011/2012 Adult Season Pass, a full-day backcountry SnowCat Adventure, a two-hour Private Lesson session, and a full-day high performance rental package. Only 50 of these packages are available.

Also limited to the first 50 sold will be the “Legacy of Learning” Package, which includes an unlimited 2011/2012 Adult Season Pass and three visits to the Brundage Bears children’s program. That also goes on sale at 9:00 am Friday, November 4th.

“We would love to offer more of these great deals, but space is limited on our Cat Ski trips and in our popular Bears program, so we can only offer that to our most enthusiastic shoppers,” added Russell.

Gift Cards, Season Passes and Select Cards are deeply discounted in the other phases of the sale. Full details are available here.

McCall, ID– Brundage Mountain Resort is extending its hours for the final weekend of the summer chairlift season. In addition to regular operations from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm  on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the BlueBird Express will be running on Monday, September 5 for the Labor Day holiday. (more…)

Brundage Mountain Resort is offering free chairlift rides on Thursday, June 30 as the resort stages a special celebration to kick off the summer chairlift season.

The Grand Opening Celebration takes place Thursday, June 30 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Visitors can stop by the Bike Shop to get their free scenic lift tickets for a ride up the Blue Bird High Speed Quad to Brundage Mountain’s 7,640 foot summit.  Once there, they’ll find the deepest summer snowpack since the resort starting offering summer lift service in the early 1990’s.

“Summer has now officially arrived, but we’ve still got between four and six feet of snowpack remaining on the summit,” said resort spokesperson, April Russell. “Our long-time employees have never seen anything like this, and it will make for an incredible photo opportunity.”

Brundage Mountain crews will be clearing a sizable flat area right on the summit so people can unload on foot and take photos. Visitors will enjoy spectacular 360-degree views from the summit, highlighted this year by snow-capped mountains ranging from Idaho’s Seven Devils to Oregon’s Eagle Cap Mountains.

The Grand Opening Celebration will also feature a base-area barbecue and live music from Idaho-Down headliner, Jeff Crosby. Crosby will play two sets, at 12:00 noon and 1:30 pm. IdahoDown tickets will be available for sale and several local organizations will be on hand to answer questions about summer recreational opportunities in the area.

Due to the late season snowpack, mountain bike trails will not be open by June 30^th. Visitors will not be allowed to bring bikes, skis, snowboards, sleds or tubes up the chairlift for safety reasons, and ‘sensible footwear’ is strongly recommended.

Mountain bike trail crews are hard at work preparing the bike trails as the snow melts, but the snowpack is still considerable on the upper half of the mountain.

“We expect the snow to start melting off more quickly now that the days are getting longer and temperatures are beginning to warm,” said Russell. “We hope to be announcing mountain bike trail openings very soon, and guests can follow that progress on our website or Facebook pages.”

“In the meantime, our friends from CIMBA (Central Idaho Mountain Bike Association) will be on hand with tons of helpful information, so mountain bikers can find out about the latest developments in the area.”

The persistent snowpack has also prompted Brundage Mountain to reschedule its annual Brundage Mountain Bike Festival. Downhill and Super D events will now be held on August 6 & 7.

“We had nearly 100 inches of snow fall during the month of March and another 50 inches during April and May, but we had no idea that snow would be sticking around so long,” said Russell.

Regular summer lift hours are Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, with Bonus Days Monday, July 4 and Monday, September 5.

Skiers and snowboarders who showed up today to celebrate Brundage Mountain’s latest closing day in history were treated to a surprise afternoon snowstorm which dropped two inches of fresh snow on the slopes. It’s a fitting way to end a season marked by incredible spring snowfall.

Brundage Mountain added a record five Bonus Weekends to the regular season, resulting in the 50-year-old ski resort’s latest closing day ever, today, Sunday, May 15. The previous record was set on May 10, 2008 during a season that boasted 428 inches of cumulative snowfall. Today’s snow will bring this season’s total snowfall to 365 inches.

“It was not a record year for overall snowfall,” said resort spokesperson, April Russell. “But our spring conditions have been incredible. We got 97 inches in March, 35 inches in April and 7 inches in the first half of May. That allowed us to extend our season longer than ever before.”

Visitors experienced sunshine and spring snow conditions Saturday, with fog giving way to fresh snowfall for those who visited today. Guests gathered for group photos to commemorate the final day of Brundage Mountain’s 50^th season.

View and download commemorative group photos here.

Brundage Mountain Resort is also reporting its most successful season to date. The ski area set a new record for skier visits, exceeding last year’s previous record by 12%.

2010/2011 also brought record overall revenues and a record number of season pass holders to Brundage Mountain.

“Season Pass holders understand that when we extend our season, we are giving them more value for their dollar,” added Russell. “We’ve had very positive feedback on our Bonus Weekends and the experience that we offer here all season long.”

Brundage Mountain will be celebrating its latest closing date in history as its 50^th Season comes to a close this weekend, May 14-15.

Brundage Mountain is now closed mid-week, but is planning to operate for a final Bonus Weekend this Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 am – 4:30 pm. (more…)

Monday, April 25, 2011

McCall, ID – Fresh snow is falling on Brundage Mountain, and the McCall, Idaho ski resort is extending ski season again, this time through mid-May.

Brundage Mountain is now closed mid-week, but is planning to operate Saturdays and Sundays for Bonus Weekends, at least through May 15, conditions permitting.

Bonus Weekends:

April 30 – May 1

May 7 & 8

May 14 & 15

Brundage Mountain is celebrating its 50^th season this year, and as long as the weather cooperates, it will also celebrate its latest closing date ever.

Brundage Mountain’s latest closing day was May 10 in 2008, a season that brought near-record snowfall. This year, resort operators are confident that slope conditions will hold up through May 15^th and possibly longer.

“We have an extremely healthy snow base, and it actually continues to get deeper,” said resort spokesperson, April Russell. “We’ve watched over ten feet of snow fall in March and April and we’ve seen very little spring melt-off this year. We continue to get fresh snow every week and conditions have been stellar for our first two Bonus Weekends.”

Brundage Mountain got three inches of fresh snow the morning of Monday, April 25^th, with several more inches forecast this week. The mountain’s snow depth currently measures 94 inches at the base and 133 inches on the summit.

View the current snow report.

Brundage Mountain is offering discounted lift tickets for Bonus Weekends. Children 11 & under are free, and all other age groups will enjoy a $10 discount off regular season prices. Any adult who holds a season pass at another ski area receives an extra $5 off. Seniors (70+) and Juniors (17 & under) who hold a season pass at another area can ski for free on Bonus Weekends.

Anyone who purchases their 2011/2012 Brundage Mountain Season pass can ski or ride for free on all Bonus Weekends this season. 2011/2012 season passes are now on sale, and purchasing that pass by closing day can save the buyer up to $120.

“Extending our season is a great way for us to add value for our season pass holders,” said Russell. “Long after other resorts have shut down, our pass holders can still enjoy their investment.”

The extended season also benefits the local economy by keeping seasonal employees working longer into the shoulder season and keeping tourist traffic moving through the nearby communities.

“If we can attract people to our area and boost traffic even a little bit, that really helps this time of year,” added Russell.

Resort operators are hopeful that slope conditions will remain favorable for weeks to come. Brundage Mountain will be assessing conditions in the coming weeks in hopes of adding even more Bonus Weekends beyond the May 15^th date.

Family-friendly Brundage Mountain Resort is slashing prices on lift tickets and offering FREE skiing for kids 11 & under for Bonus Weekends.

(more…)

Another barrage of fresh powder has blessed Brundage Mountain with the best snow conditions of the entire season, and the McCall, Idaho ski area now plans to stay open on weekends AT LEAST through the first of May.

Brundage Mountain will be open seven days a week through April 10, and has now planned three “Bonus Weekends” beyond that date. Operations are scheduled for the following weekends, conditions permitting: (more…)