Dear Friends of Brundage,

Well…we were really hoping to have some positive news to share about the Bluebird Express by now, but unfortunately, we are still not certain when the Bluebird will be back in operation.

Here’s a brief summary of what’s going on:

As we mentioned in our last update, a newly installed component on the Bluebird Express failed about 48 operating hours into the summer season. Our partners at Dopplemayr and from the component manufacturer have been on site working with the Brundage Lift Maintenance team to help assess the situation.

We have been able to pinpoint and diagnose the issues, but unfortunately, there is no speedy solution to the problem. In order to get the Bluebird operating again, we need to replace a crucial component of the drive. Dopplemayr is actively working to source that component as quickly as possible, but we still do not have a solid timeline for when it might be on site and ready for installation.

In the meantime, Team Brundage is committed to offering as many of our guests favorite summer activities as we possibly can.

The TGIF Summer Concert Series:

FREE weekly concerts will go on as scheduled Fridays at 6 pm, we have a stellar lineup this summer and concert-goers have been raving about one of our newest offerings: SUSHI. The F&B crew is rolling out fresh sushi during our concerts and it tastes even better than it looks! (You can also sample these sushi creations downtown at the Ponderosa Center’s Tuesday’s at the Terrace concert events where our Bandit Food Truck provides food and drinks). 

Slopeside Dining at Smoky’s Bar & Grill:

Smoky’s Bar & Grill is open Wednesdays through Sundays and offers the coolest (and highest) dining experience in the West Central Mountains. Smoky’s offers a full bar, easy parking and tons of space indoors and outdoors to enjoy a full meal or share some midday refreshments with friends. As the locals know, Smoky’s is one of those secret summer spots where you can always get a table and prompt service, even in the height of summer season! Smoky’s Summer Menu is filled with fresh, tasty dishes to satisfy every member of the family. New for this summer, Smoky’s is now serving fresh sushi Saturdays & Sundays, PLUS, announcing the return of weekend brunch.  Brunchers will enjoy bottomless mimosas, bloody marys and favorite breakfast items like waffles & Bacon and Smoky’s Breakfast Burritos from 10 am – 1 pm Saturdays & Sundays.

Mountain Biking and Hiking:

While we are not able to offer Scenic Chairlift rides and Lift-Served Mountain Biking at this time, guests can still enjoy many of the Brundage Bike Park trails for XC Mountain Biking and Hiking. Guests are encouraged to visit our Summer Trails Report webpage for more details on the trail system.

The Brundage Bike Shop is open Wednesdays through Sundays to work on your bike or rent you one of the latest XC models to enjoy on the trails. We also have a HUGE inventory of bikes for sale, from Kona and Rocky Mountain Bikes. Stop in and check them out! Our Mountain Sports School is offering beginner bike lessons (Group and Private Lessons available) along with Social Group Rides for all levels at 1 pm on Fridays. You can join our friends from Wild Rockies Racing every Friday at 4 pm for a fun, new Short Track Race Series.

Weekly Yoga & Running Clinics:

Other weekly events include free yoga practices on Wednesdays at 11 am and our new “Noontime Runners” sessions with coach Ryan Heywood every Thursday at 12 pm. You can check out all of our summer events at www.brundage.com/events.

Disc Golf:

We have redesigned our “Easy Street 9” golf course and are happy to report that 8 of the 9 holes of the new course are open and we’d love to hear what our avid disc golfers think about the new layout. (Discs are available for rent in the Bike Shop Wednesdays through Sundays).

Shop the Latest Summer Styles:

Our Guest Services office and popular Retail Shop are open Wednesdays through Sundays for season pass pick up and those who’d like to update their summer style or grab the latest Brundage logo wear. You can view our summer operating hours here.

We want to thank everyone for their patience as we work through this frustrating process. We know many of you have made visiting Brundage Mountain part of your summer traditions, and we hope you will continue to enjoy the activities outlined above until we can add Scenic Chairlift Rides and Lift-served Mountain Biking back into the summer mix.

Centennial Upgrade Full Steam Ahead:

On the bright side, the closure of the Bluebird is not interfering with any of our big summer construction projects. In fact, the down time on the Bluebird has given us the opportunity to move the Centennial Chairlift construction schedule up. Over the next two weeks, we’ll be flying in rebar, pouring lift foundations and flying in the new lift towers, so stay tuned for operational and schedule updates. You can also check out this recent update to learn more about our progress so far on the Centennial Upgrade, Lodge Construction and Northwoods neighborhood projects.

We hope to see you up here this summer to try some of our new on-mountain experiences, and of course, on Friday evenings for the coolest concert series in the West Central Mountains!

Sincerely,

Ken Rider, General Manager, Brundage Mountain Resort