Game On: All Chairlifts Open Starting Friday, December 9
Brundage Mountain is excited to announce that it will have all chairlifts in operation starting this Friday, December 9. More than three feet of fresh snow has fallen on Brundage Mountain’s slopes since Thanksgiving Day.
Brundage Mountain kicked off full-time operations last Friday, December 2 with the BlueBird Express, Centennial Triple and Easy Street Triple chairs in action. Starting this Friday, December 9, the Bear Chair and Lakeview Triple Chairs will be added to the mix. The Bear and Jammer runs will offer two sets of freestyle terrain park features.
Having all five chairlifts in action provides access to 52 named runs and 99% of the resort’s groomed terrain. Current snow depths across the mountain range from 30” to 49”. The forecast is calling for another round of snowstorms to arrive at Brundage starting Thursday, with an additional foot or more of accumulation possible through Sunday.
“Our team has been working incredibly hard to get the mountain fully open and offer a top-notch guest experience, especially with the excitement around this incredible early December snowfall,” says Brundage Mountain General Manager, Ken Rider. “We’re eager to get the whole mountain open to skiers and riders while maintaining the highest standards of safety for our guests.”
An electric motor in the Bear Chair is being rebuilt by a supplier off-site, so the resort will be running the popular mid-mountain lift on a backup diesel motor until the final repairs are completed on the electric motor. The Easy Rider conveyor will open as soon as conditions allow.
What’s New at Brundage for Winter 2022/23
The early phases of Brundage Mountain’s 10-year improvement plan are underway and winter visitors will see some signs of progress in this season’s ski and ride experience.
NEW MOUNTAIN PATROL FACILITY
A new, two-story, 2800 square foot building completed this month serves as the permanent home of Brundage Mountain’s Ski and Bike Patrol. The new first aid facility includes additional bed space on the ground floor and improved privacy and ambulance accessibility.
The new building is located next to the existing Ski & Ride School at the base of the BlueBird Express and is a key first piece in a newly-imagined base area that will add 30,000 square feet of new and remodeled facilities over the next 2-3 years. View the Full Base-Area Design Here
SKI & RIDE SCHOOL UPDATES
Updates to the Ski & Ride School building are also part of the base area redesign. For 2022/23, all group and private lessons will meet on the snow surface between the building and the BlueBird Express. Daycare and the extended Kid’s Club program will return for Winter 2023/24 when updates to this building are complete. This structure will be connected to a brand new 10,000 square foot Mountain Adventure Center in the future to provide easier ‘one-stop’ access to base area services.
NEW PHONE SYSTEM
Brundage Mountain has installed a new company-wide phone system to provide easier booking and guest connections to all departments, including off-site locations like the Activity Barn Snowtubing facility in McCall. One phone number – 208-634-4151 – accesses all Brundage Mountain connections, including Reservations and the Snow Report.
EXPANDED GROOMING FLEET
On the slopes, guests will notice the impact of an expanded and upgraded grooming fleet. Brundage Mountain has invested in two new PistenBully 400 snowcats. The first snowcat replaces an older model in the grooming fleet with a newer, more efficient machine that features the latest clean exhaust technology.
The second new snowcat – a PB 400 – expands the fleet and will allow the Brundage Terrain Park crew to construct a larger variety of features and continue to improve freestyle skiing and snowboarding offerings.
Annual brush cutting and mowing efforts conducted this fall have knocked down and cleared out brush to improve early season skiing and riding conditions on groomed runs.
FULL MENU OF DINING OPTIONS RETURNS
Brundage Mountain’s culinary team is excited to announce the return of its signature dining experience, the Bear’s Den Dinner After Dark. This after-hours culinary adventure begins when diners climb aboard a heated snowcat for a memorable ride to the mid-mountain Bear’s Den. Diners are treated to a spectacular four-course meal featuring a rotating menu of seasonal fresh dishes served with craft beer and wine in the cozy log outpost. Bear’s Den snowcat dinners will begin in early January. Reservations are required and space is limited. Learn More.
Brundage Mountain’s daytime food venues are also expected to be back to full operations this season.
The popular Smoky’s Bar & Grill is open daily with a full bar and table service for diners of all ages. The 21 & over Upper Lot Pub features a well curated menu designed to please a sophisticated palate. The mid-mountain Bear’s Den is open Fridays through Sundays and during holiday periods, offering snacks, a hearty mid-mountain lunch, along with beer, wine, spirits and family-friendly beverages. The Main Street Market & Espresso offers a convenient spot for family dining, featuring grab-and-go meals along with hot grilled items, snacks, fresh fruit and espresso.
NEW EMPLOYEE HOUSING FACILITIES
Brundage Mountain is tackling industry-wide staffing shortages head-on, through a multi-pronged approach to expand the availability of affordable housing for resort employees. A major remodeling project transformed a historic building in New Meadows into Brundage Mountain’s newest employee housing facility. The 10,000+ square foot ‘Meadows Haus’ now has nine bedrooms with accommodations for up to 17 employees. Each room has its own bathroom with shared facilities for kitchen and laundry, along with a spacious common area on the lower level. Brundage has also repurposed a log a-frame into the ‘Alpine Haus’, which will provide employee housing near the Centennial parking lot.
Brundage expects to provide housing for 50+ employees this winter between the new facilities, existing holdings at the Creekside RV Park in New Meadows and through community partnerships.
NEW SNOWMOBILE ROUTE
Those who enjoy motorized winter recreation near Brundage Mountain will be using a newly-constructed stretch of trail to access the groomed snowmobile trails and backcountry areas beyond the resort. Brundage Mountain funded construction of the trail, which creates a new, more direct connection from the Gordon Titus winter parking lot to a point on Goose Lake Road north of the Brundage Mountain base area.
CENTENNIAL FAREWELL
Winter 2022/23 will be the final season for the nostalgia-minded visitor to ride the Centennial Triple Chair. The fixed-grip lift, installed in 1990, will be replaced by a new Doppelmayr CTEC high speed detachable quad for the 2023/24 Winter season. The new high-speed lift will cut ride time from 14 to 6 minutes and will equip Brundage Mountain with two high-speed quads on the front side of the mountain.
