McCall, ID – Brundage Mountain Resort saw brisk attendance this week as it opened its 50^th Season and offered four days of free skiing.

More than 3,400 people took to the slopes to take advantage of the special ski-for-free deal, which was offered Monday, December 6 through Thursday, December 9 to anyone printing out an on-line coupon from www.brundage.com.

“We were thrilled to see such a strong turnout,” said resort spokesperson, April Russell.

“That’s an enormous increase over the number of visitors we usually get the first week in December. We love to share our terrific slope conditions with so many snow lovers and to boost traffic for local businesses.”

Brundage Mountain has a 27” base at the lodge with 41” on the summit. Frequent visitors had great things to say about early-season slope conditions. The free skiing offer motivated some less-frequent visitors to return to the slopes after many years away.

“We met one couple who hadn’t skied in 23 years who planned to be here all week,” said Russell. “We heard from several others who rearranged their work schedules to take advantage of the offer and come ski with friends and family.”

Local business owners reported seeing a noticeable boost in traffic during a normally slow mid-week period.

“It’s a great thing,” said Matt Ganz, owner of the Salmon River Brewery. “People seemed to think it was really cool.”

Some lodging properties also saw a boost.

“We saw midweek rentals come in during a time of year when we traditionally wouldn’t have seen them,” said Travis Leonard of Aspen Timeshares.

“We had some folks needing rental gear, sold a parka here and there, some mittens and gloves. It generated a significant amount of traffic up from the Treasure Valley and certainly from some local folks who were skiing that haven’t been for years,” said Hometown Sports owner, Dean Hovdey.

“Brundage has never gotten credit for being the economic engine that it has been for 50 years now,” added Hovdey.

This is just one of the special events Brundage Mountain is hosting in honor of its 50^th Season. The next big crowd pleaser comes on December 29, when the resort hosts its “Light Up the Night Party” featuring live music, a torchlight parade and a slope-side fireworks show.  Learn More

“We are very proud to be celebrating 50 seasons on the Best Snow in Idaho and to share that with the community and our loyal visitors,” added Russell.

Brundage Mountain now has 100% of its terrain open daily. It plans to operate all five chairlifts Fridays through Sundays and holiday periods, with four chairlifts running Mondays through Thursdays to service all 1,500 acres of terrain.