People who live and travel to McCall have been skiing in the area since the late 1800s.
In town, an average of 138 inches falls each year and an average of 300 inches falls at higher elevations. Deep snow didn’t hold early McCall settlers back from getting work done.
“Families used skis and snowshoes every day to traverse the landscape,” the Brundage Mountain Realty website notes. “These practical applications paved the way for winter recreation as we know it today.”
In 1937, Warren Brown – owner of Brown’s Tie and Lumber – opened the the Little Ski Hill on 80 acres of land. Then in the late 1950s, Brown, former Norwegian Olympic ski champion Cory Engen, and Idaho businessman and avid skier J.R. Simplot came together to plan and build a bigger ski mountain with steeper runs.
After a few years of planning and building, Brundage Mountain was born and named after sheepherder Winfield Scott Brundage.
“For several summers, Brundage grazed his sheep on this mountain until the land was designated as a reserve,” Brundage Mountain’s website notes. “Since Winfield Scott Brundage was the first man to graze his sheep on this mountain, it became known as Brundage Mountain.”
On Thanksgiving Day 1961, the resort had its grand opening with more than 1,000 skierspaying $4 for a lift ticket. The ski lodge also opened that same day.
Doubling up
As Brundage grew in popularity, the need for more chairlifts and other amenities grew.
In 1976, another double chairlift called the Brundage Creek Double Chair was added alongside the already operating Pioneer Double Chair. Then in 1990, The Centennial Triple Chair was installed – adding 30% more ski terrain. In 1997, the Easy Street Triple chair and the “Centennial” parking lot were added.
Since then, several additional chairlifts have been added, including the Blue Bird Express high-speed quad chair that replaced the Brundage Creek and Pioneer chairlifts and is still in use today. The Bluebird takes skiers up to the top of the mountain on a more than 7,000-foot ride in seven minutes.
Snowcat Skiing, terrain parks, snowmobile tours, and more were also added. During the summer months, visitors can access the 30+ miles of bike trails, the disc golf course, and concerts.
Looking ahead
Today, Brundage continues to grow. As BoiseDev Reported, in 2021 the resort announced a 10-year improvement plan.
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The plan includes adding ski-in/ski-out residential units, lift and terrain expansion, expanded snowmaking capabilities, employee housing, and new on-mountain lodge amenities.
But the most imminent improvement is the Fall 2024 opening of the Mountain Adventure Center which will include a retail and rental shop. The 12,000-square-foot space will connect to the Mountain Sports School facilities.
