It’s shaping up to be a busy decade for Brundage Mountain in Idaho, as the ski resort will add new buildings to its base area, replace the Centennial chairlift, and plans to expand its skiable terrain footprint. The first phase of the base area construction, the new Ski Patrol building, was completed last month.
The official press release from Brundage Mountain is below, which discusses the completed first phase, what base area improvements are coming, and what other projects they’re planning in the near future.
New Brundage Mountain Ski Patrol Building Marks Successful First Phase of Base Area Construction
McCall, ID (Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023) – Brundage Mountain Resort’s expansive 10-year improvement plan is right on track, with the first phase of base area construction completed last month.
The first piece of the newly designed base area is a two-story, 2,800-square-foot building that now serves as the permanent home of Brundage Mountain’s Patrol headquarters. The new and improved first aid facility includes additional bed space on the ground floor and improved ambulance accessibility.
The new building, designed by McCall-based Epikos and built by Maupin Construction, is located next to the existing Ski & Ride School at the base of the BlueBird Express and is a key first piece in the long-term plan for the base area.
“Brundage is working on an exciting and ambitious plan for the base area,” says Brundage Mountain Resort General Manager, Ken Rider. “Our biggest focus is on how to bring that vision to life – while ensuring a top-notch, consistent, uninterrupted guest experience along each step of the journey.”
The Ski Patrol/Admin building is in use for the current 2022/23 winter season. The new building includes dedicated year-round storage and training areas for patrol, along with much-needed office space on the top floor.
The next step in the evolution of the Brundage Mountain base area is a 12,000-square-foot building that will be known as the “Mountain Adventure Center”, or MAC. Brundage Mountain plans to break ground on the MAC in spring of this year (2023). This building will provide efficient access to tickets, guest services, reservations, rentals, and the retail shop – all on one level. The new MAC structure will connect to remodeled Ski + Ride School and daycare facilities, which encompass an additional 5,000 square feet.
Newly released renderings demonstrate how the mountain modern design of the building will offer a more seamless guest experience without a distracting visual impact.
“Our goal with all of the new base area amenities is to provide efficient, intuitive functionality without blocking the views of the mountain,” says Brundage Mountain President, Bob Looper. “We’ve chosen to create lower-profile buildings with clean lines so the beauty of the natural surroundings continue to stand out.”
Construction on the MAC is expected to take approximately 18 months. Future phases of construction will include a separate “Day Lodge” structure which will be built next to the MAC and will provide approximately 10,000 square feet of additional space for new food and beverage concepts. The goal of that facility is to offer a wide variety of culinary choices, serve more guests per day, and cater to the resort visitors’ needs in all seasons. Existing lodge facilities will continue to be used while the new facilities are built and phased in over time.
“We’re taking a strategic approach to make sure each phase of construction happens in a logical, deliberate order so that we can continue to offer winter and summer guests all of the amenities they’ve come to expect at Brundage Mountain,” says Looper.
In addition to the base area lodge facilities, Brundage Mountain is working on an 88-unit residential development, additional employee housing facilities, and extensive on-mountain improvements, including the installation of a new high-speed quad chairlift to replace the current Centennial Triple Chair. The new high-speed Doppelmayr/CTEC quad will be installed in Summer of 2023 and be in use for the 2023-24 Winter season.
“We have a solid start on our 10-Year Plan and it’s exciting to see the vision come to life,” says Rider. “We’re making great progress on things like employee housing, base area facilities, lift upgrades, and our plans to add ski-in/ski-out lodging options around the base area.”
This past fall, Brundage Mountain expanded its employee housing capacity across several facilities, including the addition of 17 new beds at the newly restored, historical Meadows Haus in New Meadows. Learn more. Brundage currently provides employee housing to approximately 50 full-time employees with the goal of providing an additional 100 beds in the coming years.
About Brundage Mountain Resort
Brundage Mountain Resort is steeped in Idaho history and offers a charming, accessible local vibe. Brundage has been providing a high-value, family-friendly skiing experience for more than 60 years. Known for the “Best Snow in Idaho,” Brundage Mountain is blessed with more than 320 inches of base area snow annually, which creates a consistently satisfying mix of bluebird and powder days throughout the winter season. Future improvements at the independently owned resort will expand the on-site recreational experience and complement the endless adventure-based experiences on the vast Payette National Forest in Brundage Mountain’s backyard, all while preserving and enhancing the attributes that make Brundage a true Idaho original. www.brundage.com
Image Credits: Brundage Mountain
