IPOS: Brundage Mountain

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Brundage claims to be the home of the best snow in Idaho. They might have even gone further to say it’s the greatest in the world, but unfortunately Ski Utah already literally trademarked that. Regardless of hyperbolic descriptions, Brundage certainly knows a thing or two about good precipitation—particularly powder. Annually the resort receives about 320 inches of snow, making for glades filled to the brim with the good stuff. But that’s not even the best part. After a big dump, if you happen to find the mountain completely devoid of untouched snow, then it might be time to call yourself a Snowcat. 

In addition to its 1,920 inbound acres, Brundage has 18,000 acres of backcountry terrain. This vast amount of terrain is accessible for experienced backcountry skiers or through the mountain’s many guided snowmobile and catskiing excursions. On top of all that, Brundage is a freeride skiing and snowboarding paradise. Despite being such a small mountain, there are all kinds of features and cliffs to jump off.

During my visit to Brundage for the In Pursuit of Soul film trip, I could neither confirm nor deny if Brundage was home to the finest snow in Idaho. Though, I took my guide’s word for it. It was instead the epitome of a perfect spring skiing day: bluebird skies, slushy groomers, and no shortage of Hawaiian shirts in the liftline. Our film crew linked up with a group of dedicated locals who gladly gave us the tour around the mountain. We weaved and bobbed through slushy wiggles and laid fresh trenches in groomers softening into the consistency of 7/11 Slurpees. While it wasn’t the bottomless powder we would have liked, the crisp, clear conditions gave us the chance to scope out the terrain for our next visit. Plus, a beautiful sunny day on skis is hard to beat, especially when you’re in as stunning of a spot as Central Idaho. One of our guides was none other than the professional athlete Kalen Thorien, who’s known for chasing adventures on her skis, motorcycle, pack rafts, and two feet. She’s a hard one to keep track of since she’s always hopping all over the place. But if you’re trying to find her in the wintertime, there’s a good chance she’ll be here hunting for powder. As an Idaho native, she’s spent plenty of her winters here at Brundage and doesn’t plan to change that anytime soon.

The sign says it all. | Katie Lozancich photo.

After a few laps with Thorien and her crew, I peel off to local Martin Campbell and his daughters for a few laps. Cora is seven, and Kaia is four, and they’re already zooming around most of the groomers at Brundage. Initially, the little ones are shy, but quickly warm up to the camera once they start making turns on the groomers. When they lose their speed, Campbell sneaks up behind them and gives them a little push like a jet pack. Giggling from the sudden burst of speed, they throw their arms out in excitement. They’ve learned everything they know from their dad who taught them to ski with a hockey stick. Now that they’re close to mastering two planks, Campbell is excited to get them on snowboards. Born and raised in McCall, Campbell used to dedicate the long Idaho winters to making backcountry booters and designing and building his custom snowboards. Now, this rad dad splits his time between pursuing deep powder stashes on his custom boards and chasing around his little shredders. In the summers he fights wildland fires as a forest service smokejumper, so he’s grateful for this time he gets to spend with his gals in the winter. “After high school, I moved to Salt Lake City and was expecting bigger and better things about the mountains,” he joked. The mountains were certainly bigger but necessarily better. As he puts it, Brundage doesn’t have the best of anything, but it does have a little bit of everything. There’s tons of terrain to pick and choose from, and the snow is consistently good. So, he came back and hasn’t left since. “Brundage has been such a great place for teaching my daughters to ski,” he explains. “Independent mountains like Brundage are focused on the people. It’s about skiing powder, making people feel welcome, and I love that over the years Brundage has chosen to stay small and preserve their small-town vibe.”

Campbell isn’t the only parent that sees the value in Brundage, mostly because the resort tries to eliminate barriers when it comes to getting new skiers on the snow. For one, Brundage’s conveyor lift, Easy Rider, is free to all ages, all season long. That’s a game-changer. For many parents, introducing their kids to skiing and snowboarding is just too expensive. There are lift tickets, rentals, lunch, snacks, and the gas it takes to get to the resort. If you can eliminate one of those financial barriers, then it will go a long way for people and make them more likely to invest long term. When I get back down to the base of the mountain, I can see that kids and beginner adults are lapping Easy Rider non-stop. It might just be a simple groomer, but sometimes that's all a person needs to fall in love with the sport.

When it seems a little tracked out inbounds, hop aboard the snow cat and gain access to thousands more acres of backcountry terrain. | Katie Lozancich photo.

Before heading back up the lift I bump into general manager Ken Rider in the liftline. He’s not heading up the mountain, but instead is helping out with scanning lift tickets. That’s right, even the GM will jump in to help where it’s needed. By the way he’s greeting the guests in line, you’d think he was the mayor of McCall. He practically knows everyone by name and hands out fist bumps and high fives as they pass by. Everyone is in good spirits thanks to the beautiful weather. “I like interacting with the guests just because you get a good sense of what’s happening and how people are feeling,” Rider explains. You can’t get that direct customer interaction when you’re hidden away in an office. “Part of this job means sharing the passion and stoke with everybody: staff, guests, and the community. If you're in the office you can’t do that. Getting out and about is the only way to do that,” he emphasizes. That on-the-ground approach seems to be the standard throughout Brundage and perhaps is what sets them apart.

When the lifts stop spinning, I wander back over to the main lodge and see my co-workers relaxing on the main deck with tacos and beers in hand. Surrounding them are the many athletes and Brundage employees we met during our two days of filming. There are big smiles all around, and they’re chatting and laughing like old friends. You don’t make connections like this everywhere you go, but when you visit a place like Brundage it’s just part of the experience. 

Learn more about Brundage

Watch TGR's full film In Pursuit of Soul on TGRtv now