MCCALL, Idaho — While Brundage Mountain Ski Resort has been an Idaho fixture for decades, the ownership that brought the resort to national prominence will now be joined by another ownership group, one that hopes to expand the resort in the coming years.
Brundage Mountain Ski Resort was founded by owners Warren Brown and the Simplot family in 1959.
In the 1980s, Diane DeBoer and her late husband, Judd DeBoer, bought Brown’s share, joining the Simplot family in ownership. By 2006, the DeBoer family became 100% owners of Brundage Mountain.
It was under DeBoer's leadership, that Brundage became one of Idaho’s premier ski locations.
On November 1, 2020, Brundage Mountain Holdings purchased a stake in the resort.
“There are seven members and they’re all Idaho based and have long-term interest in McCall,” Bob Looper, the CEO and president of Brundage Mountain Holdings, said. “People know them all over the mountain and the employees are getting to know them because they ski Brundage on a daily basis.”
Looper took over managing and directing activities on Brundage Mountain in 2013, working directly with the DeBoer family.
He says the new owners, all Idahoans, will continue the original vision set by the DeBoer’s when they took over in the 1980s; expansion.
Looper says they plan to eventually add skiing options on the east side of the mountain, overlooking Payette Lake.
“We’re a small to medium-sized mountain, but we have incredible terrain,” he said. “We have 1,920 acres of lift/surf terrain on the mountain which is a lot, and we have over 3,300 acres in our ski area boundary.”
Looper added the ski lodge is also due for an update.
Ownership plans to eventually tear the current one down, and build a bigger and better one in a new spot with enough space for dining and overnight guests - something Brundage has never had.
“At some point, you’re going to be able to come up here and stay on the mountain,” Looper said. “We don’t have to build out a grand base village here to accommodate everybody, but we can build some on-mountain housing that’s pretty exciting that gives you access to ‘ski-in and ski-out’ terrain, which will be a great opportunity for people.”
Looper said these plans are in very early stages but will provide more details in the coming months.