Brundage snow - UT? Tahoe? VT?

K

kmartshopper

New member
I've been looking into long term retirement locations when the day finally comes to move out west, and Brundage has recently peaked my interest. The crowds, terrain, cost, and year round living line up well with what I'm looking for.

There's one thing I wanted to ask some of you travelers and analysts...

How would you expect the powder quality (not quantity) at Brundage to stack up to other places? Tony Crocker has a great page at @bestsnow showing moisture and rain for a number of area's... Idaho wasn't included though. Optimistically, I'm hoping it's drier than Tahoe or Mammoth, but wouldn't expect UT or CO powder. Anyway, it's something one trip can't answer, so was hoping to hear some feedback from others.

Thanks!
 
:oops: indeed! The poor kittens! I read every brundage forum hit, and even stumbled into Tony's @bestnow site... no idea how I missed that great article. It's got some really interesting info and perspective. The one thing it doesn't allude to is the typical water content type statistics that Tony's got on his site like here:

http://gator1314.hostgator.com/~bestsnow/snoqlnet.htm

That chart shows that sierra cement isn't a wives tale, for example. Tahoe's not going to have the powder that Vail is. I'm sure Idaho isn't either.... but is it markedly better than Tahoe? Worse? Just trying to get a feel how Idaho/Brundage might stack up in those terms.
 
I'll let Crocker answer, but I'd venture a guess that Idaho's snowpack is more Continental in nature than coastal.
 
Brundage is only about 100 miles through the wilderness from Lost Trail Powder Mountain as the crow flies, and it has fairly similar elevation (base is slightly lower at Brundge - a bit below 6,000'). The powder skiing is generally going to be dry and fluffy. It may have even been Marc that chose "Idaho Powder Paradise" for the title of the 2002 article:

http://www.firsttracksonline.com/News/2 ... -Paradise/

Directly from the article:

"Chances are you’ve heard of the state’s famous Sun Valley, or maybe even Schweitzer, but if you’re looking for the region’s best snow, most people in the know will tell you to head to Brundage. Decent elevation, ample snowfall, and low skier traffic have combined to bless the mountains around McCall, Idaho with light and deep snow, and it stays that way for quite a while."
 
Hi there -
First off, let me come clean and say that I may have some bias, as I work for Brundage Mountain. That said, you should know that the quality of the snow here is EXACTLY why I work for Brundage Mountain. I grew up skiing the 'Cascade Concrete' of Mt. Hood, and on a good weekend, Mt. Bachelor. Brundage Mountain's snow is not the least bit 'coastal' in nature. My first season here was a 'bad snow year' (2004/2005) by all local accounts. That means powder days over 6" were few and far between (that season). Still, the snow has this strange way of actually getting better as it sits on the mountain overnight. (Cool temperatures, dry air). So often, it doesn't go through the layering process and actually blends right in to the powder underneath. So, there were plenty of 'powder days' that the snow totals were secretly hiding (3+3+3=9). The grooming is also exceptional and traffic VERY low, so the slopes stay in very good condition. After hearing about that 'terrible snow year' and enjoying every minute of it, I decided this was the place for me. Subsequent years have proven amazing. Brundage gets an average of 325 inches of fresh snow each season, and I was surprised at the consisent dry, fluffy snow. Growing up in the Cascades, I always correlated elevation with snow quality. This is an exception to that rule. I haven't skied that much in Utah, but based on the times I have, the snow here compares better to that 'Rocky Mountain Powder' than any of the other locations you've mentioned.
 
It's likely Intermountain snow most of the time, like Snowbird and Jackson in that table. Or Alta in the graph. The elevation does mean it can rain once in while. Overall I'd expect Brundage's snow distribution to be like Fernie, Red or Schweitzer as it gets storms from the same weather track (80% correlated to Mt. Rainier). But it is higher than all of those so the rain should be less frequent.

Brundage is quite isolated from other skiing. You live in McCall, that's where you'll be skiing nearly all the time. It's not a huge place, so if you're a variety junkie like Patrick or me you might get restless. But that isolation is why midweek skier density is nil and there's not much competition for the powder. If you're the type who much prefers Solitude or Powder Mt. to Alta/Snowbird, then Brundage is your kind of place.
 
Time for me to chime in. I think Tony has an accurate feel for the snow quality/volume/rain sensitivity of the West Central Mountains of Idaho. I'd probably call it "intermountain", similar to the Wasatch north of I-80(Snowbasin).
I've been to Brundage/McCall/Tamarack on about five different occasions. It was almost always powder and you get lots of laps with very little competition. Brundage is a small area but has mostly upper intermediate terrain with constant pitch and fun surprises. The north facing steeper stuff is way fun but short with a long runout.
Tamarack has reopened and can be better than Brundage on most days. If you are standing in the base area, looking around at the carnage, you'd think I'm nuts to say that. It's a failed real estate venture with a ski area as the hook. Funny thing though, there are some incredible goodies just off the(not so) beaten track. Nuff said…
McCall is a pleasant enough town. It's true calling is a ski lake town in the summer and a 'biler town in the winter. Excellent nordic facilities are right in town, the reason for one of my trips (World Masters). Fine dining is challenging and there is no shopping. Pretty isolated. Good hot tubbing outside of Donnelly though.
I've been on the Brundage cats twice and here are some old posts:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2907

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6237
 
I appreciate all the positive feedback. It's kind of what I was hoping to hear. I have to agree with Tony - that's my other big worry about getting bored with one place. I actually am the type to prefer Powder Mountain to Snowbird - and Ogden is actually higher on my list than SLC for exactly those reasons you stated. I don't do the chutes at snowbird, and would take the blue-square with powder over the tracked out double-black any day. Brundage is even smallerthan powmow of course, not as much snow, and doesn't have Snowbasin next door.... but Mcall sure looks like it might be a nicer place to live year round than Ogden. You can never rule either place out though. Bozeman MT, Driggs ID, and Reno NV are also on the list. Unfortunately the one thing that trumps snow quality is $$ - but there are still some great options...
 
From a pure ski perspective I would rate Reno second only to SLC of North American metro areas. I realize my standards are different. I like big and I like variety. Tahoe is in many ways as opposite from McCall as you can get. The "quiet" Sierra areas are not as good as the "quiet" Utah areas in general.
 
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