March 6, 2010 Brundage Mt. & Tamarack

We spent the evening in the upper lot of Brundage Mt. Ski Area. The area opens at 9:30am so we slept-in. It had been 15 years since our last visit and that was on a powder day. Today was a sunny, spring day. It was a 20 yard walk to the lodge. I received a free lift ticket for being “cute and adorable” plus teaching at another ski area.  Jill received a $5 discount for having a pass at another ski area.

Since our last visit they’ve added a high speed quad, a triple on the front side and a new area on the backside called Lakeview with a triple. The area has wonderful tree terrain and a bounty of sidecountry. They offer guided and unguided backcountry tours. They are also experiencing a low snow year. Off piste the conditions were “crusty”. It was a Saturday, but we only waited in line for about 2 minutes at the quad, and there were no lines at the triple or backside lifts. It seems that most folks were from Boise which is a 2 hour drive up through a beautiful serpentine canyon. There are plenty of hotels and motels in McCall which is only 6 miles from the ski area base.

After a day of cruising, we started heading south towards Boise. Just south of Brundage and near the village of Donnelly, we detoured to Tamarack Resort. In 2008/2009 Tamarack encountered severe financial problems and closed. I’ve been curious about the resort’s terrain and accessibility for touring untracked runs. Yeah, I’m always looking for easy access. As we approached the resort, a young couple who had just returned from a tour were climbing onto their snow mobile. They had parked their snow mobile at the “T” intersection at Tamarack Falls just a mile or so from the resort. They toured up from there. The terrain seemed very complex and interesting. We drove into the resort and it felt like a modern, plush ghost town. The roads were plowed, but we did not see any homeowners. Hotels were closed and a gigantic condo complex was still under construction but closed. The lifts were present, but nothing was operating. I could see old snow mobile tracks on some trails plus some old ski tracks. The resort offered 2800vf and the view from Donnelly indicated some variable terrain with an ENE orientation. I think touring from the main resort base area would be discouraged by the Security team, but the area near Tamarack Falls and the Resort offers plenty of access.

Photo 1: Tamarack Trail Map

Photo 2: Tamarack terrain “lookers right” of ski resort

I think touring from the main resort base area would be discouraged by the Security team

Isn't this Forrest Service land? Or is it just that security doesn't want anyone near the buildings?

The base area of Tamarack is on private land. Not sure about the ski area except I know both lift access back country areas to the north and the south are on NF land. The areas to the north are called Wildwood Bowl, then Half Moon Bowl and then further out the Banana Bowl. The ski area is pretty tam but these areas have decent pitch up top then good tree skiing. I was a passholder there until they shut down if you stayed on North facing slopes you could easily get powder for 10 days after a storm since nobody went out there. They never did avy control on those slopes so good judgement was always neccessary.

For touring in the McCall area the turned slopes to the North East have some yurts and some nice 2-3k vert slopes - This the French Lick area. The prize looks like Council Mountain which is west of Tamarack. Would need potential snow mobile access. The North face of Jughandle mountain looks good too. so do some of slopes on the southern edge of West Mountain west of Cascade. Some of the slopes north of Brundage are good tour areas as well. Here are some good links for the area.

www.payettelakesalpineyurts.com/
www.payettepowderguides.com/
www.payetteavalanche.org/

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For touring in the McCall area the turned slopes to the North East have some yurts and some nice 2-3k vert slopes - This the French Lick area.  The prize looks like Council Mountain which is west of Tamarack.  Would need potential snow mobile access.  The North face of Jughandle mountain looks good too.  so do some of slopes on the southern edge of West Mountain west of Cascade.  Some of the slopes north of Brundage are good tour areas as well.  Here are some good links for the area.

www.payettelakesalpineyurts.com/
www.payettepowderguides.com/
www.payetteavalanche.org/

just checking the archives, and diving for trouble..

Council.  Skiied it.  Twice.  It's pretty awesome as you approach from the east (drive up the Middle Fork Wieser River road - hope to pull into the campground - no designated TH, per se), work your way in following your senses and then, all of a sudden you're there, in the fan of a 3000 ft avy chute - the river and steep walls prevent other outcomes..  Look up and see the monstrous cornices the prevailing westerlies have left.  Scooted past as fast as my nervous feet would take me, and up to the approach ridge from the NE.  Traverse to the summit.  Both times have seen signs of snomobile traffic in the NE and N bowls of the traverse, and this is as designated on the Payette.  And this is also the area that holds good snow for skiers - but, from what I've seen, there's plenty of room, and frankly, this is not populated country..  Like I said, the East side of Council is serious country, although there are some nice lateral lines to the trap.  The west side is, well, the west side -  More sunny days over here in W. Idaho than in WWa., but the western slope is more skiable, slope and safetywise.  Skiout to town of Council is doable, but where did you leave your car..?

This area is, of course, near Cambridge where we have a ranchette, and so ski a number of FC and BC areas, here (some from the back porch - sorry).   What I like about it, beside the abundant sunshine and broad views,  is the medium density snow.  If you're starved for faceshots, Rocky Mtn blower delivers, but doesn't support.  Coastal Fresh delivers all you want, but has a half-life similar to last nights' takeout, which you left in the sedan.  Here, in the Near East, it really splits the difference, and while the sun is often out  - W and S slopes can get baked -  the temps don't get up and RH stays low, so much of the terrain holds really well.

Anyway, like Zap said, Tamarack is a weird little ghost town, and they screwed the pooch when they put the plan together, but the snow around here is consistantly fun.

Looks like Tamarack Resort will reopen this season.

www.tamarackidaho.com/winter_adventure/s...ckets_and_passes.php