"Dress warm, bring a camp chair, and settle in for a movie night in town to call in the snow."
That was Brundage Mountain's invitation to the 2025 Pray for Snow Party, held on Nov. 8 at Depot Plaza, the space formerly known as the Ponderosa Center. The phrase that matters is "in town." For the 2026-27 season, Brundage has moved the party up the hill and pushed it back three weeks, to Saturday, Nov. 28. That's the day after the resort's target opening.
That one scheduling change sums up the whole season. This winter, the start of McCall's ski calendar happens at the base area. Most of what Brundage changed over the summer is also aimed at the same thing: getting local families, especially beginners, onto the lower lifts.
Three Novembers on East Lake Street
Pray for Snow used the same downtown address for the past three seasons. Each year it was an early-November evening built around a ski film.
| Year | Date | Location | Program |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Nov. 11 | Ludwig Terrace at the Ponderosa Center, 1117 E Lake St | Bandit food truck, Dusty Huckleberries, TGR's "Legend Has It" |
| 2024 | Nov. 9 | Ludwig Terrace at the Ponderosa Center | Bandit food, Andy Crosby Band, TGR's "Beyond the Fantasy" |
| 2025 | Nov. 8 | Depot Plaza, formerly the Ponderosa Center | Live music, OS Crew's "Vortex," TGR's "Pressure Drop" |
| 2026 | Nov. 28 | Brundage Mountain | DJ dance party, TGR's "Actually, It Is Rocket Science" |
Last year, Brundage billed the downtown party as a free community celebration with music, food, drinks and prize giveaways. The name explained the timing. You gathered while the lifts were still parked and asked for snow.
A Party for the Day After Opening
The 2026 version lands on a different day of the season. Brundage's winter 2026-27 announcement calls it a 65th birthday party. It says this year's event "returns to the mountain," unlike past Pray for Snow parties held downtown, and it's set for Saturday, Nov. 28. Brundage first opened in November 1961, so the date puts the party right on the anniversary.
Target opening day is Friday, Nov. 27, conditions permitting. That's the day after Thanksgiving. If the snow cooperates, the party becomes the second day of the season. People could ski or ride in the afternoon and stay for the film. If opening slips, the party still keeps its date and its original purpose of asking for snow, just held at the mountain this time.
Downtown's ski-film night hasn't gone away. It's moved later. The Warren Miller premiere plays Broken Horn Brewing Company at 201 S. Mission Street on Dec. 11 at 7 p.m., with 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. shows on Dec. 12. Tickets on Broken Horn's Eventbrite listing start at $19.10. So both of this year's big ski-film evenings come after opening day, and only one is downtown.
Downtown is also heading into winter without one of its regulars. The Idaho Statesman reported that Toll Station Pizza, open since 1981, closed on Sept. 21 for what it called a fall break. The restaurant later announced it would not reopen, saying it hoped "someone will step in to continue this almost 50-year McCall institution." The two changes aren't connected. Together, though, they mean a different November along East Lake Street.
What Changed Around the Easy Rider Conveyor
On the mountain, the headline work is in Beartopia. That's Brundage's learning zone, served by the Easy Rider conveyor, the Easy Street Chairlift and the Bear Chair triple. It covers 16 named runs, three terrain parks and more than 100 acres of mostly beginner and novice terrain.
- Easy Street is being regraded to better match how beginners move down the run.
- The Easy Rider conveyor area is being reconfigured into a more functional space for the youngest learners.
- Bear Chair terrain is getting tree thinning between several runs, which opens up gentler tree skiing for families moving beyond groomed trails.
Brundage is pricing that terrain separately. A Beartopia lift ticket costs $30 online and $40 during holiday periods. General Manager Ken Rider explained the reasoning in the resort's announcement: "Families shouldn't have to purchase a full-mountain ticket when they're still building skills on beginner terrain."
The kids' programs have been rebuilt too. The new MTN Explorers lineup includes:
- Day Club: weekend and holiday programs for ages 3 to 12
- Academy: a six-session Saturday or Sunday program for ages 7 to 12
- Holiday Camp: four days over Christmas break
- Spring Freestyle Camp: five days of freestyle skills
Elsewhere on the mountain, some of the summer work could change how early certain runs open. Crews pulled the remaining stumps from Skidaddle, which Brundage says could let the run be groomed regularly for the first time in decades. Brush mowing on every blue and green trail is meant to let those runs open with less snow. A new SMI snowgun raises Brundage's snowmaking capacity by 50%, and that capacity mostly goes toward the base area early in the season. Once the snow arrives, the grooming fleet will include a new PB 400.
Where the Cheaper Days Are This Year
The Beartopia ticket is new this season. The Tuesday deal is a repeat. Brundage's 2026-27 release presents $65 Tuesdays as an introduction, but the resort offered $65 Tuesday tickets as part of last winter's 65th-season promotions. This season, $65 Tuesdays run all winter except the Christmas holiday period.
The 4PAK sale is the other preseason deal. Brundage's 4PAK page lists a Nov. 1 sale date for four lift days at up to 40% off. Brundage said full details would follow on Oct. 26. Last year's $260 bundle was a 65th-season promotion, so don't count on it this year.
Season passes now cost more than they did in spring. Adult passes are listed at $929 for 2026-27. During the Feb. 28 to March 22 price freeze, the same pass cost $599. The child pass for ages 10 and under is $79. Compared with a pass at that price, a family that mostly skis Beartopia and a few Tuesdays can make the $30 ticket go a long way.
The Countdown, Date by Date
- Fall weekends: Brundage's fall schedule has Smoky's Bar & Grill open for game day, Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Rentals, the Tune Shop and Base Camp Coffee are closed for the season.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: Trunk or Treat at Alpine Village, hosted by City of McCall Parks and Recreation and the McCall Police Department. Brundage lists it from 4 to 6 p.m. Visit McCall lists 3 to 5 p.m. with a 4 p.m. performance, so check before heading over.
- Sunday, Nov. 1: Brundage's 4PAK sale opens.
- Friday, Nov. 27: Target opening day at Brundage. Tamarack is aiming for the same date. Per Powder, it has added automated TechnoAlpin tower guns on Waltz and Serenity, bringing snowmaking to more than 20% of its terrain.
- Saturday, Nov. 28: Brundage's 65th birthday Pray for Snow Party on the mountain, with a DJ dance party and "Actually, It Is Rocket Science."
- Friday, Dec. 11, and Saturday, Dec. 12: Warren Miller at Broken Horn Brewing.
- Thursday, Dec. 31: Light Up the Night at Brundage.
Opening dates depend on weather, and Brundage says Nov. 27 is conditions permitting. Check the resort's site before planning a trip around a date.
Winter in McCall is one of the reasons our team likes working here, from first chair to the last movie night of the season. If you're weighing what a place close to Brundage or Payette Lake could mean for your family's winters, Two Rivers Real Estate Company knows the area through every season. Work With Us.
