McCall, ID – Brundage Mountain Resort is offering free chairlift rides on Thursday, July 1 as the Idaho ski and snowboard resort stages a special celebration to kick off the summer chairlift season.nThe Grand Opening Celebration takes place from noon to 5 p.m. this Thursday. Mountain bikes will be available for rent. There will be a special barbeque for the event and visitors will enjoy live music from Equaleyes from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

“We want to build excitement for the summer season by giving everyone a chance to experience the summer beauty of Brundage Mountain,” said resort spokesperson April Russell. “We’re kicking the weekend off with free chairlift rides and extending from three to five days so everyone will have a chance to join the fun. We’ll also have live music on the mountain both Thursday and Saturday.”

Regular summer lift hours are Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but Brundage is adding extra days Thursday, July 1 and Monday, July 5th for the holiday weekend.

Saturday, July 3rd will also be action-packed. The Brundage Mountain Bike Festival will be underway, with more live music at 6:00 p.m. Saturday evening from Voice of Reason.

Some other highlights of the 2010 Brundage Mountain Summer season include:

• July 17 – Kentucky Headhunters live in the Brundage Mountain Amphitheater
• August 20-21 – 2nd Annual Idaho-Down Music Festival, two days of continuous live music on two stages in the Brundage Mountain Amphitheater