Jolly Jack March 6, 2025 -For my almost 80 year old friends

Jolly Jack was good today, thanks for the grooming. For my almost 80 year old friends, your son was right behind me as I shot this short video, showing the short section that is not road. As before, where the path splits, take the low road.

March 29th - save the date

"Baldy's Got Talent" - started by Marge decades ago. back in the pot luck days. The torch was passed to Hilary. Sign up your talented family in the bar.

This Weekend

 

Wednesday

Nice to see the new snow and sunshine today. There has been an improvement in McKinney Road since I last went to town. Grader has winged it back.

Snowshoe Monday

 

Hello Baldy Babes,

March came in like a lamb providing us with a beautiful day for our snowshoe. Cheryl led us out the Mckinney side through the upper trail to the Baldy Babes Pool. We followed the trail that brings you back to the top of the T-Bar and back down to the Lodge for lunch.

Today's menu: Caesar Salad, Sloppy Joe Sliders and fries and Brownies for dessert. 

Thank you Sof for a great day in the Baldy Bar and your wonderful photography.

Next week we will be shoeing to the Stripper Pole. If you have a bra you want to place on the pole, please pack it with you.

Cheryl's daughter, Caitlin designed the snowshoe poster. It will be available for sale in the Baldy Mountain Ticket office soon.

Looking forward to seeing your smiling faces next week!

Take care, Marian

 

Monday in the Sunshine

Some of my friends went out early, and found the runs a little firm. By the time I got out there late morning. Ponderosa and Dividend had softened just the right amount.

Jolly Jack was not freshly groomed, but it was OK. If you go that way on fresh snow, or spring snow, take the lower path when you reach the end of where the cat has gone. It is a reasonably short diagonal side slip, and not too far to where the cat has come up.

We know the PK crossover fills in during the night winds, and we know that when the JJ traverse was started by hand and snow blower, that it filled in most nights. Over many years, I have suggested using some short sections of snow fencing - 8 to 10 ft , that could be moved along catching the wind blown snow and giving the cat something to work with. A fence at the corner of JJ and Honky Tonk could catch windblown snow and give the groomer some snow to carry forward.

The only thing that has changed over the years since I first proposed the short fences, is that I used to offer to move the fences daily. Can't commit to that anymore. 

RK had a blasting plan when the B's owned the hill. It was not funded. Brandan had a plan for last summer, but the project that would have had equipment up here did not go ahead.

Spring has been good - looking forward to the return of winter.

Tree Wells - It can happen to anyone, including me.

I enter the ski area via a path along the survey line between my property and the hill. It is narrow, and in this weather, very fast. As I picked up speed, I was thinking about the old skinny ski trick of putting one's poles between your legs and sitting on them to slow down. I didn't have time to try it.

I must have caught an edge or something, and the next thing I knew, I was sitting in a chest deep tree well with my skis in the air.

I was able to remove my skis using my feet, and after some effort, was able to get on my feet in the sugary hole. I knocked a lot of the snow down to raise the level I was standing on, then uncovered a stump of a small tree that gave me a little raised step. Poles horizontal up top to keep my hands from sinking as I pulled myself up.

If I had not been able to extricate myself, I was in shouting distance of a nearby cabin, and I am sure Wylee would have eventually found me. I did have my cell phone with me.

I didn't panic, but a fall like that can have much worse consequences when the tree(s) are heavily laden with snow - it lands on you before you know it.

On the hill - the wells are deeper. Don't ski off piste alone. Waiting for your companion at the bottom doesn't cut it. When skiing the powder, try to keep each other in sight, and stop and holler if you don't know where they are.

I have posted about this many times - the year that Whitewater opened, Terry Smith drove a bunch of us to Whitewater in the Baldy Bus mid-week. I was skiing under the chair with another Baldy ski instructor, and lost sight of him. I stopped, knowing he couldn't be that far ahead of me. I found him head down in a tree well, suspended by his skis. I was able to take his skis off and help him out.

On the hill this weekend.............

The fellow who started construction of the first cabin on Baldy, completing for use in year 2 of Baldy. There were some of his former students from SOSS who may not have recognized him. 

Bill was skiing with a group of old friends, all skiing as well as they did 40 years ago.

Fred and Ethel Jones owned Westlake Lodge on Hollyburn Mountain in the 1940's. The family cabin at Baldy remains in the family, and two of their sons were on the hill this weekend.

1947 - Jones Family Photo

 

Sunday

Another great sunny morning on the hill - slight breeze and nearby cloud keeping the snow from getting too soft. Favourite run Ponderosa. No sticking.

The temptation to ski fast is there, I just wish more people would show consideration for the beginner/intermediate/older folks on the hill. You can stop and pass them safely. No need to scare them with a high speed fly by, or a noisy turn right behind them.

Successful Evening for the Alpine Club

 

Kyle and Tanja

Dinner tickets sold out, good food, club kids clearing tables, and Cienna serving dessert. Lots of variety in the silent auction, and action bidding on the Traeger. I left before the dance.