Friday

Some good skiing out there, and the students from Osoyoos are having a blast. Probably a challenging day for the lift operators, 😏

Forecast suggests a little snow Sunday night, with the next major snow event starting Tuesday night.

The groomer operators do their thing to refresh the surface nightly, so we are still enjoying the benefit of our last snowfall.

Baldy has used the same "Snow Survey" area for many years, so numbers can be compared from year to year. The base post is pretty tall now. I remember the season when the post went to 225cms, and was buried in the latter half of the season.

The numbers are fading, so when I stopped by yesterday, I could not read it from the rope, but took a photo to enlarge, and confirm it was sitting at 165cms.

I don't know if it stays in place year around, or gets put away in the summer. I'd happily take a sharpie and redo the numbers if I had access to it.

Clocks Ahead for Sunday

 

Don't know what happened to trigger this Baldy Bar post, but here is a reminder from BMR Facebook

 A friendly reminder to guests in the Baldy Bar.

As a bar, we welcome guests of all ages.

Minors must be accompanied by an adult to enjoy our space. However, all minors must leave the bar by 9pm, this is to provide the safest and most comfortable environment for every guest.

Days & Hours of operation are as follows:

Thursday - 11am - 6pm ( last call 5:45 )

Friday - 11am - 10pm ( last call at 9:45*)

Saturday - 11am - 10pm ( last call at 9:45* )

Sunday - 11am - 6pm ( last call 5:45 )

*During event nights the bar may stay open later.

This is to the managements discretion.

Please respect the hours of operation.

Baldy Staff have been working really hard to provide multiple weekly events for the community, including karaoke, open mic, trivia, paint nights and more.

We strive to continue to foster a fun and welcoming environment for the ski community as a whole.

Please be mindful that our bar staff must be treated with respect, inappropriate conduct or behavior towards our staff at the bar will not be tolerated.

Staff reserve the right to deny service to anyone they deem to have had too much alcohol or have behaved inappropriately.

Any aggressive or inappropriate behavior towards staff or other patrons will not be tolerated and you will be asked to leave the premise.

As per serving-it-right rules and regulations.

We want all staff members to feel safe within the workplace.

Thank you for continuing to support us in providing a fun and event filled experience at Baldy Bar.

April Skiing

 

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.

Animals on the Lump, and the Dog Catchers

That is the first time I have had a lift operator tell me there is a wild animal on a run. I was told it was a bobcat on Fairweather, and someone else said it was two Lynx on Fairweather. 

I went over there later, but could not see tracks to photograph.

At one point this morning, the lift operator had to stop loading the Sugarlump, to try and get a local dog out of the loading area. Several of us in the line knew the dogs name, and it was not responding to commands to go home. Normal operations resumed when a member of the patrol arrived to try and catch the dog. Not an easy task, as the dog did not have a collar on.

I'm not talking about my next door dog. He is not here today.

Great Spring Morning

Lex and Rick Jones

We picked our runs by sun angle and had some great runs on the Lump, and a ski in off the Eagle. On our last couple of runs, their skis grabbed a couple of times.

My spring snow routine?

I clean the bases nightly, and iron on canning paraffin. I do not scraped it, and leave rough. I did not stick at all, and after 7000ft vertical, all the excess wax has worn off the skis. The other tip is to keep your skis a little on edge  on the flats.

The weird white face covering? It is sunscreen fabric, feels cool underneath, and I don't have to slime my face.

A few cars in the overflow.

Today is forecast to be the warmest day, and a cooling trend to start overnight. It feels hot in the sun, bur my cabin deck sensor in the shade says plus6C at 1:25pm.
 

WOW... huge donation for the Alpine Club Silent Auction - Traeger! A few tickets left for tonight...........