Baldy Longtimers on the Hill

A feel good morning with "old" friends. A hug in the Sugarlump line from James who is here from Taiwan with his wife Vicky. A hug at the top of the Eagle from Marge's granddaughter Emily. (there are a few MacLeods on the hill this weekend.)

Some runs with Ethel's son Lex and Gail. A talk about lifetime skiers. Lex has new gear, and one of his friends couldn't understand why he would spend money on new gear to keep skiing at his age. A Facebook note last week that James' Mom has new gear.

The new snow stuck to the old just fine, the skiing is great. .............and at 2:00pm, it is snowing again.

The snow fence is there for a reason..........

I have a snow fence across the back of my property for a reason. Hazards below include utilities, steep drops, and my truck. I spoke to the last of a group that cut through today. One of them clipped the marker for a sewer clean-out. I haven't been down below yet to see if they clipped another cleanout. With the two weeks of sun, I doubt that there is much coverage over the bank clean-out, and the water shut-offs.

 

Tubing is back tonight

Tubing is back tonight and moving forward until conditions allow us. If you haven't experienced our night skiing your missing out with access to a stellar terrain park, tubing, and beginner skiing. Brush up on skills until 7pm Friday and Saturday nights. Guest services open until 6pm and the bar open until late.

From BMR Facebook. Not sure if that is a BMR drone shot, or one of Rob's.

Sessions Outdoor Sports in Osoyoos - on the move

They are closed tomorrow (Thursday), and someone will be at the old location on Friday with deals happening, to reduce the amount of inventory that they have to move to the new location. Check their FB for hours.

This Friday:

• Skate sharpening and tech services will be available at our new location

• We’ll also be hosting a moving sale at the old location, with some great deals you won’t want to miss

We’re so grateful for your continued support and understanding during this move. We can’t wait to welcome you into our new space and keep you on the ice with the same great service

Events Page

Get all the details on the BMR events page.   https://baldyresort.com/events/

This weekend: 

Get out your cowboy boots and join the line dancing clinic Friday night.

Karaoke Saturday night.

Sunday 3:00-5:00 - live music,   Hilary and Dorian

Well that was a wasted post..........

Thank you to the attendees who understood the protocol for the hearing. I admire the patience of the Area Director, and the member of the planning staff.

Welcome Home Kendal

I don't know what your flight path to YVR was yesterday, but just maybe your jet had something to do with our surprise snow storm yesterday afternoon.

See you on the slopes tomorrow. 

Monday - Baldy Babes

Hello Baldy Babes,

We carefully shoed out to the Buck Road entrance this morning. When we climbed up the trail, we were amazed at the Superior Mirages to the South. The photos didn't capture the flat tops, pipestone formations and holes created by the mirages.

We weaved our way through the trees up to the Old Dead End Trail and back Meadow Trail down to the Lodge for lunch.

Corn salad, pulled pork tacos and churros for dessert were on the menu.

Next Monday is "Crazy Hat Day."

Monday, February 9th we will ride the Eagle Chairlift to the top of Mt. Baldy Ski Area. A $10 fee for the one ride up if you don't have a pass.

Looking forward to seeing your smiling faces next week.

Take Care, Marian 

It is not in the forecast, but we will take it - one flake at a time.

Light snow falling, couple of cms already.

10:00 pm update, not snowing at the moment

Update from the Baldy Mountain Community Association

Thank you to all our past members for your financial contributions and support  - they've truly made a difference and are greatly appreciated.

As our future plans have evolved and become more focused, formal memberships fees are no longer required. Instead we will be supported through voluntary donations, community fundraisers, and community events. Another great way for people to help is by donating beverage containers to BMCA, it's so easy with Return It-Express. 

These contributions will help us continue our work while keeping involvement flexible and accessible to everyone.  If you are interested in continuing to support the community association then please feel free to do an email transfer to baldymtnca@gmail.com.  

We're grateful for your ongoing support and look forward to what we can build together.

 

Sincerely 

BMCA

Public Hearing Reminder

🏔️ Mount Baldy Residents — Have Your Say! 🏔️

The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary is hosting a Public Hearing for the Mount Baldy Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 1919, and would love to see you there.

📅 Tuesday, January 27, 2026
⏰ 6:00 pm
📍 Riverside Centre, 3990 BC-3, Rock Creek

The hearing will be chaired by Area Director Sharen Gibbs, with RDKB Planning & Development staff in attendance to walk through the proposed changes and answer questions.

📝 What’s it about?
The bylaw proposes updates to zoning rules across all of Mount Baldy, including:

• Prohibiting water bottling facilities
• Clearer rules for retaining walls
• Aligning secondary suite regulations with other RDKB areas
• Clarifying multi-family use requirements
• Updating definitions, setbacks, and references for clarity and consistency

👂 How it works:
Those attending can speak, ask questions, or submit comments — all feedback becomes part of the public record. Written submissions are also welcome until noon on the day of the hearing.

🔎 Want to read more first?
Find the full details, bylaw documents, and background info on our news page:
👉 https://rdkb.com/Regional-Government/Latest-News

📞 Questions? Contact RDKB Planning & Development at 250-368-9148 or plandept@rdkb.com

Your input matters — thanks for being part of the conversation, Mount Baldy!

 

 

"It really is a special place."

Last weekend I attended a Celebration of Life for a fellow from my working days. In the social time after, I was talking to a young couple who spent time here as kids, and now own a cabin here. When he said "It really is a special place," my thoughts went immediately to the founders of Baldy. Their vision was a family friendly community. If Irene Fairweather, Doris Hulton and Marge MacLeod were looking down on us that day, they would be pleased.

We have many new families in the village. As long as we continue to connect with our new neighbours, the community atmosphere we have all enjoyed will remain.

There are people in our community who are contributing many volunteer hours toward our common interests. The focus of the community association this summer is trails on the McKinney side. Trail improvement, marking and signs. The community association was formed so that we have a legal entity that is eligible to apply for grants. Work continues on FireSmart and other grant applications.

BMR donates their empties to the community association, and the same people show up every Monday to sort, bag, and load the empties for the same guy to haul them to town. It is not a pleasant job, as lodge patrons have put garbage, and half full beverage containers into the recycle bins.

I appreciate the work that the volunteers contribute to the FireSmart and Community Association groups. A fresh face or two volunteering would be nice.

One or more people in the community have resumed the targeted theft and vandalism along the trails.

Donors of masks, gnomes, signs and other decor along the trails do not appreciate being caught in the cross hairs. It is sad that a person or person(s) in the community feel the need to act in this way.

This obviously isn't stopping because I post about it. If you are in the circle of the perpetrator(s), perhaps you could give it some thought and say something.

I wasn't going to bother posting about this again, but since there has been another recent incident, the rest of the community should know. Sometimes the objects are flung into the bush, sometimes they are taken away.

Vees win 6-0 - fun night out for the BMR Team

The Penticton Vees beat the Calgary Hitmen last night in what I have been told was a great game to watch. Thanks Brandan for the pics.

 

Mark your calendar, secure your ticket(s) online - Alpine Club Spaghetti Dinner

 

Seasons in Grand Forks and Sessions in Osoyoos - both outdoor sports

Seasons has just launched a promo for holders of Baldy and Phoenix Season passes.

 Season Pass Holder Exclusive 

Only at @seasonsgrandforks

Phoenix & Baldy Mountain pass holders only

25% OFF all winter jackets

20% OFF skis & snowboards

Our way of saying thank you for skiing local.

Keep shredding

In-store only | Proof of pass required

Slight signs of change yesterday...........

As the afternoon went on, some of the cloud below us started to move up. Between here and Oliver, there were three spots where there was enough moisture in the cloud to generate a few flakes. A few flakes or crystals on the deck this morning.

At bedtime last night, it was minus12C. At 10:00am, it is minus9C and sunny. Not too cold to ski, just suggesting you cover exposed skin.

No Friday Night Operations - time for a staff break

 

Night Operations canceled for Friday, January 23rd

Tomorrow, Fri, Jan 23rd, the magic carpet lift accessing night skiing/tubing, and the Baldy Bar will not be open for the evening. This is to provide our hard working staff an appreciation trip to a Penticton Vees hockey game.

Magic carpet will close at regular day hours: 3:30pm

The Baldy Bar will close at 5pm. Food service ends at 4:30pm.

Saturday, Jan 24th night operations will continue as normal with the Magic Carpet open until 7pm and the Baldy Bar open late.

Thank you for your understanding and an even bigger thank you to our staff that helps keep this ski hill running. It takes a village!

Trail Naming Contest

 

The Baldy Mountain Community Association (BMCA)  is focusing on trails this season.  This includes making the trails clearer, marking them and providing trail maps.  We want to focus on the trails on the Sugar lump side as there are several good trails there but little information about them. 

1.      One trail goes from the Sage Meadow trail up through the trees to the top of the mountain and then through the forest to what we are calling the Baldy Babes Pool.  The trail then carries on to the top of McKiney.  This trail has no official name.

2.      The other trail on that side starts at hole 11 in the frisbee golf course and goes up through the trees to Beaver Trail.  It then continues up through the forest and ends at Gruhls pool.  That trail also has no official name.

The BMCA is holding a contest to name these two trails and has a prize for each winner.  Please submit your name choice to baldymtn.ca@gmail.com by February 23. Specify which name is for each of number one and two trails.   Winners will be announced at the Talent show on February 28 in the lodge. 

 

Tubing Lane on Pause

Coverage in the tubing lane is a little thin, so the tubing lane will be closed until we get more snow.

January 20th - courtesy of Ron Hiller

 

Northern Lights Courtesy of BMR Webcam

Thanks DK for the heads up.
 

Travel to and from the coast..............

Check drivebc.ca before you head out. 

From Castanet:

The closures will allow for emergency repair work on sections of these highways affected by December flooding.

“The highways will be fully closed to complete repairs as quickly as possible, given the safety concerns associated with the current pavement conditions and the favourable weather window available this week to undertake this urgent work,” said a Ministry of Transportation and Transit news release.

Crews will implement full closures at four locations: two daytime closures on highways 1 and  3 westbound between the Highway 3/5 split and the Hunter Creek Scale, and one short-duration nighttime closure on Highway 5 southbound in Merritt for paving at the Highway 3/5 split east of Hope.

Closures will occur on the following days:

Highway 3 paving near Hope on Tuesday, Jan. 20 (7 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.): Highway 3 traffic will be diverted through Exit 173, the Old Hope Princeton Highway in Hope. Traffic will detour through town and reconnect to Highway 1 westbound west of Hope.

Highway 1 paving west of Hope on Wednesday, Jan. 21 (7 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.): Highway 3 traffic will again be diverted through Exit 173, the Old Hope Princeton Highway in Hope. Traffic will detour through town via Water Avenue and be routed to Highway 7, where motorists can rejoin Highway 1 westbound via Highway 9, or continue toward the Lower Mainland via Highway 7.

Highway 3/5 split paving east of Hope on Thursday, Jan. 22 (overnight from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m.): Highway 5 southbound in Merritt will be closed overnight to complete repairs. Highway 3 westbound traffic travelling from Princeton to Hope will move through a reduced-speed zone near the work zone.

How is your firewood supply?

 

Baldy Babes

Hello Baldy Babes,

A Baldy Blue day for our snowshoe! Hilary led our group into the Frisbee Golf Course winding our way up through the forest to the Jolly Jack Access trail. After taking a break, we entered the Gruhl's Pool trail. We enjoyed our time at the pool, turned around and headed back down to the Lodge for lunch.

Sunday, February 22 is our Baldy Babes dinner.

Looking forward to seeing your smiling faces next week.

Take Care, Marian

It will come.............enjoy the day.

Yes we would all like some fresh snow, but we do have sunshine, and a base that is holding up well. The groomer operators do their thing every night to refresh the surface. Be thankful that this is your home or preferred mountain.

I was sent a photo taken by a friend at a ski area closer to the ocean. I debated posting it, but did not want anyone to think it was from here, or to be accused of posting bad advertising for the ski area involved. There was almost as much brown as white on the slopes.

Interpretive/Educational Sign Series

The Mt. Baldy Community Association obtained a grant to partner with BMR on installing signs around the area for winter and summer visitors. The one about Alf Gruhl is now installed.

One typo, and the Baldy Tee didn't go any higher than the Eagle, but the sign looks great. My first ski lesson at Borderline was with Alf. Uncle Paul Fairweather took me up the beginner's rope tow between his legs. I had a lesson with Bill MacLeod, then at Baldy had lessons from Wally and Mary Anne Day.

I sourced the photos for the sign - the top one was from Baldy's 25th Anniversary. Rod and I were cropped out of the photo. The bottom one was taken by Paul Fairweather - Suse and Alf coming out from Gruhl's Pool. Suse was  a talented weaver. I have a few pieces of her work that I treasure. She applied her talent with some thicker material and wove seat covers for the ski hill benches.

Someone in the community encountered OIB members camping this summer and harvesting something of significance to their community. If you have the info, please pass it along to me, or the community association as a possible site for another sign.

 

Starry night

The stars are shining brightly tonight, but I would not recommend a walk without traction devices on your boots. Not bright in the valley, fog layer at noon was around 18km McKinney. Tonight, fog was a little lower down.

I'm told the skiing was great on the Eagle today. I probably should have done a few runs before a commitment in town, but getting to and from my cabin is not pleasant right now.

Trail Packing

I saw a FB post recently that a cat had track packed around the frisbee golf course.

 Corduroy from the transfer station all the way up to the Cabin Trail.

Rustler's loop needs a little more snow to fill in at the creek.

Thanks Rod for the photos.

Wylee and Friends

Thanks to Wylee and friends for packing a trail on the original Gruhl's Pool loop that goes around the backside of McKinney.

 

Sending a written submission is an option for the Bylaw Meeting

Can I provide written comments? Yes, you can provide written submissions until 12:00p.m. on the day of the Public Hearing. Written submissions can be mailed or hand delivered to the RDKB office in Trail or emailed to plandept@rdkb.com.

Note:

"Written submissions have the same impact as attending the meeting in person but should focus on individual items within the Bylaw that the writer supports or opposes and provide logical reasons why they are opposed."

Bylaw Public Meeting

There is concern on Facebook that the meeting is in Rock Creek, not at Baldy. It does not matter to me. If you want to lobby for a change of venue, keep in mind that RDKB staff sometimes comes from Trail, and previous bylaw meetings have ranged from one in attendance to a full house.

Our Director for Area E is Sharen Gibbs

areaedirector@rdkb.com   Don't bother complaining if you have no intention of attending.

Don't be fooled by the roads...........

Stick to the groomers, and there is some good skiing out there. Yes the base is firm, but the groomer operators freshen the surface every night, and the sun helps during the day.

Wear your layers, you can always unzip your jacket. It can be breezy up top.

The attempt on the village roads was to provide sand on one side to improve safety. Realistically, a truck sander is not precise, and you will have to take your skis off at some point to get home. 

Public Hearing

Mount Baldy Residents — Have Your Say!

The RDKB is hosting a Public Hearing for the Mount Baldy Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 1919, and we’d love to see you there.

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

6:00 pm

Riverside Centre, 3990 BC-3, Rock Creek

The hearing will be chaired by Area Director Sharen Gibbs, with RDKB Planning & Development staff in attendance to walk through the proposed changes and answer questions.

What’s it about?

The bylaw proposes updates to zoning rules across all of Mount Baldy, including:

• Prohibiting water bottling facilities

• Clearer rules for retaining walls

• Aligning secondary suite regulations with other RDKB areas

• Clarifying multi-family use requirements

• Updating definitions, setbacks, and references for clarity and consistency

How it works:

Those attending can speak, ask questions, or submit comments — all feedback becomes part of the public record. Written submissions are also welcome until noon on the day of the hearing.

Want to read more first?

Find the full details, bylaw documents, and background info on our news page:

https://rdkb.com/Regional-Government/Latest-News

Questions? Contact RDKB Planning & Development at 250-368-9148 or plandept@rdkb.com

Your input matters — thanks for being part of the conversation, Mount Baldy!

Trails to the Boundary

WestBoundary Connect