Mount Baldy in California is re-opening!

[mustski]

Anyone know when Mt. Baldy usually closes? Late April or does it usually make it into early May?

Baldy has no "usual;" they often don't even get open at all in a season.

Here's pic from Baldy that someone took yesterday. It looks like nice corn.

I want to ski and Baldy has been on my list for a while but during COVID and 80 degree forecast is NOT the time. Also I'm curious to hear from anyone who goes. Is Snow Valley next? They were very reluctant to close and have been saying on their IG that they were not planning to be closed for the rest of the season.

Snow Valley hasn't updated that I have heard. They are still grooming so ... Kevin Somes, the resort manager, has a new infant in the house so he may be reticent to re-open if he has any say in it.

 

[mustski]

Here is a FB update from Snow Valley and they say not gonna open!

 

[marzNC]

Saw a detailed trip report for Mt. Baldy on April 22 with pics on another ski forum. Looked like Tony Crocker skied from noon until 3:30. He found more than enough corn snow to keep him entertained. Clearly more fun for advanced/experts who know the terrain well so that they know where to go during late, late season conditions.

 

[mustski]

Yes, here is Tony Crocker's snow report and pics. He told me it was ok to link to it here. The snow looks very good and very tempting
https://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14215

 

[marzNC]

Read Tony's TR more carefully. He bought a ticket for Friday, April 24, for earlier in the morning. Guess he decided there will be more than enough corn snow for a fun day. Sounds like the last time he went to Baldy in comparable weather conditions was in 2005. The man keeps detailed records for all his ski trips.

Tony drove up without buying a ticket in advance on April 22. By the time he figured out how the process worked, he could only get on snow at noon.

 

[skibum4ever]

Good report from Tony.

I haven't been on Fresh Tracks in many years. So many that I seem to have forgotten my password.

I guess I now have another ski forum to read when I am bored. Maybe tomorrow I'll check out TGR as well.

 

[CarverJill]

Who is Tony Crocker? I know I can google him but am I the only one who has no idea who he is?

 

[mustski]

Who is Tony Crocker? I know I can google him but am I the only one who has no idea who he is?

He is a local SoCal skier who was a prolific poster on the now defunct epic ski forum. He also has a very informative website where he keeps track of snowfall, conditions, weather patterns, etc. for ski areas around the country. It's not the prettiest site, but I have found it useful when planning trips and wanting to hedge my bets.

Tony Crocker's Site

 

[marzNC]

Who is Tony Crocker? I know I can google him but am I the only one who has no idea who he is?

Ever heard of ZRankings? Here's the bio for Tony from there. He's been gathering data about snowfall at ski resorts for decades. He knows the vertical for every ski day he's ever been on the slopes. A true ski nut.

 

[VickiK]

Puts a different spin on "TMI"

 

[skibum4ever]

Tony has other obsessions as well.

He is an extreme eclipse follower and an avid photographer. He's very intense as you might imagine.

 

[marzNC]

Tony sounded like he had a good time at Baldy on Friday, April 24. There was more enforcement of who could drive in and social distancing at the base of the lifts. Lifts will be closed Mon, Tue and re-opening later in the week. He plans to go again first thing next Friday morning.

https://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14216

 

[ski diva]

Here's an update on how it's going at Mt. Baldy.

 

[SierraLuLu]

Thanks for the link! I did end up going on Sunday, and despite tickets being sold out I wouldn’t call the mountain “packed” as quoted in the article.

Nonetheless, people have still been flocking to the ski area in herds as tickets this last weekend were sold out. There still is additional lift ticket availability for this week and weekend, however, and Mt. Baldy claims people were following their physical distancing guidelines despite the ski area being packed

There were some large groups of young people who didn’t look like they were social distancing with each other, but the trails were not crowded and people stayed pretty spaced out. I arrived around 9 and between 11 and 1 there were lines at the bottom of the lift - usually 3 or 4 chairs worth of people at the most.

Conditions were as described elsewhere - hard and soft spring snow in the morning and awful slush in the afternoon. We skied from about 9am to 1 or 2 when we stopped having fun. The south slopes of Thunder Mountain (the area of Baldy that was open which is serviced by chair 3) were pretty bare while the north slopes and trails were mostly covered. They had a couple smoother trails (relatively as nothing was groomed), a couple mogul trails and quite a bit of skiable off-piste.

The temperature was probably about 70 and Mr. Sierra and I took off our jackets by 11am and skied in t-shirts, which resulted in a nasty sunburn (note to self: always reapply sunscreen). It was warm enough that bringing our own lunch and eating outside on the slope was comfortable and relaxing. Overall, it was a nice day to goof around and enjoy being outside, as it was the farthest from home we’d been in over a month, and while I still don’t think it really falls under the spirit or “safer at home,” it could be a good model for other resorts to follow next season.

 

[mustski]

@SierraLuLu Yay! I am so glad you got out there and had fun! I am also jealous.

 

[VickiK]

I second that emotion!

 

[marzNC]

Baldy decided late Sunday to only take Monday off, and so was open again on Tuesday, April 28. Planning to stay open until May 10, and perhaps longer if the snow holds up. Below is what was on their website from April 26.

Mountain Report 4/26/2020:​

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What a great week. The support has been amazing and we are ultra confident that we have found the sweet spot for operations during COVID-19 Social Distancing measures. For some deeper insight into our approach listen to this Podcast.​

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We will be closed Monday 4/27 to rest up the crew, but will be back at it first thing Tuesday morning. Previously we had planned to be closed both days but have decided to open Tuesday due to all of the positivity. TICKETS go on sale at 10am tomorrow morning for ‘Ski & Ride Times’ available Tuesday morning. PLEASE READ OUR SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES HERE BEFORE MAKING YOUR PURCHASE​

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CONDITIONS: Coverage is still solid. Besides the ultra exposed areas there is still significant snowpack in the northern and western exposures. Tuesday is going to be a scorcher even by summer time standards. It’s very rare that we ever see day time highs tipping the 70 degree mark. 2020 truly is one for the record books on many levels. Two weeks ago we were in disbelief looking at 4 to 5 feet of snow on thunder mountain after storm cycles in both March & April delivered snow by the ruler load complimenting our base from storm cycles that did the same in November & December. Now, with summer time beach weather Mt Baldy gets to show you folks what an epic springtime mountain it is. Anyone that has been on the mountain over the last 5 days can agree that despite summer time temps, it takes time to melt that much snow. ‘Ski & Ride Times’ available until May 10. There may be walking involved but we are confident that it will be worth it for the next 2 weeks and maybe beyond.​

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SEASON PASSES: We have received several inquiries from individuals that missed out on early bird Annual Passes that were released late February. Typically we would run that same offer through the end of the winter season, but we are unable to now. Due to our Social Distancing Operating Plan we have determined increasing season pass holders is a variable in attendance that works against our ‘Ski & Ride Time’ social distancing spacing. With many Season Passes expiring this Thursday we have decided to credit single day ‘Ski & Ride Time’ tickets towards either an Annual Pass ($500) or Decade Pass ($1500) to be redeemed once the snow has melted. Basically every dollar spent on lift tickets since Earth Day (4/22/2020) goes towards your Annual or Decade Pass*. ​

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Hopefully this answers your questions, if not write to us here. Please be patient with us.. We currently are not addressing Snow Jam, Ski Dazzle, Partner Resort, expired vouchers or tickets until we are able to rehire our guest services team.​

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Thanks & see you on the mountain!​

 

[marzNC]

Guess the weather has been a bit too warm for Mt. Baldy to make it past May 3.

 

[SierraLuLu]

Ps. Saw this in the comments! (For those with promotional passes from SkiDazzle, etc.)

 

[mustski]

HaHa! ^^^^ is pretty funny. SkiDazzle is in late Nov/early Dec! They had plenty of time to use those tickets. Baldy is being very kind!