Après Skier
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
This is Baldy!!!
I awoke the morning of March 15, 2020 in a foul mood. Covid19 had quashed my winter plans. Not only would I not be going to Verbier, my 2-week Tahoe Trip, my Mammoth trip, and pretty much everything I had been looking forward to for months was now cancelled. I was tempted to stay at home and bicker with my husband but somehow my skis ended up in the car and in exactly 84 minutes I was at the Mt Baldy ticket window.
Mt Baldy Ski Resort sits on the highest peak in Los Angeles County. The resort is approximately 1-hour from Downtown LA and, although the resort is small, the terrain is varied and when the snow is good there is a wonderful variety of interesting terrain to explore with trees galore. The area is popular with hikers and hosts events year-round. I visited after several days of snow and all I have to say is wow! The day I visited there was low visibility and ice all over the place but it was so dreamy! The entire experience was surreal. From warm Westwood to a veritable winter wonderland in less than 1.5 hours. Beautiful, friendly, uncrowded, with surprisingly exciting terrain. The Top of the Notch mountain restaurant has a fun and friendly atmosphere and is nice place for warming up next to the fire, drinks, a nosh, and people watching.
Mt Baldy
Location: Southern California 1-hour northeast of Downtown LA
Vertical: 2100 ft
Top Elevation: 8600 ft
Food: Standard North American ski resort fare served at The Top of the Notch restaurant with local craft beers on tap. The food was better than I expected and the french fries were served crispy and piping hot.
Lodging: Nothing on-site. Rustic cabins with restaurant and nightly live music at Mt Baldy Lodge located 5-miles away from the ski resort.
The Good:
-Very beautiful!
-Friendly resort, good vibes!
-Exciting natural terrain. Trees, trees, trees.
-Some nicely groomed runs for moments when the ungroomed is unappealing.
-Close to home for SoCal locals.
The Not-so-Good:
-Small resort with slow lifts.
-Baldy relies heavily on natural snow and this being SoCal...
-Laissez faire lifties provide minimal assistance with the fixed-grip, center pole chairs so it’s a harrowing and sometimes painful experience getting onto the lift.
-Sharp, steep hairpins on the access road. My current car has front-wheel-drive but My next car will most likely be an AWD Prius with winter tires (50+ MPG, Toyota reliability, and awesome in the snow!!!).
-Too close to home to warrant and overnight stay so I needed to be extra careful not to overindulge at the Top of the Notch.
Insider Tip:
If the don’t have your t-shirt size in the shop at Top of the Notch, they might have it in the little cafe at the bottom next to the ticket window.
The Verdict:
This local Mom & Pop shop is a hidden treasure and may very well be SoCal’s finest skiing. Mt Baldy merits at minimum a few annual visits from every SoCal local.
I awoke the morning of March 15, 2020 in a foul mood. Covid19 had quashed my winter plans. Not only would I not be going to Verbier, my 2-week Tahoe Trip, my Mammoth trip, and pretty much everything I had been looking forward to for months was now cancelled. I was tempted to stay at home and bicker with my husband but somehow my skis ended up in the car and in exactly 84 minutes I was at the Mt Baldy ticket window.
Mt Baldy Ski Resort sits on the highest peak in Los Angeles County. The resort is approximately 1-hour from Downtown LA and, although the resort is small, the terrain is varied and when the snow is good there is a wonderful variety of interesting terrain to explore with trees galore. The area is popular with hikers and hosts events year-round. I visited after several days of snow and all I have to say is wow! The day I visited there was low visibility and ice all over the place but it was so dreamy! The entire experience was surreal. From warm Westwood to a veritable winter wonderland in less than 1.5 hours. Beautiful, friendly, uncrowded, with surprisingly exciting terrain. The Top of the Notch mountain restaurant has a fun and friendly atmosphere and is nice place for warming up next to the fire, drinks, a nosh, and people watching.
Mt Baldy
Location: Southern California 1-hour northeast of Downtown LA
Vertical: 2100 ft
Top Elevation: 8600 ft
Food: Standard North American ski resort fare served at The Top of the Notch restaurant with local craft beers on tap. The food was better than I expected and the french fries were served crispy and piping hot.
Lodging: Nothing on-site. Rustic cabins with restaurant and nightly live music at Mt Baldy Lodge located 5-miles away from the ski resort.
The Good:
-Very beautiful!
-Friendly resort, good vibes!
-Exciting natural terrain. Trees, trees, trees.
-Some nicely groomed runs for moments when the ungroomed is unappealing.
-Close to home for SoCal locals.
The Not-so-Good:
-Small resort with slow lifts.
-Baldy relies heavily on natural snow and this being SoCal...
-Laissez faire lifties provide minimal assistance with the fixed-grip, center pole chairs so it’s a harrowing and sometimes painful experience getting onto the lift.
-Sharp, steep hairpins on the access road. My current car has front-wheel-drive but My next car will most likely be an AWD Prius with winter tires (50+ MPG, Toyota reliability, and awesome in the snow!!!).
-Too close to home to warrant and overnight stay so I needed to be extra careful not to overindulge at the Top of the Notch.
Insider Tip:
If the don’t have your t-shirt size in the shop at Top of the Notch, they might have it in the little cafe at the bottom next to the ticket window.
The Verdict:
This local Mom & Pop shop is a hidden treasure and may very well be SoCal’s finest skiing. Mt Baldy merits at minimum a few annual visits from every SoCal local.
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