Mount Baldy Ski Area
| Mt. Baldy Ski Area | |
|---|---|
| Location | British Columbia, Canada |
| Nearest city | Oliver, BC |
| Coordinates | 49°9′14″N 119°14′22″W / 49.15389°N 119.23944°W |
| Vertical | 394 m (1,293 ft) |
| Top elevation |
2123 m (6,965 ft) + 180 m skiable peak |
| Base elevation | 1726 m (6,016 ft) |
| Skiable area | 500 acres |
| Runs |
22 total 23% beginner 41% intermediate 36% expert |
| Longest run | 394 metres (1,293 ft) |
| Lift system |
3 total 1 double chairlift 1 Magic Carpet 1 quad lift |
| Snowfall | 256 inches |
| Website | Mt. Baldy Ski Resort, Oliver BC |
Mount Baldy is a modest ski resort overlooking the Okanagan Valley in southern British Columbia just north of the border Washington state. Its road access is via McKinney Road from Oliver and from BC Highway 3 north of Bridesville and BC Highway 33 west of Rock Creek, in the Boundary Country. Air access from Penticton Regional Airport (Air Canada). The summit is in the Okanagan Highland, an intermediary plateau-like area between the Monashee Mountains to the east and the Okanagan Valley immediately below to the west.
In 1968, its first season, Baldy operated as a ski cat area with McKinney T-Bar. A year later, the resort acquired a T-bar that traveled up the face of Mount Baldy. The T-bar base at 5650 ft above sea level is the highest base altitude of any ski resort in Canada. That T-bar was replaced with the old Blue Chair from Mount Washington on Vancouver Island. This lift is now called the Eagle Chair.
Another lift, Sugarlump was opened in the 2007-2008 ski season. Sugarlump is a fixed-grip quad chair lift. Total uphill capacity is 750 persons per hour. Mount Baldy Ski Area consists of 35 downhill skiing trails. Unfortunately since 2009-10 season the McKinney T-bar has been out of service. In 2012 a trail was cut leading from Sugarlump to the McKinney area to access the terrain park. There is no night skiing at Mount Baldy Ski Area. Nordic trails are also open December through March.
The hill is unique as the associated village of 150 ski cottages are ski-in ski-out.
There is a ski school, day-lodge and lounge, ski equipment and snow shoe rentals available in the Snow Sports Centre.
The ski hill did not open for the 2013-14 season due to financial difficulties.
In July 2014, the Supreme Court of British Columbia granted conduct of sale in a foreclosure action to a secured creditor of Mount Baldy. In the foreclosure, G-Force Real Estate Inc. of Vancouver, B.C. has been appointed as Marketing Agent to sell most of the assets of Mount Baldy Ski Corporation and related companies. Mount Baldy did operate during the 2014-15 season, opening middle of January 2015 with just the Sugarlump lift operating along with the magic carpet. Food and liquor service was offered in the lodge.
Baldy Capital Corp out of Calgary has been trying to complete a deal to purchase the holdings but failed. This has ended up in the Supreme Court where we found out in an affidavit that another group led by Joey O'Brien former owner of Ski Martock in the Maritimes has also been looking at purchasing the holdings. There has been talk of a group organizing a CO-OP to purchase the hill but at this time this is little more than Facebook speculation and the people behind this idea have never come forward thus making it look like a dream idea.
Although the resort did not open for 2015-16 season, everything looks good for a 2016-17 season opening. With a new ownership group that understands the ski industry there will be some exciting happenings for this coming season. Currently maintenance is happening on the lifts, the lodge, the staff shack. They have even had a tractor with a flail mower starting on cutting the vegetation on the runs.
$199 season pass for 2016-17 can't be beat.