A sign dusted in snow welcomes people to Mount Baldy. The roads are plowed as winter snow accumulates, and people live in the village, but the ski hills and chair lifts are shut down. (Richard McGuire photo)
Fresh snow clings to the trees and blankets the hills at Mount Baldy, but a chairlift sits idle on the hillside.
A December opening for the ski resort was always the stated priority for the marketing agency acting on behalf of the resort’s secured creditors.
December has arrived, however, and there are no signs of an opening in sight.
The ski resort was closed for the 2013-14 season when its American owners experienced financial difficulties.
“There is still hope,” said Gary Powroznik, managing director of G-Force Real Estate, the company hoping to put together a solution. “It’s just that anything that can go wrong has gone wrong, so we’re trying not to say anything until we’ve got something we can confirm. That’s why I haven’t been responding to you.”
Powroznik said he thought he had a deal in place earlier this fall, but it didn’t work out.
He said he would rather say nothing than create false expectations, but he insists he is still trying to put a deal together.
“You can say that our silence has been that we’ve been head down trying to put something together,” said Powroznik. “That’s about it that I want to say.”
At the Mount Baldy village on Saturday the roads were well plowed and several chalets appeared to be occupied.
Marie and Joe Fletcher, chalet owners, were bundled up for the cold and wearing facemasks as they took a walk with their dogs.
“We’re very disheartened, very sad,” said Marie. “We love the community, we love the mountain and the people. But it’s kind of sad how we’re kept in the dark. We’re a small town, we’re all really, really close and something should be said to us about what’s going on.”
The couple, from Penticton, has come to Mount Baldy for three years, renting the first year and then buying a chalet under a strata arrangement. They bought with skiing in mind before they knew the ski hill would be closed.
Although they would like to be able to ski, they have kept busy with other winter activities like snowmobiling, hiking and snowshoeing.
“Just because the skiing isn’t here, it doesn’t mean we don’t come up,” said Marie. “We come up and the kids come up. We’re spending Christmas up here with all the kids.”
Ken Burnett, from Oliver, was shoveling snow in front of his chalet.
He’s been coming to Mount Baldy since 1999 to ski, snowshoe and get away.
“It would be nice if it was open, but I’m not a hard-core skier, so if it doesn’t open, I’ll be fine,” said Burnett.
If the ski hill doesn’t open, he’ll just continue to enjoy snowshoeing, which he’s able to do without problems.
Burnett isn’t concerned that local chalet owners haven’t been kept informed.
“It’s a business deal and they can only tell you so much,” he said. “I understand that. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, well life will go on.”
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
Marie and Joe Fletcher, from Penticton, are bundled up and masked for a walk in the cold in the Mount Baldy village. They bought a chalet when the ski hill was still operating and now they wonder about the resort’s future. They’d like to ski, but they keep busy snowshoeing and snowmobiling. (Richard McGuire photo)
A chairlift sits idle at Mount Baldy. Snow is accumulating, but so far there is no sign of a deal that would allow the ski resort to reopen. (Richard McGuire photo)
