A deal has been reached that aims to open Mount Baldy again to skiers in early January. The ski resort east of Oliver was closed for the 2013-14 season when its American owners ran into financial problems. (Richard McGuire file photo)
This weekend the Mount Baldy Ski Resort is finally opening to the public again after a long closure.
An official opening set for Friday at 9:15 a.m. will include local dignitaries, many of them from the local business community.
Mount Baldy has the potential to boost tourism in Osoyoos during the slow winter months, which is exactly when we need it.
A long complaint about our heavy reliance on tourism is that Osoyoos booms during the busy summer and then leaves many in the hospitality and tourism industries without work during the rest of the year.
In addition to diversifying our economy beyond tourism, we need more tourism during the shoulder and winter seasons.
When Mount Baldy failed to open during the 2013-14 ski season after its American owners ran into financial difficulties, many in the community feared it would never open again.
When efforts to find the right deal to get it going again dragged through the summer and into the fall, many pessimists were prepared to bid Baldy good-bye.
It is to the credit of Gary Powroznik of the G-Force Group in Vancouver that he and his colleagues had the confidence to persist with seeking an investor and putting together a deal to bring the resort out of insolvency.
It is also to the credit of Fred Johnston, president of Baldy Capital Corporation, that he had the confidence in Mount Baldy to take it on.
Some of the dignitaries who will be attending Friday’s opening and others in the local business community also deserve credit for their role in seeking a solution.
Right now, the news is good. This weekend, for the first time since early 2013, the public will be able to ski again at Mount Baldy. Approval has been obtained to operate the lifts, and approval should be coming soon for food and liquor. Insurance and other requirements are in place, allowing the resort to operate this season while the new agreement is implemented.
We aren’t out of the woods yet. A process involving the courts still needs to do its work to resolve issues surrounding ownership of Mount Baldy’s assets.
Most importantly though, Mount Baldy needs to generate revenue from skiers this season. Without enough revenue coming in, its future will remain shaky.
The new management has a late start on the season, getting going long after other resorts like Apex and Big White sold season’s passes.
In a bid to win back skiers to Mount Baldy, they are offering sharply discounted day and season passes, with even greater discounts for those who already have passes at other resorts.
Initially Mount Baldy will only be open Friday through Sunday this season and only the Sugarlump quad chair and Magic Carpet will operate.
We hope that local residents will give the revived Mount Baldy a chance to get back on its feet.
This is an amazing hill very close to Osoyoos and Oliver. If it has the necessary local support, it will also be able to draw visitors from outside the area. It is an essential piece in the effort to diversify the local economy across all seasons.
Mount Baldy has been given a second chance and so have the communities of Osoyoos and Oliver.
Now, it will be a case of use it or lose it.
