Skiers and snowboarders of all ages and abilities have a sensational view of the the entire South Okanagan when they use the main ski lift to take them to the top of Mount Baldy. The local ski hill is about to wrap up its 2011-12 season. Photo by Keith Lacey
As far as Simine Arnfield is concerned, the Mount Baldy Ski Area is one of the South Okanagan’s finest jewels.
“I just think this place is excellent and one of the best things about living in the Osoyoos area,” said Arnfield, who moved to Canada and B.C. from England in 2008. “The skiing is fantastic and I’ve met so many good people out here. Staff are the nicest I’ve ever been associated with at any ski hill I’ve been to and you get fabulous value for your dollar, so it’s a great place to be.”
Mount Baldy mountain manager Matt Koenig likes to hear regulars like Arnfield lavish such praise because, even though he has a biased opinion, he agrees you don’t get many better values as a skier or snowboarder than you find at Mount Baldy.
“When it comes to value for the dollar, I think Mount Baldy is an exceptional ski and snowboarding experience,” he said. “We all know that skiing is an expensive hobby, but we’ve done everything we can to keep things affordable.
“We’re in the third consecutive year of a price freeze on just about everything from yearly and weekend passes to food, so we’re trying to keep our costs down, while still providing a great ski experience and overall I think we’re doing a fantastic job.”
Originally opened in 1968, the Mount Baldy Ski Area is located approximately one hour north of Osoyoos. While it attracts many skiers from across B.C. and other provinces, the majority of its clientele is from the Osoyoos-Oliver-Okanagan Falls area, which presents its challenges as this is not a hugely populated part of the province, said Koenig.
Operated for years as a non-profit ski club, Mount Baldy has been run privately and publicly as a non-profit at various times over the past 40 years.
A couple of years ago, three Idaho businessmen – Brent Baker, Bob Boyle and Brett Sweezy – purchased the hill confident they could dramatically increase skier and snowboarder traffic and turn Mount Baldy into “something special”, said Koenig.
The worst recession in Canadian history in 70 years starting in 2008 put a temporary damper on those short-term plans, but the three owners remain committed to this facility and are confident there can be slow and steady growth with significant real estate development adjacent to the ski facility in the coming years, said Koenig, who has been working at Mount Baldy Ski Area for 11 years.
Mount Baldy traditionally opens as it did this year about two weeks before Christmas and closes in early April.
“That is ironic because we always close around the time we get the best ski conditions of the year,” said Koenig. “But we have no choice but to close because visitor traffic drops off so significantly around that time of year. By the middle of April, people are sick and tired of winter and they want to get out fishing or playing golf.
“Last year we had so much snow we could have stayed open and offered great skiing well into June, but we had to close in April. That’s just reality in this business.”
Despite the lack of population and competition from several other facilities within two hours of Mount Baldy (Apex and Big White), the facility is having a good 2011-2012 season and managing to pay all the bills during difficult economic times, said Koenig.
“It’s been a tough few years for the ski industry and economy in British Columbia overall,” he said. “We have to offer great value to stay competitive and that’s our biggest advantage at Mount Baldy because no one can match our prices and still offer an outstanding ski experience.”
Mount Baldy offers 34 marked runs and operates two ski lifts, with its biggest black diamond run reaching just under a 1,300-foot vertical.
The view of the South Okanagan valley from the top of Mount Baldy is world-class, said Koenig.
With a yearly pass on sale for under $500 and a day pass under $50, the price is right, he said.
“One of our biggest jobs is to get people here for the first time,” he said. “Once they’re here and see what we have to offer, we generally get them coming back for more on a regular basis.
“We really do offer an outstanding facility with wonderful trails and a magnificent view and a great ski experience in general.
“The reality is we’re a small ski facility compared to others in B.C. with great conditions in a limited population base and that presents its challenges, but we’re hanging in there and paying the bills and confident we can keep growing this place once the economy improves because skiing is becoming hip again.”
Like all ski facilities, snowboarding remains a huge part of business as 40 per cent of regular clientele attend Mount Baldy to snowboard instead of ski, he said.
Mount Baldy may “never become a mini-Whistler” as the owners have envisioned, but there’s no reason the facility won’t continue to offer an exceptional value and wonderful experience to skiers and snowboarders of all ages for years to come, said Koenig.
“We have to be comfortable with what we are and keep our regular clients happy,” he said. “We serve the people in the Osoyoos, Oliver and Boundary area … that’s our reality. Our goal is to remain sustainable and affordable and it’s never easy, but we feel comfortable moving forward because this is a really good mountain and facility.”
Mount Baldy employs more than 50 full and part-time staff during ski season, which makes it a significant employer, especially of young people in this area, he said.
Koenig said he’s loved his job for 11 years and hopes to be able to spend many more doing what he loves out at Mount Baldy.
“We have a great group of people who work out here and a really nice facility, so I’m a happy man when I get up in the morning to come to work,” he said.
