Rumours that Mount Baldy Ski Area won’t open this season are not true, says the manager. The facility must receive an influx of start-up cash from owners before the season can proceed.
File photo
The man who has managed the Mount Baldy Ski Area for 13 years is confident the local ski and snowboard facility is going to be open for business in six weeks or so.
Matt Koenig, whose official title is mountain manager, says he has heard the “rumours” that Mount Baldy Ski Area is suffering serious financial troubles and would not be open for business for the upcoming season.
The truth is the three American partners who own the facility have been made aware that the facility needs “some significant start-up funding” for the upcoming season and Koenig is confident that funding will be forthcoming shortly and Mount Baldy will be open for business in December.
“I’m still hopeful,” said Koenig, who spent last Friday at the facility along with numerous staff. He is still optimistic.
“The reality is we need start-up funding from the owners and hopefully that funding is coming. I have been in contact with the ownership group and they know the situation and it’s my understanding they remain committed to Mount Baldy and will be providing the necessary funding very soon.”
Located approximately one hour north of Osoyoos, Mount Baldy Ski Area originally opened in 1968. While it attracts many skiers and snowboarders from across British Columbia 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.
Several years ago, three Idaho entrepreneurs – Brent Baker, Bob Boyle and Brett Sweezy – purchased the hill confident they could dramatically increase skier and snowboarder traffic and turn Mount Baldy into a profitable business.
The Osoyoos Times placed a call to Brent Baker, who has acted as the trio’s official spokesperson over the past couple of years, but those calls were not returned as of Tuesday’s deadline.
While selling season passes would generate a significant amount of revenue, Koenig said management has discussed this option and has decided not to sell any until the ownership group forwards the necessary funding needed to get the facility operational.
“We haven’t sold any season passes because we want to be honest with our customers and make absolutely sure that we’re having a full season here before asking them to commit to spending that kind of money on a season pass,” said Koenig. “When they spend that kind of money, we want them to know we are open for business for the entire season.”
Despite having a solid season last year, there wasn’t enough money left over to pay the significant “up front costs” to purchase supplies, hire staff and pay all the bills before opening this year, said Koenig.
“Some years we do have enough left in the bank to get started up without the owners having to forward money and there are other years where we do need a little push to get started on a new season . . . this year we need that start-up cash,” he said. “As I said before, the owners know what’s going on and I fully expect they are going to come through with the money we need.”
Once that funding is in place and the season starts – usually the second or third week of December – there is very solid cash flow and Mount Baldy turns a nice profit for the owners, said Koenig.
Despite sturdy competition from much bigger hills that attract much larger crowds – like Apex Mountain in Penticton and Big White in Kelowna – Mount Baldy has managed to survive for almost 50 years and it would be a shame to see it have to close, said Koenig.
“This will be my 13th year here and I have a deep vested interest in this place,” he said. “We have an outstanding facility here and the amount of support we get from the local ski and snowboard community is amazing. We’re very thankful to the local community (Osoyoos) for the support we get.”
Koenig reiterated he believes the ownership group is going to provide the necessary funding in the next couple of weeks and once they do, season tickets will go on sale immediately.
“We do need this cash sooner than later, but I’m optimistic we will have some very good news in the next little while,” he said. “Ski season is only a few weeks away and we can’t wait to get started.”
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 a dozen years now and hopes to be able to spend many more doing what he loves to do.
Keith Lacey
Special to the Chronicle
