Uncertainty has plagued the Mount Baldy ski resort for several years now, but after listening to the new managing director, “Snowy” Joey O’Brien, we’re much more optimistic about what lies ahead.
O’Brien has been in the ski resort business for much of his life, buying his first resort in Nova Scotia from his father at age 19, and pulling it from the edge of bankruptcy.
He then ran Fortress Mountain in Alberta from 2008 to 2014, turning it around and introducing cat skiing.
He ran both resorts often at close to capacity, improving the ski experience.
Also reassuring is the investment group behind the project. Obviously we aren’t privy to the financial numbers, but it’s clear that these investors are much better financed than previous ones.
O’Brien says it was a cash deal with no borrowing, and it sounds like these investors are in it for the long haul.
That’s good. Mount Baldy will need some big investment before it can start to turn a profit, but we think that with the right plan, the potential is there.
O’Brien wants to focus initially on service delivery and building up a loyal local clientele who will become the resort’s best promoters.
And he’s taking some bold steps in this regard, including pricing season passes far below prices of other resorts in the region.
A pass for seniors aged 65 and over, for example, is just $19 for the entire ski season. O’Brien believes this will improve the resort’s use on weekdays, when it’s harder for younger skiers to get to the hill.
He also recognizes that the existing master plan, developed more than a decade ago, had the wrong focus. A new one must be developed.
The old one was focused almost entirely on real estate sales with little emphasis on improving the ski experience. It was also unfriendly to pedestrians.
O’Brien wants to extend the season for Baldy to be a summer resort and, eventually, to offer early season ski training.
There will be challenges beyond overcoming the years of neglect and delayed maintenance. Baldy is far from airports in Penticton and Kelowna, meaning that skiers will need vehicle access on roads that are not the best.
And the resort will need to regain the confidence of the local communities of Osoyoos and Oliver, which have seen their hopes raised a number of times, only to be dashed.
But O’Brien understands that the local market is where he needs to start. People here may go skiing on a whim and may return to the hill often, spreading the word to friends and family.
It will be harder to gain that loyalty from more distant skiers.
All this is great news for Osoyoos and its tourism industry. This town still needs to do more to grow the tourist season beyond the summer months and give tourists reasons other than the lake to come here.
Of course the anticipated launch of Mount Baldy on Dec. 1 is only an initial step.
But we think it’s the start of something very good for this community and we urge residents and businesses to show their support.
