SoCal Kick-Off

[406]

Watching the radar, looks like majority of the storm hit as rain in San Diego and near Bakersfield. I can't get the Baldy webcam to load. Hopefully there's a round two.

[Speedfreak]

Watching the radar, looks like majority of the storm hit as rain in San Diego and near Bakersfield. I can't get the Baldy webcam to load. Hopefully there's a round two.

Kinda looks like the webcam is iced over:

[KillerMonkey]

Skied baldy yesterday. There was about 2-3 inches of fresh that was pretty fun. Started coming down harder around 2:30 so today would probably be fun too.

[Jumper Bones]

So when you guys do Baldy, how does a smart person do it? Season passes? $500 for 22/23 (and whatever we get for 22) right now. I've done their 'virtual pass' malarkey in years past and got skunked that year and didn't do it again, then moved away a long while. This idea of dropping 90 bucks for day of lift tix, and then paying for parking on top of that...yeah no. btw is paid parking an every day thing, or just weekends like Bigga Bear and Mt High? I get you have to keep the snowplay douchers out and that's how.

[1000-oaks]

Baldy did not suck today. Well the white out fog in the afternoon did, but it was amazing before and after.

[Long duc dong]

So when you guys do Baldy, how does a smart person do it? Season passes? $500 for 22/23 (and whatever we get for 22) right now. I've done their 'virtual pass' malarkey in years past and got skunked that year and didn't do it again, then moved away a long while. This idea of dropping 90 bucks for day of lift tix, and then paying for parking on top of that...yeah no. btw is paid parking an every day thing, or just weekends like Bigga Bear and Mt High? I get you have to keep the snowplay douchers out and that's how.

I have bought season passes for the last few years.

I have never bought the full, summer/winter pass. I'm hoping they offer only the ski pass for next year, although I don't know what they are going to do about that yet.

I have not seen anyone at the parking lot this year, so I don't know how they are doing that.

At this point I would say that the best way is to do a season pass.

Sometimes they will open the season pass purchase late in the year. They might not do that this year because they want to sell the full passes.

I bought mine in the fall last year, when it was still about 450. They went up sometime in the late fall/early winter this year.

This season it has definitely been worth it. Since the late December snow the coverage has been very solid. I would hope that it would last into April, although you never know when it warms up a ton. At a certain point the issue is the groomers that connect everything, not the coverage on Thunder.

TO that is a nice shot of the areas I've been having so much fun on this year.

EDIT:

Baldy said on their instagram that they will be offering a winter only pass. It does not appear to be out yet.

[406]

This is the first year since ~2008 that I have not had some type of Mt Baldy pass. I never got an email for renewal or early sale, so by time I noticed price was way to high. In the past most I payed was I think $300 and if it was a dry year I did not mind the donation to help keep the area alive.

I noticed the early pass sale this year, but at $500 I can't really justify...2 hour drive from San Diego, plus would rather focus on backcountry and getting my kids on skis doesn't leave much time for possible Baldy resort days. Figure I will just buy a day pass online for the couple days I might ski the lifts. I have never paid for parking, but they have been claiming there is a parking fee for a few years...might get stuck with it with a day ticket. I would likely buy a pass if it was in the $300 range.

[bry]

Same, $300 feels reasonable but $500 is a bit rich based on a ski season's fortunes, the operation, etc.



Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

[Long duc dong]

Yeah, I really wish they would offer the winter-only for 300, or even 350. With Baldy you always run the risk that it will be a donation.

I think I bought mine for 400 last spring, although I really can't remember to be honest. I've gotten about 9 or 10 days at Baldy, and I should get at least 5 more, so it has certainly been worth it. I have taken fewer Mammoth trips than I typically do, and I have had lots of fun at Baldy this year.

I think they might be holding off on next year's winter only pass to try to get people who didn't buy this year to bite the bullet on the all-season annual pass so that they can get some days in for the rest of this season. Like I said before, I would really rather not as I simply don't use it during the summer. In my case I have a pass for this season, so I'm going to wait it out. I'm assuming they were telling the truth in instagram and that they WILL offer a winter only.

Baldy seems cool off-season, but I just wouldn't go. During the off-season I spend my free time surfing, I don't see us going to Baldy when there is no snow.

[Long duc dong]

Baldy was lots of fun yesterday.

It was loose, a slushy in the sun, but not sticky. There were a couple of crusty spots in areas that were shaded, but they were really not bad.

The really sunny areas were classic slush, think right under the Thunder chair, while the other spots, think Emile's Bowl, were loose and slightly slushy in areas.

It was windy, which was good because it kept things from softening up too much, but not as windy as it has been.

I got on Thunder at around 115, did a couple of groomers, then did 8 more thunder laps. I did one lap under the lift, which has some fun turns but is a bit melted out, and one lap in the more skier's left area of Emile's Bowl, then three laps in each of the two primary areas of Emile's Bowl, the spots which funnel either skier's left or skier's right from the top.

Emile's Bowl was really the star. It was loose ans slushy in spots, but far from grabby. I kept going back.

I didn't go into either Andy's or Herb's. I'm sure they were fun and slushy, but even though the coverage is good they can be pretty rocky and the skis I was on are not rock skis. They might have been fun though, I didn't talk to anyone who had skied them.

I didn't ski Robin's Trees, but talked to someone who said it was okay, not as good as Emile's.

I didn't ski Goldridge, my guess is it might not have softened up.

I got on the lift to go down around 345. There were some powerful winds going down.

Overall the coverage is still very good. Right under the lift is getting a but melted out, but it is still very skiable. Emile's, Robin's Trees and Goldridge have good coverage and should still be good for a while.

The winds have probably kept things from melting out, which is good for the length of the season.

My only worry about Baldy not lasting until at least mid-April would be a heat wave melting out the area to get on the Thunder lift. Or just a big heat wave, you never know.

But the coverage is great right now. There should be good turns for at least a few more weeks, possibly longer.

I don't think they have put the winter-only pass on sale yet, right now you can only get the all-season pass.

I'm always hoping to see some of you guys out there!

Here is a video from yesterday. It's mostly different zones in the Emile's Trees area.

[KillerMonkey]

Everything melted?

[1000-oaks]

Today. Walk to 3.

[406]

thanks for photo, read that on their webpage. I'm a little surprised it went that fast...bummed they can't make it another weekend as I was hoping to get up there April 3rd.
Planning Mt. BP tomorrow, hopefully still holding up.

[Jumper Bones]

$10, think they go for IKON/Epic passes for that too? Tempting for tomorrow.

[1000-oaks]

Hrs 10am to 5:15pm, only use your worst rock skis. You are guaranteed to tear them up. Legit survival skiing, includes skiing over exposed brush, rocks, and logs. Step up if you're into the challenge.

Shortcut is quite good, but Skyline is reforested, Robin's is a rocky narrow WROD, and Liftline is dirt. Goldridge has the best coverage, hot mashed potatoes up top but the scraped off final pitch is excellent, then dirt walk to 3. Don't bring kids or anyone less than advanced, they'll want to leave after one run. That said, have fun!

For BC folks, the treed bowl on Telegraph is still holding nicely, and the Three T's hiking trail from the entrance of South Bowl is snow free.

[~mikey b]

wow


just wow

[406]

Little too warm overnight for BP. Few good turns, but generally pretty manky. Bummer because coverage is great, but will be gone soon unless temperatures drop.

Also caltrans or usfs had gate closed at grassy hollow and we didn't have bikes. Highway walk is not fun.

But glad we got out, likely last chance unless weather improves.

[1000-oaks]

Getting thin. Note the goat path to Skyline. Best entrance to Emile's is the first fence gap on upper Skyline.


Skyline has some good shrubbery, particularly the laurels.




Rock luge on Robin's. There are a couple fun lines in Robin's Trees that still go.

[rfconroy]

Oaks - word on the street is SoCal is getting slammed with 12-18 above 7500'. We expect pictures...

[406]

A few photos from Saturday 3/26...

We were not happy and not prepared for the gate to be closed:


Extra hour walking to trailhead made for just after noon start to ski down. Snow was mostly hot isothermal from warm overnight, but found some sections of nice turns:


Always enjoy the views:


Impressive amount of melting in the debris field and amount a vegetation melting out. This is just above the dirt road:

[Long duc dong]

Nice pics from both 406 and TO!!!

As to the Baldy pic,s WOW!!!!

I'm always amazed at just how fast things can melt there. My last Baldy day was 3/13, I went to a wedding in Scottsdale this weekend and I'm going up to Mammoth tomorrow AM for 4 days, so I've been super busy wrapping things up. But I can't believe just how fast Thunder got crushed from those photos. The difference is massive over the last couple of weeks. I figured that path to Thunder from the lodge might get crushed, but I thought that Thunder would still have better coverage. If Goldridge looks that bad I can only imagine what the rest is like.

Let's hope this storm delivers. It would be really nice to get in a couple more Baldy days.

Snow Summit says closing day is April 16th.

[406]

Some fun hot powder turns off ACH today. Boot track is in and should be corn cycle tomorrow, get some.

[Angle Parking]

Anyone have any favourite hikes to recomend in Big Bear?

If anyone wants to hike, bike, climb (easy top rope stuff) or otherwise explore, please PM me. I'm in SoCal until late August. Staying in Redlands.

[Viva]

I'm in SoCal until late August. Staying in Redlands.

Check out Idyllwild (k00l town) and Mt. San Jacinto. Some k00l trails around Mt. San Gorgonio (highest point in SoCal). Can also hike Baldy from Ice House Cyn. Slip around the other side on the San Gabriels via I-15 and spend a day at Devil's Punch Bowl- can even hike up to Mt. Williamson from there. If you go to Mt. Baden-Powell, make the pilgrimage to Little Jimmy. Have fun!

[Angle Parking]

Check out Idyllwild (k00l town) and Mt. San Jacinto. Some k00l trails around Mt. San Gorgonio (highest point in SoCal). Can also hike Baldy from Ice House Cyn. Slip around the other side on the San Gabriels via I-15 and spend a day at Devil's Punch Bowl- can even hike up to Mt. Williamson from there. If you go to Mt. Baden-Powell, make the pilgrimage to Little Jimmy. Have fun!

Thanks