Mt Baldy Ski Resort

Baldy Mountain Resort in BC Canada is a quiet gem for powder hounds, but get there ASAP before it progresses into a mainstream BC ski resort. Whilst lift queues at other BC Interior ski resorts such as Revelstoke can seem to go for a kilometre, the lift queues at Mt Baldy Canada are delightfully non-existent, and there are so few people on the hill on a powder day that you’ll almost feel like you’re snowcat skiing.

The Mt Baldy ski area had some financial difficulties recently and unfortunately it had to close for a little while. Thankfully Ski Baldy now has new owners and it is on the up and up. Sure, it’s not that sophisticated and it’s obvious that the resort isn’t flush with cash, but part of the appeal of Baldy Mountain Resort is that it’s refreshingly low key.

Mt Baldy is definitely worth including for a couple of days whilst on a road trip of the Powder Highway. Baldy isn’t “officially” part of the Powder Highway, but surely it’s always good for a powder hound to get off a well-travelled highway?!

Pros and Cons of Baldy Mountain Resort

Pros

• The Baldy Ski Resort is charmingly old-school and it has a really friendly vibe.
• Mt Baldy feels deserted regardless of whether it’s a bluebird or powder day, and with the latter you’ll still be riding fresh tracks when the lift close.
• The hill has really good advanced off-piste terrain and tree skiing.
• Everything at Mt Baldy is very inexpensive and there are usually a range of lift ticket deals on offer.

Cons

• The terrain size is rather small relative to other western Canadian ski resorts, although it “skis” bigger than its statistic.
• There’s nothing at Baldy that will challenge experts.
• The on-mountain lodging is very limited.
• As to be expected for an old school ski resort, the lifts are slow.

Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective

• The facilities are somewhat limited but absolutely more than adequate if you’re there for the skiing and snowboarding, and not to buy a bling bling outfit or get a facial.
• The Baldy ski resort isn’t open mid-week so you’ll need to plan your powder assault, but with so few people there, weekends feel like mid-week.

Ski Mt Baldy Terrain

The Baldy Ski Resort isn’t particularly big with only 34 trails and 600 acres (243 hectares) of skiable terrain. The vertical isn’t significant at 397 metres (1,726 – 2,123m) but it’s adequate and the advantage for snow quality is that the base elevation is nice and high. The ski resort only has 4 lifts which incorporates 1 quad chair, 1 double chair, an antique T-bar, and a magic carpet. The double chair services a majority of the terrain, so a degree of traversing and trail running is required either side of the fall line skiing.

Officially the trail stats are 33% beginner, 46% intermediate, and 21% expert, which aptly describes the piste terrain, although “expert” needs to be transposed with “advanced” as there’s nothing pitchy enough at Baldy Mountain Resort to be classified as “expert”.

Off-piste there is a lot of enjoyment to be had because every square inch of the resort can be skied. The top of the lift-served terrain is sub-alpine with smatterings of snow covered trees, and further down there are natural and manmade glades. Awesome fun!

Where is Baldy Ski Resort BC?

Baldy Ski Resort in Canada shouldn’t be confused with the Mount Baldy Ski Area in California. Baldy Mountain Resort is located on the southern side of Mt Baldy in the Southern Okanagan region of BC Canada about 137km south of Kelowna, and not far from the border with Washington State. There are a few little towns nearby such as Oliver, Osoyoos and Bridesville, with the closest major town being Penticton which is 77km to the northwest.

Closest ski resorts:

• Baldy Mountain Resort is 150km south of Big White
• Baldy is 100km southeast of Apex

Self-drive is the easiest way to get there. The road is unpaved most of the way from Oliver but it’s a nice easy grade, and you can park right near the slopes.

Baldy Accommodation

There is a small village on-mountain that consists of private houses and cabins, so opportunities for being able to book accommodation is rather limited. Otherwise there are lodging options in the little town of Oliver (37km away) and Osoyoos (58km away, population 4750).

Accommodation Near Baldy Mountain

Resort Facilities

The services and facilities at Baldy Mountain Resort are low frills and some of the amenities are housed in Britco trailers and a yurt. There is a small day lodge with a small deck and a small cafeteria that’s able to produce slow-food, and a bar upstairs that has plenty of character and good pub fare.

Equipment rentals are very economical, as are ski and snowboard lessons. The lessons are targeted at beginners and intermediates, and group lessons are for kids over 8 (private lessons for children under 8).

Activities

The ski resort offers a few other activities such as snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and winter disc golf. There is also a toboggan area near the McKinney Tee.