Garry Klassen was at Baldy several mornings during the latest storm cycle. The usual pattern is that the storms close the area for a couple of days and you get a huge powder day the first time they get everything open after that.
This time was different. They were getting 1-2 feet every day and thus were able to get chair 1 and Thunder going sometime every morning. Garry was already getting some good powder shots last Friday and Saturday. By Tuesday/Wednesday the previously rain-damaged lower terrain on chair 1 was well buried under at least 4 feet of heavy new snow.
However, the massive new snow over the previous hard base has created serious avalanche issues. Patrol has set off several slides in the chair 1 terrain, and Garry dropped off a 4-foot fracture line just past Bentley's.
While Baldy has been able to get the 3 chairs open, Garry has yet to see an attempt to dig out chair 4 or to control South Bowl so it can be opened to skiing. Garry described yesterday's snow as "slabby" and believes it is too dangerous to ski OB until the snowpack settles. So with only about half of Baldy's terrain open you get some good powder in the morning but it's fairly tracked out by lunch.
We are getting a break in the weather until early next week, so hopefully everything at Baldy will be open when I go up there Sunday.
This time was different. They were getting 1-2 feet every day and thus were able to get chair 1 and Thunder going sometime every morning. Garry was already getting some good powder shots last Friday and Saturday. By Tuesday/Wednesday the previously rain-damaged lower terrain on chair 1 was well buried under at least 4 feet of heavy new snow.
However, the massive new snow over the previous hard base has created serious avalanche issues. Patrol has set off several slides in the chair 1 terrain, and Garry dropped off a 4-foot fracture line just past Bentley's.
While Baldy has been able to get the 3 chairs open, Garry has yet to see an attempt to dig out chair 4 or to control South Bowl so it can be opened to skiing. Garry described yesterday's snow as "slabby" and believes it is too dangerous to ski OB until the snowpack settles. So with only about half of Baldy's terrain open you get some good powder in the morning but it's fairly tracked out by lunch.
We are getting a break in the weather until early next week, so hopefully everything at Baldy will be open when I go up there Sunday.