Baldy open for skiing

Though us lowlanders last saw precipitation on Saturday, Mt. Baldy has apparently continued to get snow dusting in the days since, including 2-4 inches Tuesday morning. That means the ski area is opening this weekend. The mountain looks like it has some great powder (the shot above is from the ski area's web cam, taken on Tuesday afternoon).

Mt. Baldy can be easily forgotten as a ski destination.... when I first came to Los Angeles, I heard that Mammoth Mountain was the best weekend skiing trip, and Big Bear was the best daily drive within the area. Even though I was at the Claremont Colleges, I didn't even know there was a legitimate ski area right above me. Probably something to do with the erratic snowfall.... when I was up there two years ago an equipment rental manager told me they have terrible problems getting people to come to work. They struggle to hire people who don't want to be forced to rely on infrequent snowfall and the possibility of severe warming and melting on any given day... even those that take the job end up not showing up to work when they don't feel like it. Which is why it took over an hour to get a snowboard rental.

It is a pretty well-respected ski area.... though it is small, there are some long, steep runs that apparently attract expert skiers and snowboarders from outside SoCal. I personally can't say whether they are that great, though, because it was my first time ever snowboarding, and I managed to give myself concussion after a nasty fall on the second-easiest trail on the mountain (I did make it through the bunny trail without medical duress).

The snow report from mtbaldy.com:
Still Snowing!!
Tue December 11, 2007 6:24 AM
We are open daily from 8:00am to 5:00pm for Snowplay, Tubing, and Scenic Rides up to the Top of the Notch Restaurant. We received about 10-12 inches of new snow last weekend and have very good snow conditions in our Tubing and Snowplay areas. We are making snow on the Ski runs and plan to open the Beginners Area on Wednesday and Thunder Mountain by Friday, sooner if it keeps on snowing like it is. Since early this morning, we have picked up 2-4 inches of new light snow and expect clearing skies and chilly temps this afternoon. The roads are open and chains are not required at this time, but they are slick in spots.