$99 unrestricted season pass at Mt. Baldy, CA

Too expensive this year. Due to La Nina, Baldy is more likely to have a bad snow year. Also, for popular weekend days, you sometimes can't get a reservation. Baldy is sure to run discounts throughout the season, too. Finally, if you just come to the TGR movie at the Claremont Colleges, you can get at least one free Baldy ticket that actually costs $10 to use (that's Baldy for you).
 
I have expressed skepticism in the past of ANY Baldy deal that restricts last minute flexibility in any way. The La Nina probably pushes the probability of a "never worth skiing" season at Baldy from the long term average of 30% up to 50%. In fairness, last year's snowmaking upgrade is likely to make Bonanza, Robin's and Skyline viable for several midwinter weeks in future dry years. Whether that's enough I'll leave to individual choice.

From a marketing standpoint I do think they are smart to offer these deals to get some cash in the door before a possible lean season.
 
Staley":1hyr29rg said:
Too expensive this year. Due to La Nina, Baldy is more likely to have a bad snow year. Also, for popular weekend days, you sometimes can't get a reservation. Baldy is sure to run discounts throughout the season, too. Finally, if you just come to the TGR movie at the Claremont Colleges, you can get at least one free Baldy ticket that actually costs $10 to use (that's Baldy for you).
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I can't help but chuckle at someone saying $99 is too much for a ski pass. FWIW, Mountain High's pass is $299.
Tony's site says Baldy had 9 feet of snow in a recent La Nina January, so there are no guarantees.

Edit: Well now I can't find the evidence of that, but I presume Mr. C. knows.
 
It's too expensive for me because I have unlimited $10 tickets. Last year, I decided $50 was worth it because I would go at least 5 times in an El Nino year, but I can't imagine going 10 times (and having to deal with limited reservation spaces) during a La Nina year.
 
Staley":2h14vr03 said:
It's too expensive for me because I have unlimited $10 tickets. Last year, I decided $50 was worth it because I would go at least 5 times in an El Nino year, but I can't imagine going 10 times (and having to deal with limited reservation spaces) during a La Nina year.
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$50 made sense to me too. I went 4 times.
 
Staley":1vx4dmwn said:
It's too expensive for me because I have unlimited $10 tickets. Last year, I decided $50 was worth it because I would go at least 5 times in an El Nino year, but I can't imagine going 10 times (and having to deal with limited reservation spaces) during a La Nina year.
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What other deals are typically out there for Baldy tix?
 
[Spam] The best deal is to come to the TGR movie showing at Claremont and get a free ticket! [/Spam] Along with that, they're always running some sort of deal. Others would know the details of those better than me.
 
Was last year all that great at Baldy?

It looks like a base was laid down in January. However, even Baldy did not do well with rain/snow line....Big Bear did better. So it was cement.

Then most storms never panned out for the rest of the season.

And that was a great El Nino season?

Feel free to correct my impression, but I get the sense it was a 7/10 year for Baldy.
 
ChrisC:2fwy2qrd said:
Baldy did not do well with rain/snow line....Big Bear did better
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Very normal. Big Bear is in San Gorgonio's shadow, practically a desert. Much less precipitation, be it rain or snow. But the drier air and colder nights are great for the snowmaking.

On my chart http://nestsnow.net/scalhist.htm I rank 2009-10 #8 of the past 35 seasons. That chart is a blend of conditions at all the SoCal areas so not precisely for Baldy, but I would still say 75-80th percentile is about right.

On the negative side, even though it was a fairly strong El Nino, SoCal snowfall was only 127% of normal, much less than 1983, 1992, 1993, 1998. So in terms of big powder days barely above average.

But in terms of number and consistency of quality ski days, much better than that.
http://bestsnow.net/cal0910.htm:2fwy2qrd said:
Beginner area and Fire Road only at Baldy open Dec. 9. A few more Thunder runs open by New Year's on upgraded snowmaking but natural base depths through MLK weekend were 6-18 inches. Full operation from January 23 through March, though the base at chair 1 got thin in late March. Thunder was open through May 2 plus the weekend of May 7-9.
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After that January storm there was no extended period of poor conditions. There was a rainy Saturday Feb. 6, but that storm turned to snow the next day. The last big February storm was wind packed and transitioned right into the smooth corn phase. A similar timed storm 5 seasons ago was churned into mashed potatoes and the off-piste didn't settle out for nearly a month. Thunder held up through a warm March, but April was cold with enough new snow to keep it going into May. The upgraded grooming and snowmaking may also have contributed to more consistent conditions. There were some locals who said the mostly manmade skiing before mid-January was good, and I've never heard that before.
 
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ChrisC":1g8zgyds said:
Was last year all that great at Baldy?

It looks like a base was laid down in January. However, even Baldy did not do well with rain/snow line....Big Bear did better. So it was cement.

Then most storms never panned out for the rest of the season.

And that was a great El Nino season?

Feel free to correct my impression, but I get the sense it was a 7/10 year for Baldy.
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7 out of 10 might be more or less fair, but I got turns at Baldy on May 8. Something of a powder day on April 23. I'd say it was pretty good.

I
 
For $99 bucks, if you use it twice its paid itself off! I live right down the hill, so I can shoot up for a few quick runs in the am and get out if/when it starts getting slushy.
 
Liftopia has been offering discount lift tickets on off-peak days for a few years now, but they offer you a price for a specific date BEFORE you purchase.

I've never heard of a ski area that sells discount tickets and THEN limits availability. Unique idea, but given Baldy's extreme snow volatility (<-- that's a Crocker term), I wonder if it helps build positive word-of-mouth or makes skiers angry when they're closed out from using them during a storm cycle.
 
I've mentioned in other threads that it's probably worth offering these deals to get people up there to see the improvements. The question I would ask before buying is this: Will the coupon/discount be good in 2011-12 if the upcoming La Nina season is a bust?
 
I'm sure it won't be. That's the main reason for all these upfront deals. I find it interesting that they first offer the season passes, and once that market has dried up, they then go for the people who might be willing to only go for a day or two with these $15 passes. They're clearly trying to get as much upfront sales and possible this year.

Even if the season is what we all consider to be a bust, Baldy has added to their snowmaking in the past years, so they should be able to open a run or two at least. As long as they open at all, there's no way they'd offer a refund.
 
I actually plunked down for three of these. Even if I only get in one day, that's pretty good value for one day of skiing these days. Really not much down side.
 
Yes it makes sense for them to put the price low enough for people to assume the risk and get some $ in the door. In the buyers' favor is that while El Nino impact is quite sensitive to strength, La Nina works more like an on/off switch. Once a threshold is passed, the expectation is similar even if the La Nina gets much stronger, as is the case now. 3 years ago was 6th strongest La Nina and the SoCal season was slightly above average as was 1988-89. 1975-76, 1998-99 and 1999-2000 were busts. I was not skiing yet during the #1 La Nina in 1973-74, but L.A. rain incidence was similar to 3 years ago with 8 inches in January, so likely an OK ski season then.
 
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