Mt. Baldy Update part two

[ncrider]

Hello everyone. I've just come back from another great meeting up at Baldy. We are really fine tuning the plans for the bike park at this stage. All of us should send a big thank you to Manitou for flying Andrew Shandro down from Canada to spend a day at Baldy. Andrew is a real nice laid back kind of guy and his knowledge and guidance will give our bike park a huge jump start.

The other big news is a new area of the mountain which we have gained access to. The new area is at the mid point of the mountain and has it's own small lift rising 500 vertical feet. We plan to put different skill level "jump" trails in this area. I wouldn't say A-line trails, but thats the idea. Expect a bit more of a slopestyle feel. The trails will be around 1/2 - 3/4 mille long and will range from beginner to pro level.
Anyway, thats the latest.

Here's a shot of the near white out conditions we had today. 3 feet of fresh snow on top of a 2 foot base:(
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/ncrider/P1050618.jpg

Driving home at around 3,000 ft
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/ncrider/P1050620.jpg

[skatetokil]

baldy gets some of the craziest weather i've ever seen, and that storm today wasn't playing around at all.

[ncrider]

No doubt. The Baldy owners told me the mountain holds some really old record for the most rain in a 24hr period in this region. 27" in 24 hrs, Crazy.

Back on topic!
XC riders don't feel left out. We have plans for an amazing beautiful loop for you guys at mid mountain.

[Pat...]

Great Job with all this!! :trophy_br

That is so much snow. Do you see it being ready for this summer?

[ncrider]

That is so much snow. Do you see it being ready for this summer?

July is a likely, August for sure. It all depends on how many of you guys truly want to get up there and throw some dirt around. A late start isn't an issue at Baldy because we'll be open well into November, maybe even December. Hell, I was up there in February and there was NO snow on the ground. We're looking at a unique possiblity of a 9+ month bike park fellas. Whats not to love:love:

[Pat...]

I really want to go dig there, but this damn storm needs to end. I want snow, but I want to dig.
http://www.hawaiianphotos.net/Animations/HammockReveals/boy_digging_in_sand_lg_blk.gif

[bjanga]

exciting :^)

[Pat...]

I thought you would enjoy it, so I put it there just for you!

[blt2ride]

Nice work! This dang winter storms are making it hard to get things started up there. Typically, this time of year, there isn't much snow up at Baldy.

[AN6 Freerider]

im down to put some shovel time or bobcat time or hammer time lol oh yeah ..cant touch this .. no seriously though i am handy with a hammer and love building

[Pat...]

That's interesting, I never new that. I :love: powder.

I went up and snowboarded at Mt. Waterman one time. That was where I learned my first trick, a melon grab. There was only 1 lift running, but it was fun. It was cool that I lived in La Canada about 45min below.

[ncrider]

Anybody that wants to come out and help build is happily welcome.

We will also be putting together a bike park team. Team members will get a free season park pass, get to ride the park on special "off" days when it's closed to the public, and get free shwag. I'll fill you guys in on how you can make the team later, but it will center around trail work, park maintenance, and your commitment to make this park like buttah.

[Pat...]

Would it be hard for me to even have a chance at getting on the team to help enough becasue I live up here?

[Bullit21]

Hello everyone. I've just come back from another great meeting up at Baldy. We are really fine tuning the plans for the bike park at this stage. All of us should send a big thank you to Manitou for flying Andrew Shandro down from Canada to spend a day at Baldy. Andrew is a real nice laid back kind of guy and his knowledge and guidance will give our bike park a huge jump start.

The other big news is a new area of the mountain which we have gained access to. The new area is at the mid point of the mountain and has it's own small lift rising 500 vertical feet. We plan to put different skill level "jump" trails in this area. I wouldn't say A-line trails, but thats the idea. Expect a bit more of a slopestyle feel. The trails will be around 1/2 - 3/4 mille long and will range from beginner to pro level.
Anyway, thats the latest.

Here's a shot of the near white out conditions we had today. 3 feet of fresh snow on top of a 2 foot base:(
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/ncrider/P1050618.jpg

Driving home at around 3,000 ft
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/ncrider/P1050620.jpg


Thanks Conrad for all the hard work. How can we get in touch with you to make sure we get out there on build days? I live in LA so it is not too far for me.

Also thanks to Shandro for coming down. I was at his Whistler Gravity Camp last year and he is truly a great guy.

[-BB-]

Anybody that wants to come out and help build is happily welcome.

We will also be putting together a bike park team. Team members will get a free season park pass, get to ride the park on special "off" days when it's closed to the public, and get free shwag. I'll fill you guys in on how you can make the team later, but it will center around trail work, park maintenance, and your commitment to make this park like buttah.


Just let us know...

[Bobby Peru]

Is there going to be a website up on all this? I'm rather sceptical still. I guess that I look at my glass as being 1/2 empty. Any press releases? Something substaintial besides your posts on a mountain biking webpage. Maybe if Mt. Baldy had something offical to see? I checked their website and I see nothing about mountain bike riding there at all.

[Ciaran]

Is there going to be a website up on all this? I'm rather sceptical still. I guess that I look at my glass as being 1/2 empty. Any press releases? Something substaintial besides your posts on a mountain biking webpage. Maybe if Mt. Baldy had something offical to see? I checked their website and I see nothing about mountain bike riding there at all.
If you search the socal forum here you will see the many threads about this topic including the updates from the day that Baldy gave the approval. It's for real.

[Bobby Peru]

I'm just bummed because I loved Big Bear so much. I really miss it. It would be very nice to have a lift access park near LA again. BB was perfect for me, so much that I bought a DH bike just to ride there. Now I am in the process of getting a FR bike because I am tired of pushing my DH bike uphill! A lot of people said many bad things about BB but I never saw it empty! I rode there often, in fact my father-in-law has a house there and I got to go almost every weekend I wanted to go.

Now I go to Bootleg Canyon (where I still have to push my bike up AFTER the shuttle run) and I go to North Star a couple of times a summer.

Oh, BTW as for my "location" in my profile- Bobby Peru is a character in a movie called "Wild At Heart" and the movie is based in the fictitious town of Big Tuna, Texas. I live in Torrance, CA.

[bjanga]

My roomate last year was from torrance

[mandown]

big ups to this. what a great thing. i would like to be involved in the building and the riding.

by the way, big ups to Torrance (my hometown).

[merrrrjig]

so conrad, how bad is the road? I have heard that it is super sketchy in the snow.I would say that most of the snow will be gone by mid-may the snow doesnt hold too good up there, and there is barely any snow. http://forums.mammothmountain.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=9&threadid=12266&enterthread=y

[ncrider]

so conrad, how bad is the road? I have heard that it is super sketchy in the snow.I would say that most of the snow will be gone by mid-may the snow doesnt hold too good up there, and there is barely any snow. http://forums.mammothmountain.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=9&threadid=12266&enterthread=y

Well Wesssly, since we all know you have mad rally skills, I'd say you'll flip you ranger in the parking lot.:cool:

No seriously it's all pretty much straight roads untill the end where you do about seven real tight switch backs. From the freeway to the mountain takes 20-25 minutes. Oh and I learned to drive in California so anywhere with rain/snow is scetchy.:rolleyes:

[al7barfly]

I haven't seen any updates on the status of Baldy's bike park. All the snow must be gone by now. What is the current hold-up? We're approaching July. Even with an extended riding season, I would think the trail work needs to get started soon.

[Bicyclist]

Any trail-work dates? I'd love to try to make it down there, I'm up by SB.

[Pat...]

I really want to get digging.

[merrrrjig]

they are doing a bio report or something, it may not even open in august :(

[Pat...]

Damn School. We should sew them for slowing the process (start) of building the best bike park in the world.

[HaveFaith]

sew them with what? or did you mean sue?

[Pat...]

With brake line. Yeah, I meant sue...

[bjanga]

They are pushing papers back and forth. Red tape and all.

[HaveFaith]

So you mean something having to do with opening mountain bike trails has red tape? Damn! Lets just hope that it opens at all, and it can go from there. If it does, thats amazing enough.

[HarryCallahan]

What I read was that the Baldy operators are for it, and the Forest Service is for it to. Unlike Big Bear, Baldy's terrain and location won't lend itself to out of bounds poaching, which had a lot to do with Snow summit giving up on DH.

They have to do the required legal studies for permits, and that takes time, but it is moving along.

[Ciaran]

What I read was that the Baldy operators are for it, and the Forest Service is for it to. Unlike Big Bear, Baldy's terrain and location won't lend itself to out of bounds poaching, which had a lot to do with Snow summit giving up on DH.

They have to do the required legal studies for permits, and that takes time, but it is moving along.
There are some places at Baldy where Out Of Bounds = :dead:

It's going to be awsome once it's done.