My letter to mt baldy's costumer service. This place is the equivalent to SPIRIT AIRLINES, unreliable but cheap. Dear Recipient, Hi my name is Michael. Today is the 1/20/2017, I recently purchased a ski lift and a rental, but i wasn't able to go up to the mountain due to the weather conditions. We were told by a police officer, right when the car was about to go on the snow, to turn back because the road is closed. This was around 11 - 12 AM. I also called SEVERAL times, in the morning around 7am to 11am, to ask if the lift was going to be open or not , but no one answered. This was going to be my first time snowboarding and you could have made my experience much better if you had better costumer service and communication to your clients. So in return i'd like to ask for a full refund for the ticket on the ski lift and also for the rental. This has been very most disappointing. If you need proof, I currently have more than 30 calls to your office @(909)982-0800 on my phone. EPILOGUE Don't waste your time going to this garbage ski lift. I wasn't able to even get to the lift because of the weather. This could have been avoided if they updated their website or ANSWERED THE GOD DAMN PHONE. read more

Look, keep your expectations realistic. I've been skiing/snowboarding my whole life in WA, OR, CO, and British Columbia - so I assure you I know what's what. How's does Mt. Baldy compare to Mt. Baker, Mt. Hood, Whistler, Copper Mountain? Not good and it's not relevant. Realize that you're in Southern California. Qualities that make Baldy a winner in my book: - An hour outside L.A. proper - Great terrain - Beautiful views - A chill staff - A crowd of experienced skiers/boarders With that said, coverage can sometimes be spotty due to the lack of SoCal snowfall, and a lot of days are spring skiing conditions. However, when a good storm comes through - this place can hold its own for what it is, and retain that snowfall a few weeks later. I usually roll solo, and each time I end up randomly meeting pretty cool people. Sure it's a bit dated and rickety, but it's got killer terrain, good deals, and a loyal following of skilled die hards. Respect. So, in conclusion, depending on who you are, I would locally recommend: Stacked with attitude and love to hit the park? Mountain High Want to look good more than ski? Total noob? Can't wait for apres? Big Bear/Snow Summit Want that exclusive hob-nob scene, accept nothing less than top-notch facilities, and runs that are a mile long? Mammoth Looking for a convenient outing, willing to leave the attitude at the door, shred some solid terrain, and utilize the current conditions to kick some ass? Mt. Baldy read more

Parents please don't take your little ones here. We bought our tix on sight at the bottom of the mountain. $80/person just for snow play and tubing. There's a 20 minute long 2-person chair lift ride just to get up to the snow play area. It's horrible if the conditions are snowy. When we got to the top, the tubing was closed and it wasn't for lack of snow. There was a small area for the kids to play and not really anything to do, so we headed back down the chair lift in nearly white out conditions. It was miserable for the kids. My son had to ride alone both directions due to it only being a 2 person lift. Not okay or safe for small children (ages 5 and 8). When we arrived back at the bottom, we asked for a refund since the tubing was closed. The staff gave me a number to call. When I called that same day after driving home to LA, I was told by the person answering calls/selling tix that I needed to handle this issue "on the mountain". I called again the next day and got the same answer. How can a business sell tickets for a service that's not even open? How do they not refund? Please save yourself a lot of money and time. Don't go to Mt Baldy with your kids for snow play or tubing. read more

Two stars for the amazing quality of skiing so close to LA (although I'd much rather drive the extra 3 hours to Mammoth). No stars for their customer service. Check this out! They sent out an email with the subject "FREE Mt Baldy Season Passes Offered Again". "Free", you say, "why that's too good to be true!" Well of course it is, and the passes actually cost $70, not $0. So I decided to email them and find out what was going on. Included below is the rather interesting exchange between Mendy, Mt. Baldy Office Manager, and me: Get a life. Oh and have a nice day. Thanks! Mendy Cox Office Manager Mt Baldy Ski Lifts On Apr 2, 2010, at 5:09 PM, Stefan Wrobel wrote: Hahaha, if you knew anything about marketing, you wouldn't treat people like this. You don't know how many people I've introduced to Baldy, but I definitely won't from this point forward. Well done! On Fri, Apr 2, 2010 at 5:07 PM, Mendy@mtbaldy.com wrote: If you new anything about marketing you would not make yourself look so ignorant by stating this. Do not email or contact us again. And if you purchase anything I will void it out and refund your card! On Apr 2, 2010, at 5:05 PM, Stefan Wrobel wrote: Hmm, that's interesting, what does the title of the e-mail say? Stop bullshitting and just say passes for $70 like they really are. I don't care who I'm paying, but $70 is not free. On Fri, Apr 2, 2010 at 4:54 PM, Mendy@mtbaldy.com wrote: The pass is free but not the mandatory US Forest service portion. We are not willing to pay for you to ski. If you do not like it don't buy it. That is also why it states (well almost free) There is an old saying in life, "Nothing is free" On Apr 2, 2010, at 2:43 PM, Stefan Wrobel wrote: How can you call this free when it's actually $70? This is false advertising if I've ever seen it! read more

I visited the resort on Monday to ski with my family. We got there an hour early and just hung around the parking lot until they opened at 8am. Mind you we had a lesson for 8am which strikes me as weird considering the ride up to the top is about 15 minutes in itself, plus most beginners don't generally come with their own gear so... with that in mind you'd think they'd start those at a later time...common sense to me but I digress. The only takeaway from that trip was the experience I had with my kids..almost everything else was less than satisfactory. I do take into consideration that its possible that they were understaffed, which is frustrating I get it, but why take it out on the customer? Once we got to the top, received our rentals and got going we were Informed that all lessons were canceled for the day . Bummer ok. They set up a small coned off area for beginners to practice skills, after going down twice we felt confident and had a blast until the end of our ski day. It started storming pretty good. My two older kids headed to the lodge there to warm up while my spouse and I took our youngest on an intermediate slope. I came down and joined them and they went once more. I went to buy food and hot chocolate at the bar there and my kids were huddled in a corner with their masks on. I had mine on as well. The bartender was nice and we ordered chicken tenders, 3 hot chocolates and a burger and it came out to 44.00. We were then approached by someone form the restaurant telling us to keep masks on when not eating. Ok.. fine. I understand so We proceeded to drink our hot chocolate. It was when we started eating when another employee pointed at every patron eating and shouted (literally.. yelled) at us all to go outside and eat. It was both jarring and almost humorous at the same time. These were the same people that just made the food we paid a healthy price for (with the knowledge it was snowing and windy out)Really? You are gonna sell us food then yell at us? Who does that? They just seemed to be overwhelmed and Ill equipped with the proper customer service skills to be running that place overall. Don't sell food then if you can't provide adequate designated eating areas. Just trying to make a buck it seems because the customer service was gawd awful with those two gentleman. The lift operators were fine. The individual running the lift on chair 3 around 11 was very nice. An older gentleman I believe. So it wasn't a complete customer service wash... also the guys in rentals were nice and helpful but they needed help as I noticed the rental line was backed up with quite a bit after we left the shop. The bathrooms, yikes! They were poorly attended and for being some of the first guests, oh my! This was my first visit at the resort, I was unfamiliar with the lessons, rentals and so forth, but did a little bit of research ahead of time in regards traffic. I live in the area and still took chains and gave ample time to make our way there. I feel proper training and appropriate staff is crucial to the continuing successful operation of your resort or any resort for that matter. It's like they just don't care, which makes experiences like this such a deal breaker for future visits, gwah gwah!!! read more

My favorite California ski area!!! I've been to Mammoth, Kirkwood, Big Bear/Snow Summit, and Mtn High (all numerous times) and Baldy is STILL my favorite (Mt. Watermans a close 2nd). Having moved to LA from Colorado I can honestly say that a powder day at Mt. Baldy is second to none in So-Cal. Did I mention that this place is practically LESS than an hr. away from LA? Unreal!!! Here's some tips in case you've never been: 1) As far as skiing/boarding goes, watch the weather/check the website, don't come to ski if it hasn't snowed recently or if there isn't a good base depth. 2) If you're a beginner, lap chair 2 until you feel your abilities are that of an intermediate skier/boarder. 3) If you've only visited Mt. Baldy to park your car on the side of the road and sled/ play in the snow STOP IT!!! Come support the beautiful, inexpensive mountain nearby. You can learn how to become a BAD ASS skier/rider here just remember tip #2 before you get in over your head. 5) Advanced Skiers/Snowboarders- come early on weekends to avoid the "sledding/snow play" traffic, and I'd wear a helmet and ride with a buddy on this steep, tree lined mountain. 4) If you don't plan on skiing, take a scenic chair lift ride on a clear day just after a storm. You can sometimes see Catalina on these days and the Yacht Club is a great place for a beer. I've never tubed, but its an option if you're down. 5) After an epic day of riding, head down the hill a little to the Mt. Baldy Lodge for a great fire, atmosphere, inexpensive food and apres ski comradery. 6) There's more to so-cal ski culture than jibbing rails/boxes. Baldy is steep and sometimes deep enough to prove this point. Think snow... read more

People are ignorant and full of this nonsensical belief that they are entitled to everything. Living on Mt Baldy, I have found the majority of tourists are very unaware of any sort of respect regarding the residents as well as thinking they can do as they wish because they are spending their money here. I cannot count how many times tourists drive up the mountain road at 30 mph, slamming on brakes to look at stuff or go around a corner but never abiding to the 14 signs along the road saying, "slow vehicles must use turn out ahead." God forbid tourists pay any mind to us residents who just want to get home. Or the people who drive through town going 5mph because they are looking for parking or which restaurant looks the best. Our town is less than a mile long...park and walk for christs sake. The lifts are just that...lifts. If you're looking for state of the art ski areas, go to Mammoth or anywhere else. This is Baldy...take it or leave it. To the people complaining about how cold it is...are you serious? Whining about having to stand in line in the snow at elevation? Saying we should warn you about how cold it is up at the top? There is this thing called the internet. Go to google, type in 'weather top of Baldy' and plan accordingly. Take some responsibility for yourself. Tourists always come on the same day...you and 8,000 other people thought they were being smart by coming up on Christmas day or that Sunday at 12pm. It's the poor mans Disneyland... but freezing cold and with low snowfall this year. Expect some waiting in lines, expect below freezing wind, expect bad conditions because California is in a drought/had low snowfall and don't get mad when we sell out. One person gives a bad review because it was overly packed with people at the top while the next person gives another bad review because it's sold out. We can't win! It probably feels like you spend a lot of money coming up here but think about the logistics of handling business here. Getting food, tools, supplies, maintenance, etc just up to the top is difficult...can't just drive that semi all the way up to stock the kitchen. It's been low snowfall for awhile...the ski/snowboarding instructors have lost a TON of business. Plowing. Maintaining equipment. Rescues. Insurance. It's a nightmare no one seems to comprehend or even try to care about but yet you run back down to the valley to yelp about how cold it was and how long you had to wait. The food at the lodges suck...this isn't Mammoth or another big resort area. No one will ever claim that we sell a 5, 4 or even 3 star meal. I don't work on the mtn, I just live here. I work down in one of the valley hospitals but I'll be damned to let the tourists knock off stars for it being 'too cold' and having to wait in line. You all seem to have some mighty fine looking high horses...why don't you keep em down there in the Valleys with you and leave the 'cold' to people who can handle it. I promise we won't miss you too much. read more

Let's be very clear about one thing ... Mt Baldy is not a resort. Ok? It's a ski area. And an old school one at that. If you're looking for instructions on how to get on/off a lift (yes, I actually read that in one review!) ... this is not the place for you. Frankly, I'd be very happy if people with high expectations stayed away from this little gem of a mountain. :) I'm a BIG FAN! of Mount Baldy! It's really "as good as it gets" when there's a good dump of snow. If there's no snow, yes ... it sucks. I won't come up if it's Ch 1 and 2 open. Why bother? Just check their website before you come and you won't be disappointed. A few thoughts after reading some of the other reviews: a) why bother going tubing here? This is a ski area and there's plenty of info that shows that the 'tube park' here is lackluster at best. When I was a kid, my family used to go to Wrightwood and pull over off the side of the road with our own tubes and make our own "tube park" ... you want the real deal ... that's how to do it. But those were also the days of riding around in the back of pickup trucks and not wearing a helmet, knee and elbow pads when riding a bike. And we lived! b) those who complain about the scary lifts ... if you want high speed quads and crowds, go to Mtn High or Big Bear. This isn't that. c) if you're not a beginner and want an old school skiing in a relaxed atmosphere without terrain parks ... then, Mt Baldy IS for you! I've often come up here solo and never fail to meet some cool people. On a weekday, it's not crowded and you can get in so many more runs ... better runs ... than other mountains in Socal. Plus, there's no winding roads. It takes maybe 30 mins (max) once you exit the 210 and it's a really easy drive. read more

sudden changes of plan can ruin a day since i promised to do my mom a favor I'm stucked with it and have to cancel my lunch plans... So moving on.... suddenly i found my self driving up to Mt. Baldy in these days that most of the people i know are either a sleep or they'd rather sit on their couch i'm itching to go hiking... but sadly i'm just wearing flip flops...sure i got my running shoes and some other stuffs in my trunk but i don't know the trails here still i drove up... and then i realized i can only drive for about 80 miles since i forgot to fill up my tank and its a bit too late since i'm half way there.. the drive is so fast to go to the lodging area maybe it only too me around 20 minutes from 210 freeway...since i'm not really planning to stay long i didn't pay for the pass... hehehe... i was just watching out to avoid parking ticket... i made a couple of stops... first half way past the tunnels... i just went out of my car and played around with my camera.... then the next one i stopped beside this stream... filled with rocks and water flowing trough... i don't know what happend but i just felt like a child... so i took off my slippers put it in back pack hel my camera and i started jumping from one stone to another not minding about getting wet but still cautious enough not to get my camera wet... i was just shooting like crazy....these are the simple things that i can totally enjoy alone.. its like "into the wild"... i feel like blasting the sound track for that movie too... the water is cooold.. since its from the melting ice.... and i've spotted some wild animals too... the view:http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/yu-9etY2T_LWP2WWsiSxjQ?select=YpbedBVubApDTFI9gG1NGg and then this: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/yu-9etY2T_LWP2WWsiSxjQ?select=EW96M-zHytuC0BGK-2bFEA and this: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/yu-9etY2T_LWP2WWsiSxjQ?select=Jagm9Ngi5la0BN0_2hN-xQ how can you refuse this too? http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/yu-9etY2T_LWP2WWsiSxjQ?select=HNRt60vUzLIkeck5q0vo1g and i tried chasing this: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/yu-9etY2T_LWP2WWsiSxjQ?select=iGpL3xKGOhCvleaFgT7Jog i was barefoot skipping through the small boulders: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/yu-9etY2T_LWP2WWsiSxjQ?select=wQyhYgTdPgKuJkfcAIrpZg and balanced my way through.. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/yu-9etY2T_LWP2WWsiSxjQ?select=4d0XhQyO-8ZHpY1kb25ISw it was short lived.. i stayed maybe for less than an hour....but its all good... i'll be back pretty soon armed with a map for the trails and i'll start freaking early! didn't make it to go to a french restaurant but i managed to grab a frech dip afterwards.. P.S. don't do this while driving its dangerous...http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/yu-9etY2T_LWP2WWsiSxjQ?select=VP4vCU4WgRj_BNUtgKaKpw then after all that i need some sweets... http://static.px.yelp.com/photo/TiRmQxwqCkiQn-C3BsKU7Q/l read more

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Raw. Rugged. Pure. Enter the void. Mt Baldy is my top ten favorite mountains anywhere! No. 1 favorite mountain in South California. I have skied many of the great mountains in the world; east and western USA, Canada, Europe... and Baldy rules! One should not judge this place. It is a cool place that allows us to experience skiing and adventure as it should be without rules and laws. Yo to anarchy. It is one of the last few ski mountains in the country that puts trust in our own ability to measure risk and reward, to be responsible for our own experience. The mixed reviews for Mt. Baldy are simply because it seems many people come expecting to be pampered and hand held... to be provided with the fancy "services" and "safety" that most resorts provide. Blahhh. Baldy ain't this. It is more like a remote uncharted back country mountain that you climb yourself for beauty and the thrill and adventure of descending a natural rugged tree and rock filled edge undisturbed by man and technology. The almost inconceivable bonus... there are LIFTS! The fact that they are old and slow is entirely irrelevant! I have nothing but a smile on my face as I get on the lift thinking that I just drove from a 70 degree day in LA in 50 minutes arriving at an amazing mountain I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO CLIMB/HIKE up because I would. It's that great. read more

Groupon $16 for One All-Day Tubing Outing Literally, the mountain we went tubing down was more like a slight hump. We rode on a donut . . . that was attached to a string . . . that a staff member had to swing you down with. It was beyond PATHETIC, the ride lasted about 10 seconds and then you would have to truck back up and wait in line behind a whole bunch of rowdy children who would constantly cut in front of you! I would only recommend this place for little, widdle children and that is all. The only fun we had there was playing a game of snowball . . . which hurt like hell because the snow was so tough . . . and then we got in trouble for playing. LMAO oh and the restaurant up there is more like a cabin with cafeteria tables not a "Top of the Notch Restaurant" like they say on their new groupon deal. Cons: Long drive up into the mountains Very unorganized . . . and even unprofessional staff Pros: The sky lifts gave you an amazing view but didn't seem very sturdy read more

The resort is very old, the car drive up is a bit scary at times with 20 degree hairpin turns, and on a beautiful sunny day the runs can turn into ice. With that said, I always have the most fun when coming to this resort! During ski season, I'm pretty sure Baldy only opens after a good dump. There are no fancy snow blowers or groomed runs, and the ski lifts are more rickety than grandma's hoohas in a wireless see-through lace bra. I have no fear of riding harder because eating shit feels like bouncing around on clouds. Be weary of rocks peeking through if there isn't much snow, unless you like gnarly gashes on your board (or face if you eat it hard like I do). The runs are super fun because the terrain varies, unlike Mtn. High & Bear where runs seem homogenous and cramped. The majority of visitors at Baldy are skiers, so snowboarders will encounter a lot of moguls. Ride right after a storm comes through for lots of pow chow. It's pretty funzies. read more

Ahhh dear Mt Baldy... your staff is really not that good...from the ticketers (who remained on the phone, no matter that there was a line 30 people long waiting to get ski lift tickets) AND IT SUCKS THAT YOU PAY THE SAME AMOUNT EVEN IF YOU BRING YOUR OWN GEAR THAT MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE. IDIOTS. I'll go to Big Bear next time. You're done. read more

I'm not sure if this is a review or a non-review. All I wanted was a nice hike in a new location where I haven't been before. Armed with an expired Groupon I began my research. I had purchased a Groupon for $29 for 2 lift tickets & $20 towards meals at the Top Notch Restaurant ($10 each for two people). However, the Groupon expired before it was used, which relegated it to a $29 flat value. The $5 parking fee seems unnecessary, but whatever. I tried to figure out what $29 gets you. First of all, it was difficult to establish the regular lift ticket price. Maybe $25 or maybe $29 for one person. That is a little hard to swallow when you can purchase a "discount lift ticket" for $19 with a $10 restaurant voucher included. Then I started reading the reviews..... Yup, there are some horror stories in there. Long waits in long lines. People desperately trying to "activate" their Groupon via internet, with weak cell phone signal, and holding up the line. Freezing persons in line waiting for a ride down. Long waits at the restaurant (the only game in town). Overselling of Groupons. I noted you have to jump thru hoops. First, you must "activate" your Groupon. I tried the website link to activate.lasso to read the conditions and my computer spun forever and gave me a "page not found" over and over again. HUMN. It was too late to call Groupon or the MB phone number. HUMN. Executive decision: abort project. This was too much of a hassle already. I recall going to the island of Santorini, Greece, when three cruise ships were there at the same time, thereby spilling about 10,000 people onto a small island at the same time. To get to the legendary top of the caldera, with the white-washed buildings, you could take the dreaded donkey trail or wait in a long time for the cable car. Once at the top and needing to come down again, we waited and waited in a restaurant for the cable car line to get shorter. It didn't. As people got on the cable car, more would come to take their places in line. HUMN. So we took the dreaded donkey trail down in the fear of missing the cruise boat deadline. Maybe it's better to buy discount tickets to a Moonlight Hike or go to the Elevated Solstice reggae concert on June 6 and use the $29 credit for the restaurant. Or maybe we will never go at all. I hate it when things are a hassle, sounds too much like work. HUMN. read more

When my co-worker Mitchell suggested we go to Mount Baldy, my first thought was, "You want me to have sexual intercourse with our (balding) boss Mr. Douglas? Count me out!" Then he told me it was southern California's most conveniently located ski resort, right off the 210 freeway. Thanks for the commercial Mitch! Count me back in! I must admit I'm a relative newcomer to the whole snowboarding craze the kids seem to be into, and I've only ever gone to Mammoth and Big Bear before. Mitch told me Mt Baldy was much smaller and "quaint" but still very nice. I couldn't wait to get up there, and as we exited the freeway my heart began pounding. On the drive up the mountain I became worried as I looked around and didn't see a drop of snow. The GPS said we would be there in 10 minutes and the temperature gage still read 61 degrees. WTF? I began thinking Mitch had tricked me into going on another date with him (Sorry Mitch, but like the book says I'm Just Not That Into You! I like women!) and tried to think of a way out. I attempted to hold my breath until I passed out but it's harder than it sounds! After gasping for air (which I attributed to the altitude) we finally made it up the mountain! Like I said earlier, I'd only ever been to Mammoth and Big Bear, so imagine my disgust when my eyes first laid upon the rocky desert that is Mt Baldy. On the rickety chair lift up the mountain there were a few patches of snow here and there, but this was hardly the ocean of white frozen gold I anticipated. There were a few lifts open, and the snow was as icy and hard as the looks my ex-wife Stacey used to give me during our love making sessions. And there were rocks everywhere. I left the mountain battered and bruised and vowing never to return. But return I did! After "Stormwatch 2010" Mitch and I headed back to the mountain, only to find there was zero parking and when we finally did find a spot half a mile from the entrance we were told our car would be ticketed and/or towed if we left it. We also heard an employee calling a customer trying to find a parking spot a "f***ing retard" multiple times. During our 'boarding session I fell getting off the chair lift and was told to "Get out of the way!" by another employee. Awesome customer service Mt. B! All in all I'd rather drive the extra hour or two to go to Mt High or Big Bear. Next time someone suggests we go to Mt Baldy, I pray to god they're talking about sacking up with Mr. Douglas, because that would be less painful and more fun then a trip to Mt Baldy! read more

I have a very bad experience with this lousy resort! Could anyone imagine to spend 2 hours to get to this place and learned the resort was cancelled due to "unforeseen weather "? Shouldn't mt. Baldy resort at least shoot out a message for their customers? Not to mention we went their with 4 young kids, they were so excited to go on the scenic chairlift, they were dressed up in their snow gears, but then guess what? They were disappointed because the scenic chairlift was cancelled;( . The worse thing is no one ever answered the phone at the resort, they shouldn't list their phone number on their website if they have no one to answer the phone. It's an insanity! Spending time everyday to call them but no one answers the phone! How do I get back my money since I already booked the scenic chairlift tickets online from their own website? Any idea? Please help. Thank you read more

Mt. Baldy Snow Tubing..... not actually snow tubing... We had the daily deal for $6 to go snow tubing for 2 hours, including lift ticket. Upon arriving the ticket lady was in absolute shock that I only paid $6 for the tickets... I had to tell her that this offer has been featured on almost every daily deal site around. Maybe she finally realized that Mt. Baldy is desolate and she may be losing her job soon... The snow tubing area was unacceptably small. It would not even be fun for a 2 year old. Such a shame we drove out there and spent half the day being disappointed.... read more

IF YOU BOUGHT A GROUPON FOR SNOW TUBING.....let me warn you- the snow tubing "park" sucks. It is tiny, under-staffed, and the runs are too short. The best part of the deal is the 15 minute ride up on the big lift- scenery is breathtaking. Save your $16 bucks and make it a real snow day up in big bear at the Alpine Slide. That place is the best!!!! read more

We bought a Living Social deal last year and thats the only reason we ended up going to Mt.Baldy. I am an experienced snowboarder, my fiance has gone a handful of times, and the kids had been only once to Bear Mountain. Because the lift tickets were so cheap and there are 5 of us, we decided to give Baldy a try. The fact that it is so close off the freeway is a plus, especially with kids that normally get car sick winding through the mountains. When we arrived, we started laughing because it was all dirt from the parking lot. We had no idea what was going on. Well, you take a lift from the parking lot side of the mountain to the back side which TA DA! has snow! I have to say that lift is scary! I have been snowboarding for almost 10 years and even I was a bit nervous, especially having 3 kids on there (ages at the time 10,12, 15). The mountain was great for the kids because it was NOT crowded at all. They felt very comfortable there as opposed to Bear Mountain where it was super crowded. I would NEVER take the kids to Mt. High because it is dangerously packed all the time and people are stupid there. Overall, great place for newbies and kids. I didnt really go on too many different runs since we were with the kids but plan on going back and checking it out again this season. read more

We should've known.. *shaking head* Despite the severe storm forecasts, my friend and I decided to cruise up to Mt Baldy today to carve up some of the fresh powder. We didn't think it would be that bad.. After all, this is California, and the Weather Channel is wrong 99% of the time anyway. We got to Baldy around 9am after battling icy curve after icy curve. I'm sure I annoyed the heck out of my friend who had to put up with my sudden screams and curses. I was scared! We were slipping and sliding, and the road was just BAD, with the ice slick twists and turns! *screech* Once we finally reached the resort, I breathed a sigh of relief and swore to my friend that I would never scream like that again - at least not while he's trying to concentrate and maneuver the difficult conditions... Surprisingly, the lot was quite full. It was freezing and snowing quite heavily, but no matter. There was an endless stretch of pristine white powder surrounding us, and who wouldn't want to carve that up? We quickly donned our gear and marched over to the ticket booth. About forty people were milling about doing nothing. We quickly found out that the resort staff were busy digging out the lifts from the overnight snowfall. "We'll open soon," the ticket lady promised. I killed time by making a snowman. Actually, I didn't make a snowman. I just got around to packing together the soft fresh powder into a large hard ball. So yeah, I made a third of a snowman. Friend wanted to go back to the car for a bit to wait there (it was freezing out), so we went back. That's when we heard from other employees that, in fact, Mt Baldy would not be opening today. What the hell? What did we just waste 30 minutes for? We stood by the car grumbling.. when an employee comes up to us and asks, "Did you guys lose a board bag?" What? Huh? Oh my gosh! The wind gusts were so strong, the board bag flew down the mountain! But no worries. The kind employee had already called some other staffers to go and fetch it out of the snow for us. Sweet! Going above and beyond is always cool! We were still a bit peeved that we wouldn't get to board, and so were a lot of other people. "Let's just go to Mt High," a lot of them decided. Thank goodness we didn't immediately follow these people because... Mt Baldy gave out free vouchers for a return visit! Sweet!! It was awesome of them to remember to keep the customers happy! The road down from Mt Baldy and back to civilization should only have taken 15 minutes or so, but the road conditions had deteriorated even more. Now, trying to go downhill on a slick road was nearly impossible. We geared up the snow chains (despite the fact that friend's car had AWD and snow tires... conditions were THAT bad) and slowly slowly crawled down the mountain. Anyone who decides to drive here, please carry emergency chains JUST IN CASE! I swear, you will DIE if you aren't prepared for such conditions! The roads are all twisty curvy slick, and it's just really really scary. And drive slowly! We saw many cars that had either gotten stuck or slightly spun out because they weren't being super watchful! Anyways, I'll be back in a few weeks to use my free pass. And that's a promise! read more

There are only a few things that keeps this place alive. Its been open since the 1980's but I have no idea how they have stayed in business for so long. Its truly amazing how this business is still operating. The Pros: -Friendly Staff -Close to LA -Tickets can always been found for cheap on Craigslist. -Various levels of terrain (lacks a number or trails) The Cons: -Hardly any snow even after a storm (due to the elevation the snow that falls does not stay for long). -Lifts are outdated. scary to ride in. -Lacks trials but hardly makes a difference because they hardly have more then one trail open. -There website is outdated and should have a more detailed snow report. I went there once and will not go back again. Even though the staff is great and close to LA this resort lacks serious technology and resources to compete with resorts like Snow Summit/ Bear Mountain or Snow Valley. I rather spend a more money/gas/time to go to Big Bear resorts. Mt Blady, you're great, but seriously lack almost in everything. Actually everything. read more

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- MUST READ =-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=- *** Emergency Update Do NOT come up until you have called the local mt. baldy Ranger Station.. The road has been washed out from the last Storm. *** Mt. Baldy is a great place for local families to come and play in the snow and hang out.. The ski routes maybe a little advance and snow is often hard packed. Prices are quite cheap when you find the deals. hope this info helps =) Ranger Station # 909-982-2829 Happy Skiing and Boarding! read more

I went with my kids during the off-season to ride the scenic Sugar Pine Chairlift, eat at Top of the Notch restaurant and hike the trails. Getting to the site was fairly easy- take the 210 to E. Baseline Rd, take the 1st right onto Padua Ave, and then turn right onto Mt. Baldy Rd. Take Mt. Baldy Rd. up as far as it will go. The road dead-ends at the parking lot. They charge $5.00 to park in the lot. There is a trailer at the base of the mountain where you can purchase lift tickets along with some snack food and Mt. Baldy souvenir clothing items. Make sure to by a round trip ticket if you intend on riding the lift back down. Don't make my mistake. Look for a deal on Groupon before you go. They currently are offering lift tickets and lunch for 2 people for only $29.00 (regular price is $70). Kids under 12 are not allowed to ride alone on the lift and the lift only seats 2 people. So if you are an adult with 2 children then one of your kids will need to ride alone. The lift is 2 miles long and takes about 15 minutes to reach its destination. You go from 6,500 to 7,802 feet in elevation (the summit is 10,064 feet). The ride up wasn't too bad but the ride back down was much scarier. You really feel the distance and the height of the lift on the way back down. The restaurant, Top of the Notch, was nice. They have a surprisingly decent selection of food. Be prepared to wait a long time to order and get served. By no means is it the fault of the staff; they were working their butts off. Management just needs to step it up and hire more servers. I ordered a veggie plate and grilled chicken sandwich. I enjoyed my meal. After the meal we took a short hike to Desert View Vista Point and then up Turkey Shoot to the Devil's Backbone Trail. My kids enjoyed the trip. I look forward to coming back without the kids so I can try and hike to the summit. Be sure to check the weather on their web site before you come, www.mtbaldyskilifts.com, so you can dress appropriately. read more

Got some groupons for this and my family was excited to go tubing. We went to Big Bear a few weeks ago and had a great time but the little one didn't get to go tubing so this looked like a good opportunity to make it up to him. Drove 1 1/2 hours up there. Paid $5 to park seemingly a mile away from the lift. Get to the ticket booth, present the Groupon and WHAMO -- what do you know? They're FULL TODAY (lol). Needless to say, there's no mention of this on their website. The rather kurt lady was quick to mention that we could always use our groupon to go up the ski lift. What fun. LAME. So, a 3 hour round trip wasted drive. This place is beyond sketchy. Luckily, I believe Groupon will return my money but needless to say I'm out time, gas and some disappointed kids. This place is VERY sketchy. You're better off driving an extra hour or so and going to a REAL resort. Horrible experience. Never again. read more

Pleasantly surprised by the skiing today! The runs are narrow but really long which is nice and for a Saturday, it wasn't crowded at all. You don't have to wait forever for the lifts and they are very scenic! Baldy has a lovely rustic feeling to it and the views from the top of the mountain were just lovely! I'll absolutely be back! I'm giving 4 stars because it's a bit of a hike from the parking lot and it often felt like there were no signs telling you where to go, but overall I was very happy with my first experience at Mt. Baldy! The lodge was also super cute and the food was pretty good. The rentals took a long time since only three people were working in there but again, once you got going, it was great. read more

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If you come here looking for some tubing action you may be severely disappointed. I've been tubing in Big Bear and Seattle before. Both of those other tubing places have much steeper slides, more available tubes, and they operate at full capacity with all lanes open. The tubing here I'd describe as kiddie tubing...never does your heart drop and instead of propelling your own self down the hill, you require the services of one of their tired and slightly clueless employees to push you. One of our friends toppled off her tube and came home with a bloody nose and sprained ankle when the matts at the bottom of the hill had become stacked. So, even the kiddie slopes can be dangerous when not properly maintained. The good things about this place are that it's about an hour closer to LA than Big Bear and the long ski lift ride is enjoyable as long as you're not afraid of heights. Be warned the Travelzoo deals aren't really much of deal since you can get just about the same offer directly from Mt. Baldy ski lifts. Also, if you're interested in saving money, Big Bear's offer of an all day pass for just about the same price is a much better deal. Since I'm not the one with a bloody nose, I'd say I had fun overall but my desire for tubing fun definitely wasn't fulfilled through a visit to this place. read more

Straight up. The steepest, and most challenging ski area in Southern Ca. 2,100 vertical drop.. and that's in-bounds! If you hike or skin you can get up to 4,000+ vertical drop. Top ski lift elevation is 8,600 ft. Top peak Elevation of Baldy is over 10,000 ft ! Basically if you like big bowls, steeps, chutes, and steep tree glades this place is for you. If you like more groomed and flat easy runs, it may not be your thing. Big dumps bring big crowds so arrive early!! Traffic can be a challenge if you get there after 8 or 9 am depending on what day it is. If you are an experienced skier or snowboarder you should really dig this place. If you are a novice Wrightwood, or Big Bear may suit you better. Baldy is the real deal, if you know how to ride sick terrain then you will find what you need here and then some! Oh one more thing. You can see the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island while skiing Baldy AND they have the only true Double Black Diamond runs in So Cal. *Note to all the snowtubers equipment renters, and "intermediates" who reviewed and gave 1 or 2 stars. I am kinda glad that people like you won't be coming back up, because you get in the way! Stay home or just go to Wrightwood or Big Bear where flatlanders, gapers, and weekenders are welcomed and catered to. They are made just for you! *One more thing: some of the 1 and 2 star reviews are by people who came up to "snowtube" WTF? Or rent their gear? get outta here! Sure you are gonna have a shitty time if you don't know what the hell you are doing in the mountains. Coming up and NOT checking the weather, or snow report, not having an all wheel drive or chains on storm days, getting up their late in traffic. etc... I kind of feel for you..but not really. Get it together before you plan a trip. The REAL skiers know the REAL story about Mt Baldy. Trust me.. They don't show up at 11am on powder days, they don't rent equipment, and they certainly don't come up to go "snowtubing". If these people came up on a harsh day, weather or snow wise, that's too bad really, but take some responsibility for the day you choose to go up. Even Mammoth and Squaw can have bad days if you go up on the wrong day. Weather, fog, ice, wind..So it's sort of pointless to give a bad review on a ski area, for one bad day. Get wise and choose a powder day, mid- week. Go early, beat traffic and people who don't drive well in the ice and snow, check the weather and snow report the night before, and early in the morning that day before you go. -Last Have a look at my pictures to see what people who really know Mt.Baldy are doing up there and then look at the profile pictures of the people who gave "1 and 2" stars. Compare the pictures and knowledge and make your own decision. Nuff said. read more

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Frustrating experience trying to go tubing with the kids last weekend, passing this along for other folks who are thinking of going to Mt. Baldy. We pre-purchased what we thought were tickets from the Mt. Baldy website for a 10:30 session. Turns out they are basically non-refundable vouchers, so buyer beware. Didn't realize the line would be so long (obvious in hindsight, it was a 45 minute wait), but got to the head of the line to learn that sessions were full until 2pm. Couldn't wait around that long, so asked if we could reserve tickets for the next weekend. Answer: no. Asked if we could get a refund, were told yes, just needed to call Liftopia (the company that does the ticketing). Wife called Liftopia this week, and no luck. No refunds allowed, even if you don't make it past the parking lot! Net result, we're out a hundred bucks with some disappointed kids. I suppose the lesson is to get there early, expect some lines, and read the details on the website before purchasing! read more

Got a great Groupon deal for the day after Christmas. Lunch and lift ride for 4 @ $55.00, not bad we thought. Well, Mother nature decided to be very cold that day, 29 degrees at the parking lot, long line to redeem online tickets and $5.00 to park. Well, it gets really bad the chair lift took a 1/2 hour to get to the lousy restaurant. The whole ride was in the shade with howling winds at the top it was -5 degrees. An adventure for sure, well it gets better or worse. The restaurant was not staffed at all for the amount of people in there, very unorganized and the staff was downright rude. Food sucks especially the cafeteria style, waited in the food line for a 1/2 hour while my food was cold and the boy taking the payments felt it was important to hug all his coworkers AND allow them to jump in line before the patrons. Food really sucked! The ONLY decent people were the lift operators and frankly I felt sorry for them. Very overworked and under staffed, but treated everyone fair. Will not be doing this again, I will go to Wrightwood or Big Bear all day long over Mt. baldy. read more

I'm writing this review to express my disgust in the majority of the staff working today, 2/6/2016: 1.) the young gentleman work in the brown hut where they sell retail: he was extremely rude and short with ALL the customers who he helped infront of me, including myself. This was around 11am 2.) the man who worked the top of the ski lift, he grabbed my daughter off the lift and nearly threw her to the ground after taking her off!! I exchanged words and he was an absolute a**hole. This was around 1145am 3.) around 230pm, while people where waiting in line for tubing area, there were kids playing around the area. A staff member, came out with a HUGE DRILL screaming at everyone, saying "WHO'S KIDS ARE THESE?!" and started yelling at everyone! That is HORRIBLE! 4.) the STAFF: despite the beautiful weather and my kids having a good time, my husband and I let each and everyone of you get a pass, all I heard and saw were sour attitudes - but for the man with the drill!? Management - you need to step in immediately and teach your employees customer service. I am naming all the times I had these encounters so you can pinpoint your people who were scheduled at those times. I'm never coming back to this mountain. read more

I went for groupon deal on groupon. I bought three of the $70 for 4 people, it was a xmas deal, so it ended up to $182 for 12 people good deal. I redeemed it on the website a couple days before. I went on 12/12/2015, Saturday, for time 10:30am - 12pm time slot. Because of all the horrible reviews, I was just expecting to ask for a refund as soon as I see crazy lines. However, that wasn't the case. The line was fairly short. The staff was really nice and friendly. My friends came late and I told them to hold the tickets for me. They told me as long as my friends say my name, it will be taken care of. But, I had no reception, so I wasn't able to text my friends. We went down to the parking lot, we asked the gentlemen who are in charge of parking to tell our friends that their tickets are on hold by the ticket booth. They patiently listened to us as we describe what our friend look like, his name and the car he was driving. We went up on the ski lift that looks old but sturdy. The guy in charge told us for the heavier person to sit inside. Ski lift was amazing, breath taking views. It stopped once. My friend was a little bit scared because it swayed a little bit back on forth. As soon as we arrived, two people instructed us clearly on how to get out of the ski lift safely. We went to the restroom in the restaurant which is better than the porta potty down by the ticket booth. We went to the tubing place. It was a short run. Fortunately, there wasn't a lot of people also on the line. The guys in charge was really patient and nice also. They let us take pictures with the tubes after the sessions ended. Overall, I think it wasn't so bad. But, if there are more people that came, I couldn't imagine how busy it can get. So we were really blessed to have short lines that day read more

We purchased the $25 Groupon deal which I thought was great because regular price for a one person ski lift round trip was already $25 so you save a lot by purchasing from Groupon! We came at 10:30am on a Sunday, there was a long line to check in but it wasn't their fault. A lot of people purchased the groupon and didn't activate the deal so they were holding up the line trying to get access to their account as there was no signal in the area. We pre-downloaded our voucher so there was no problem. We got 2 ski lift round trip and two $10 vouchers for the restaurant in the top. The ski lift operators were very nice, no complaints. I really enjoyed the lift up, love the views. My only concern was the quality of the actual ski lift chairs, they look very run down and old, could use updating. read more

I would given this place 0 stars, but I'll give it a 1 bc the first time I came we didn't have snow chains and one of the employees manning the parking lot helped us safely get back down the mountain. I will forever be grateful for him. I also feel bad rating family owned establishments poorly as I'm sure this place is just understaffed and they're doing the best they can. The poor rating is due to the overall experience I've had the two times I've come here, the second time being today, 2/27/23. First off, the lift ticket was $110. That's a lot of money to be paying when this place only has like 3 lifts and at least 1 of them is closed for the majority of the time due to whatever reason (probably snow conditions). It was around another $50 for rentals. This place has the WORSE rentals for snowboarding and skiing. I got a snowboard that was way too long but whatever. I was starting to put my binds on when I noticed that it wasn't even screwed in properly. I brought it back for them to fix it and they gave me a new board. I was buckled up all ready to go! Here I am try to go down just a green, but I was literally stuck. Did not move one inch. Had to try to hop and gain some speed but it didn't work. The employee said it was bc the snow was wet but I have a hard time accepting that answer bc everyone that brought their own board sped right past me. They also gave my friend that rented skis two poles of different lengths. And if you ever want to bring up any of these concerns, expect to wait in a really long line where many ppl will cut you, just to be met with an annoyed employee who tells you to "just do your best" bc they won't switch out your terrible gear. Somehow we made it up the mountain, and it was literally a blizzard up there. It was extremely windy, so white out that you could barely see in front of you and make it safely down the terrain. There were no signs anywhere once you got to the top, so best of luck memorizing the map. To add, no one patrols the area. If someone were to get hurt, it would all depend on other visitors to go down to notify someone for help. They ended up closing all rides up to the mountain around 2:45 due to the snow conditions, but guess what, they still get to pocket all that money. If you're a beginner, or looking for a stress free tjme, don't go here. The only thing that made this experience better was all the helpful visitors we encountered. read more

Place was awesome! Really beautiful views and unique experience for being so close to LA. My kids were scared to do the ski lift, but they cowboyed up and loved it once they got on. Looking forward to going back and doing some hiking from the top. read more

Read the 1 star reviews, you wanna be skiing with them? I am definitely part of the 'love it' sect of society as far as Mt Baldy is concerned. A true skiers hill. Oh, and read the directions when you buy the Groupon, Michelle. They be mountain folk up there. And is the name calling necessary? Dwarf Man? Really? read more

There are a few reasons I would rate this place so poorly: 1) Expensive, especially for such a small place! 2) Unless you hit it right after a big storm, expect poor coverage, ice/slush depending on time of day. 3) No express lifts. 4) Expensive! Pros: 1) Very close. 2) Not as crowded as other socal resorts. 3) Cheap season pass deals - look for them! I'm a long-time skier and have been snowboarding for a number of years now. I have to say, for its proximity to the city, its a good find. On a good day, its much better than big bear or mt. high - if you enjoy powder and trees. I didnt see much for groomed runs so dont come here if you are a beginner... read more

Overpriced doesn't begin to describe the experience at Mt. Baldy. We took our two-year old daughter to see snow for the first time and go tubing. After paying $40 to get to the place where the tubing is located, and another $20 for one adult and one child to tube, we lined up with about 300 people to tube down a tiny hill. In the two hour block we paid for, we were able to go down THREE times. Not worth $60 at all. This doesn't even take into account the $10 I spent on a tiny tray of chips and small orange juice I bought to keepmher entertained during the 30 minutes between turns at tubing. The bathroom situation is one of the most disgusting I have seen (even counting years of concerts throughout my twenties). Overall, the baby liked the snow, but next time we will go somewhere a little farther and nicer. read more

My friends and I were planning a trip to Big Bear, and last minute decided to go to Mt. Baldy because the online snow report said they had 3 inches of fresh powder and 3 lifts open. When we got there, it was a different story... There was no fresh snow at all; everything was icy and rocky. There were NO lifts open (other than the gondola-like lift that simply takes you to the base of where the actual lifts are). It wasn't until around 10am that they opened ONE lift, which shortly malfunctioned and had to be repaired. About an hour later, a second lift opened. These were the only 2 lifts that were open on the day we were there. We bumped into a manager/supervisor as we were leaving and she asked us how it was. I was honest and told her it wasn't good at all and asked her how often the snow report is updated on their website. She said everyday. Apparently there is some false advertisement. The price is also very high, considering how small and ancient the resort (if you can even call it that) is. For the same price, drive the extra hour and go to Big Bear/Snow Summit read more

First let me say that I never leave reviews but the people/service &whole experience was so amazing that everyone should know. My boyfriend rented one of the tent cabins that are all inclusive. (Lift tickets, all meals, a zip line ride & frisbees for the frisbee golf) I was already excited as we have been interested in the cabins since they started them. The cabin is cute & clean & they each have water and a small light provided. We chose to have the lift take our things up & we hiked up. We would have been happy with just that since we are avid trail runners/hikers and it gave us the chance to go on many hikes from our little base camp. Then we find out that they have an amazing chef up there. There was only one meal that I couldn't eat due to my dairy allergy but the chef worked his magic and fixed me up the best tri-tip with roasted potatoes, corn on the cob, garden salad and even a dairy free brownie. To top everything off, when we came back from our Saturday afternoon hike for dinner there was live music (The Bodleys) & they were awesome. The entire staff is so nice and I have to say it was the best birthday I've ever had. Thank you read more

This place does not even deserve a one star rating. NEVER buy your tickets online as we did. Our tickets cost us $400.00. when we got there noticed a few groups of people around who had no clue what was happening..SERIOUSLY!!waited for ages - nobody around could not contact anybody as there was 'no cell phone service'.ABSOLUTELY NO SIGNS NOTHING TO INDICATE WHAT WAS HAPPENING. We had checked the website before leaving home and it had said 'open'. OUR WHOLE DAY WAS RUINED ..Had a long drive back .. HAVE BEEN TRYING FOR THE PAST ONE WEEK TO TRY AND WORK OUT A REFUND but to no avail. Nobody answers the phone,the mailbox is full do you can't leave any messages and there has been ABSOLUTELY no response to any of our emails. UTTERLY PATHETIC! Finally ended up at Bear mountain the next day. AMAZING customer service and wonderful skiing - the full works.. AWESOME read more