This Mueller replaced a Ringer double and reused most of its towers.Chair 1 operates long hours all year as the primary access to the entire ski area and summer adventure park.The loading area.The line is very steep with a mix of Mueller tube towers and Ringer lattice ones.The breakover up top.Fixed bullwheel at the top station.Upper terminal with drive.Tall lattice towers.View down from the summit.Upper section of the line.Middle lift line view.Top few towers.Lower part of the line.Another lift line look.Upper half of the lift seen from a different perspective.
Does the ski area get closed if this lift goes down. It’s a cool lift but at one point it will need a replacement. I think a Triple
or a HSQ would be a good replacement as it being the main lift.
I do believe Mt Baldy would have to close if this lift went down. They would also have some challenges getting people off the mountain. The trail map shows a run under the lift, but it’s extremely steep and rocky and very rarely has enough snow to ski or ride down. Baldy doesn’t have any snowmaking that I can recall. If Lift 1 shut down for the day they would probably have to truck people down from Top of the Notch, the lodge at the top.
Back in the day (1970s) it was rare when you could ski underneath this lift so nothing has changed. It required a good snow year and cold temps to preserve the snow. I used to ski at Baldy occasionally back then and I only skied under this lift once. I still remember that run even after all these years. It’s funny how ski days stick in your memory when so much else is forgotten
I guess ski days are just more vivid than other days, a better reminder of being alive. I can see why getting down that steep, rocky, and narrow gulch under the lift would be a run you’d remember for decades.
Correct. Baldy wouldn’t be able to operate w/o a functioning Ch 1. They’d have to take people down in trucks/cats on the cat road that winds up that draw. It’s interesting b/c I don’t think the current ownership group is sufficiently capitalized to add even a used lift here, and with their future expansion plans into Lytle Creek being a fantasy, plus no easily accessible water source to truly scale out snowmaking, it becomes a less attractive property for someone else with capital to acquire. I am concerned for the long-term future of the hill as a result. Suspect we’ll see it slowly flicker out, similar to what’s going on now at Waterman.
Yes. Chair 1 is the only access to the mountain. I’ve lived in the area for five years and haven’t heard of this happening though. It has plenty of down time in the winter as Mt. baldy only has snowmaking for tubing, and some years snowmaking is iffy. But when Baldy gets a good dump the skiing is legit. Their biggest problem is the single access road. When it snows half of LA drives up the road with minivans full of kids and summer tires to play in the snow on the side of the road. Last winter one evening people got stuck for eight hours waiting for the road to be clear of stuck vehicles.
What’s kept this place alive for the past 10 years now is the snow tubing and summer activities including the zip line.
It’s going to take 30+ million to develop the Stockton flats area, even then there’s a ton of pushback from the community of Lytle Creek. Mt Baldy would have to develop the infrastructure (roads, buildings, chalet, etc) back there before the powers at be would consider installing lifts. Lytle Creek would not appreciate the extra traffic that would be inevitable.
Ever ski back there? You’d never think you’re an hour from LA. It’s some of the most pristine north facing terrain in the area.
Yep, skied it about 20 years ago. Great fall line skiing. Even the front side to the parking lot is unbelievable skiing, unfortunately just not very often.
On a clear Santa Ana wind day you can see the ships coming into Long Beach on the ocean from the top of chair 3.
I went here today to go skiing here and at the bottom of this lift nearby the parking lot you can see lift parts and they were Yan! Here are some pictures
If you look at the top section of this pic you can see yellow trucks well know there are Yan chairs and towers parts and sheaves
Do you think there going to replace chair 1 with a triple or do you think they are going to make chair 5?
And I’m serious those parts are there.
A YAN Triple Chair is now in their storage yard along with what appears to be a new rope on a spool in the parking lot. Could this be thew new Chair 1 or even better Stockton Flats Expansion?
I believe it’s a replacement rope for the existing chair 1. Would be nice to see some upgrades there. But not hearing anything. Skied the backside there in the 1990’s, sure didn’t feel like SoCal.
Talk to a Liftee today and he stated the Yan Triple Chair is to replace Chair #2. They only have a crew of five personnel and were unable to do the replacement last summer and plan to replace Chair #2 this summer.
Ohhhhh man, the boys and I rode Mt Baldy after/ during the legendary dump over the weekend into Monday. It was the best skiing in socal EVER! 80+ inches holy cow. Riding under chair one was a awesome experience (until it tracked out) and Thunder mtn was all time all. Big shout out to the Baldy crew for getting it open while MTN high and all of bear continues to stay closed hahaha
Lift Blog 
Wow, what a lift! Just rank one of the oldest operating in the country (and North’s America) with its original parts.
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Does the ski area get closed if this lift goes down. It’s a cool lift but at one point it will need a replacement. I think a Triple
or a HSQ would be a good replacement as it being the main lift.
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a fixed-grip triple is the most probable
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I do believe Mt Baldy would have to close if this lift went down. They would also have some challenges getting people off the mountain. The trail map shows a run under the lift, but it’s extremely steep and rocky and very rarely has enough snow to ski or ride down. Baldy doesn’t have any snowmaking that I can recall. If Lift 1 shut down for the day they would probably have to truck people down from Top of the Notch, the lodge at the top.
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Back in the day (1970s) it was rare when you could ski underneath this lift so nothing has changed. It required a good snow year and cold temps to preserve the snow. I used to ski at Baldy occasionally back then and I only skied under this lift once. I still remember that run even after all these years. It’s funny how ski days stick in your memory when so much else is forgotten
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I guess ski days are just more vivid than other days, a better reminder of being alive. I can see why getting down that steep, rocky, and narrow gulch under the lift would be a run you’d remember for decades.
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Correct. Baldy wouldn’t be able to operate w/o a functioning Ch 1. They’d have to take people down in trucks/cats on the cat road that winds up that draw. It’s interesting b/c I don’t think the current ownership group is sufficiently capitalized to add even a used lift here, and with their future expansion plans into Lytle Creek being a fantasy, plus no easily accessible water source to truly scale out snowmaking, it becomes a less attractive property for someone else with capital to acquire. I am concerned for the long-term future of the hill as a result. Suspect we’ll see it slowly flicker out, similar to what’s going on now at Waterman.
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Yes. Chair 1 is the only access to the mountain. I’ve lived in the area for five years and haven’t heard of this happening though. It has plenty of down time in the winter as Mt. baldy only has snowmaking for tubing, and some years snowmaking is iffy. But when Baldy gets a good dump the skiing is legit. Their biggest problem is the single access road. When it snows half of LA drives up the road with minivans full of kids and summer tires to play in the snow on the side of the road. Last winter one evening people got stuck for eight hours waiting for the road to be clear of stuck vehicles.
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What’s kept this place alive for the past 10 years now is the snow tubing and summer activities including the zip line.
It’s going to take 30+ million to develop the Stockton flats area, even then there’s a ton of pushback from the community of Lytle Creek. Mt Baldy would have to develop the infrastructure (roads, buildings, chalet, etc) back there before the powers at be would consider installing lifts. Lytle Creek would not appreciate the extra traffic that would be inevitable.
Ever ski back there? You’d never think you’re an hour from LA. It’s some of the most pristine north facing terrain in the area.
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Yep, skied it about 20 years ago. Great fall line skiing. Even the front side to the parking lot is unbelievable skiing, unfortunately just not very often.
On a clear Santa Ana wind day you can see the ships coming into Long Beach on the ocean from the top of chair 3.
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I went here today to go skiing here and at the bottom of this lift nearby the parking lot you can see lift parts and they were Yan! Here are some pictures
If you look at the top section of this pic you can see yellow trucks well know there are Yan chairs and towers parts and sheaves
Do you think there going to replace chair 1 with a triple or do you think they are going to make chair 5?
And I’m serious those parts are there.
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Don’t think they have a plan or a engineer that I am aware of.
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A YAN Triple Chair is now in their storage yard along with what appears to be a new rope on a spool in the parking lot. Could this be thew new Chair 1 or even better Stockton Flats Expansion?
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I believe it’s a replacement rope for the existing chair 1. Would be nice to see some upgrades there. But not hearing anything. Skied the backside there in the 1990’s, sure didn’t feel like SoCal.
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on hill manager said that the yan chairs are to go on chair 2. The towers and sheaves will most likely be used for parts
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Talk to a Liftee today and he stated the Yan Triple Chair is to replace Chair #2. They only have a crew of five personnel and were unable to do the replacement last summer and plan to replace Chair #2 this summer.
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Why 2? 2 is probably the lift least in need of replacement.
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Think the Yan install is a total rumor, with no basis.
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They are replacing chair 2 for Beginner Skiers for more lift captivity for the beginner skiers.
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Mt Baldy is replacing the haulrope on chair 1 in the fall. Nothing new will happen with chair 2 this year.
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Ohhhhh man, the boys and I rode Mt Baldy after/ during the legendary dump over the weekend into Monday. It was the best skiing in socal EVER! 80+ inches holy cow. Riding under chair one was a awesome experience (until it tracked out) and Thunder mtn was all time all. Big shout out to the Baldy crew for getting it open while MTN high and all of bear continues to stay closed hahaha
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