Ep 10. Ron Baldis: Park City Powder Cats
You’re standing a ridgeline amidst 43,000 acres of powder. Despite low hanging clouds, the view is endless. Looking down the fall line you see nothing but untracked powder in every direction. Your skis dip down into snowpack, carving big arcs with snow creating a rooster tail as you head down into the trees. Tom Kelly takes the Last Chair podcast to Park City Powder Cats, chatting with owner and guide Ron Baldis about how he found his way to the pristine mountain ranch and what makes cat skiing such a social experience.
The bright red PistenBully wound its way up the switchbacks to the top of San Mateo Ridge. Inside, guide Ron Baldis joined the joyous revelry of his guests as they regaled each other with stories of their last run through the trees.
Baldis grew up skiing in California, making first runs at Big Bear and joining his family for long trips up to Mammoth. In the early 2000s, he got a call to help a fledgling cat skiing manage its business. He ended up buying the company and now, 16 years later, he still gets the same good feeling as he leads skiers and riders across the 43,000 acres of Thousand Peaks he services with his fleet of cats.
PC Powder Cats and Heli-Ski makes dreams come true. On the day we skied with Ron, we joined a group of old high school buddies from Minneapolis. Last summer they got a text chain going, rallying each other to come out to Utah for a guys reunion trip and a weekend of cat skiing.
It was a stormy, wet morning when we arrived at the lodge at the head of Weber Canyon. Soon the cats were charging up hill. That first run is full of apprehension. Then you realize, ‘hey, I can do this.’ Dipping off the ridgeline your skis carve into the snow, kicking up snow plumes.
Tom Kelly takes the Last Chair podcast to Thousand Peaks, getting to know Park City Powder Cats owner Ron Baldis from the cab of a PistenBully. Listen in as Baldis tells the story of Thousand Peaks ranch and what makes cat skiing such a social affair.
The Utah Ski and Snowboard Association is a non-profit trade organization founded in 1975 with the aim of promoting Utah's ski and snowboard industry. Our membership represents resorts, lodging, transportation, retail, restaurants and other ski and snowboard related services. The Utah Ski and Snowboard Association is governed by a 21-member board of directors elected from its membership.
Learn More About Ski Utah the bennefits of joining the Ski Utah membership.
Copyright Ski Utah