THUNDER BAY - A family-run ski hill that has been operating just north of the city for the last 60 years is welcoming in a new family to take the helm.
The Mount Baldy Ski Area was recently purchased by brothers Kristof, Daniel, and Jason Kardas. The brothers already own The Ski Exchange in Thunder Bay and Daniel and Kristof said the purchase of Mount Baldy felt like the next logical step.
“I don’t know if we were looking, but the opportunity came up,” Daniel Kardas said. “We kind of wanted to take it to the next level. We’ve been selling skis for the last 20 years. Now we are just going to jump on the next level and hopefully attract youth back to the slopes again.”
Craig Spiess, whose family has owned and operated the mountain since the 1960’s, said buying a ski hill is like buying a lifestyle, and he felt that the Kardas brothers were just the people to continue on the legacy started by his father.
“I want to see Mount Baldy grow and I am getting a little bit older,” he said. “You want to see some fresh blood come in here and these guys are young and they are very enthusiastic and I always want it to be a family area, and they are very much family people.”
Kristof said that running the mountain is a great way for he and Daniel, who both have two young children, to spend more time with their families.
“We both have two young kids and it’s a way to progress and spend more time on the hill and step back from the ski shop a little bit and be with our customers,” he said. “We want to make sure we keep it family friendly and user friendly for the new riders and the up-and-comers. If we don’t take care of our grassroots, we’re not going to have a business in the future.”
The brothers already have some big plans for the mountain, including adding cross country ski trails, and given the area, there are a lot more potential ideas already brewing.
“It’s a big mountain,” Kristof Kardas said. “There are a lot of different areas we can look at. Right now we are just going to take a step back and feel it out. Craig is going to help guide us through the next years and we are going to see what we can do and build on this whole program out here.”
A lot of work goes into running a ski hill, according to Spiess. There is grooming, the restaurant and bar, a rental shop, and ski lifts to worry about. Luckily for the Kardas brothers, Spiess will be staying on for the next few years to help the brother’s learn the business.
“The fortunate thing is that it’s sort of a dream come true,” Spiess said. “I’m going to be here with the boys, with Kristof and Danny, for about three or four years, unless they fire me of course. So I’m going to be here and it’s going to be nice because I’m not going to have the burden of ownership part of it, so I will get to do what I really like.”
Shuniah mayor, Wendy Landry, said that this is an exciting time for the township and she is pleased to see the mountain will continue to draw people to the area.
“This is a local family buying a local business and we are here to support them in that,” she said. “This is a beautiful gem that already exists here.”
Membership sales for Mount Baldy have already opened and Spiess said the numbers are up from last year. For Kristof and Daniel, it’s all about looking ahead, and for them, winter cannot come soon enough.
“Hopefully it starts snowing soon,” Daniel Kardas said. “Like next week.”
