Build your Mount Baker Ski Trip
Learn more about Mount Baker
- Record-setting snow!
- Relatively long season
- Back and side-country opportunities abound
- Long drive from Seattle
Overall
It might be remote, but Mt Baker's extreme terrain and huge powder dumps make it a must visit for powderhounds. The local ski hill even holds the World Record for snowfall in a single season in 1998/99 with 1,140 in!
February
FLY TO
Vancouver International Airport
DRIVE TO
Mount Baker (2.5 hours)
Glacier (18-20 mi)
- Best for groups
- Accommodation is limited to condo and cabin rentals
- Very limited restaurants and shops
Bellingham (51-54 mi)
- Wider range of accommodation for everyone
- Close to the Baker Shuttle Bus stops to take you to the resort
- Close to various restaurants and stores
For beginners
Mt Baker isn't our best choice for beginners. There are only a few green runs available for beginners but most of them are off the super-slow loading Chair 2 around Heather Meadows Day Lodge. The low-angle slopes are perfect for never-evers while there are some banks and jumps for beginners looking to gain some confidence!
For intermediates
Intermediates have a lot of challenging options at Mt. Baker with plenty of groomed and ungroomed blue runs around Chair 8. Our favorite is the Oh Zone to Daytona run since it's one of the longer runs and you can find powder stashes along the sides and tree bands. To top it all off, you can even enjoy the amazing views of Mt. Shuksan and the White Salmon Glacier!
For experts
Cliffy terrain, barely-groomed runs and dumps of powder makes Mt. Baker an expert skier's dream. The epic double black diamond runs and various adventures through the cliff faces are all the hype here. Start off on Gabl's before checking out other must-try runs off Chair 1, but be sure to know where you're going or else you're in for a long hike out.
Find freshies
Small crowds and low grooming definitely means freshies are everywhere. After a day or two, you might have to get a little more creative and duck into trees and under Extreme Hazard rope lines, but finding snow is rarely a problem at Baker.
Ditch the crowds
Crowds? What crowds? The biggest crowds are the lines to buy your lift ticket in the morning or buying food at Heather Meadows Day Lodge around lunch time. On the mountain, grab a few extra turns on the shoulder above Pan Face.
Non skiers
As a local ski hill, Mt Baker lacks the activities that other ski resorts provide. Non-skiers won't have much to do here besides snowshoeing up to Artist Point, but they must keep in mind that when there is high snowfall, comes high avalanche danger!
Families
While Mt. Baker is a local ski hill and works hard to provide for its families, there is limited terrain for the little ones. Most of the old fixed-gripped lifts are without safety bars and the cliffed out terrain means it's definitely not the type of hill to let young ones take off on their own.