Mountain Review: Mount Baker
MOUNTAIN SCORE
CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
See our criteria
8
Snow:
3
Lifts:
5
Resiliency:
8
Crowd Flow:
4
Size:
5
Facilities:
6
Terrain Diversity:
7
Navigation:
10
Challenge:
9
Mountain Aesthetic:
GOOD TO KNOW
On-site Lodging: No
Apres-ski: Limited
Pass Affiliation: None
Recommended Ability Level:
+ Pros
Top-tier snowfall
Remote, local feel
Extraordinary surrounding scenery
Truly demanding in-bounds terrain
Easy sidecountry access
– Cons
Very limited groomed terrain
No lodging within 30 miles of the area
Heavier powder than some other resorts
Somewhat variable early-season conditions
Terrain, lifts, and base facilities partially closed on weekdays
Overcast skies most days
MOUNTAIN STATS
Lifts: 10
Trails: 31
Beginner: 24%
Intermediate: 45%
Advanced/Expert: 31%
Mountain Review
Located just south of the Canadian border in the remote Cascade wilderness, Mount Baker is perhaps best known for its absolutely astounding snowfall totals each winter. A true ski area—not a resort—surrounded by unpopulated forest for dozens of miles, Baker offers some of the most isolated slopes anywhere. But the resort’s remote location and modest dimensions won’t be for everyone, and the remarkable accumulation numbers don’t tell the whole story.
Mount Baker regularly sees the highest snowfall totals of any North American resort, with perennial snowstorms and constant powder refills during peak times. On the best days, you can expect snow to come down so quickly that you’ll have untouched tracks on every run.
However, although it tends to be enjoyable when fresh, the snow turns wet and heavy after a few hours with no new accumulation. The area tends to remain a bit colder than Washington resorts further south, but temperatures can fluctuate around freezing during earlier season months, resulting in freeze/thaw cycles and a crusty, icy base layer. Occasionally, the resort even sees rain. It’s not really until February that the most reliable temperatures and terrain openings tend to occur, although good powder days can occur as early as November.
Due to the perennial snowstorm conditions, Mount Baker often sees cloud cover throughout the season. But when the skies clear up, views open up to some of the most astonishing terrain at any ski resort. Baker isn’t the most imposing or tall resort, but it’s surrounded by some truly stunning peaks. The most notable mountains in the area include Mount Shuksan, which is one of the most photographed mountains in North America, and the true Mount Baker peak, which is actually a few miles from the ski area that takes its name, the third-highest mountain in Washington state, and an active volcano.
Beginner and intermediate terrain at Baker is limited, with very little grooming outside a few beginner areas. On the other hand, the resort boasts an incredible concentration of truly extreme terrain even with a relatively short in-bounds vertical drop. The resort marks off the most formidable chutes and cliff areas as Extreme Danger Zones, with skulls and bones posted on maps and signs. Some trails require free falls, and a few lines are so extreme that months of accumulation is required before they’re skiable. Getting to any Extreme Danger Zone territory requires crossing below a specified boundary rope; this may feel quite unintuitive, but it’s very much authorized by the resort (although crossing under non-EDZ ropes is strictly prohibited). All obstacles past these ropes are unmarked, so scoping lines is an absolute must.
When it comes to areas that aren’t Extreme Danger Zones, getting around Baker is fairly straightforward. The resort generally maintains decent signage and displays clear trail maps at major junctions. However, certain trails are a bit difficult to find, and some signs can get snowed in as the season progresses.
Mount Baker is probably more integrated with sidecountry skiing than any other ski resort in the United States, and some of these iconic peaks are home to popular out-of-bounds routes. Baker’s in-bounds elevation doesn’t extend nearly as high as the mountains it sits on, and gates near the top of lifts allow visitors to easily hike to several backcountry routes and ski directly back into the resort. Some backcountry routes are even accessible without hiking and can be lapped via lift. Additionally, some solid touring routes can be reached from the Baker parking lots. However, these backcountry areas are not patrolled or avalanche controlled, and several fatalities have occurred in recent years. Be sure to use utmost caution when exiting the resort.
To keep in-bounds guests safe after storms, Baker conducts extensive avalanche mitigation work. However, due to the frequency of snowfall and nature of the resort’s terrain, certain mountain sections can be quite complicated to address. Some advanced areas, most notably Gunners Bowl, typically take several days to mitigate—and can remain closed through considerable parts of the peak season.
Mount Baker is not a fancy destination resort, and the area often practices function over form. As a result, during less busy times and on most weekdays, the mountain typically only opens one of its two base areas. On days when one of the bases doesn’t open, the area’s respective lodge remains closed and the lifts servicing that base do not run. Consequently, this also means the loss of half of Baker’s already limited green terrain during these times.
In addition, when the Heather Meadows base is closed, Baker loses direct lift service to some of its best expert terrain. During these times, lapping Chair 1’s steeps necessitates an indirect journey up Chairs 3 and 6—and in certain cases, some catwalking.
That being said, if you’re looking to go in for a break, Mount Baker offers a couple of options no matter what day it is. Besides the base lodges, which offer food, drink, indoor seating, and bathrooms when open, a small hut also exists at the base of Chair 5. When one of the base areas is closed, it can take a lift ride or two to reach the nearest facilities.
Mount Baker’s function-over-form ideology also manifests when it comes to the lifts themselves. Baker’s eight quad lifts offer decent capacity, but they’re all slow, fixed-grip chairs. Thankfully, the mountain rarely sees large crowds, so lift lines tend to stay short, although resort traffic has increased slightly in recent years. It’s worth noting that Chairs 3 and 4 are actually the same lift with bottom terminals at opposite ends; be sure to unload at the top mid-station to avoid riding down to the other side. The one place where long lines do occur is at the ticket window—Baker doesn’t offer advance-sale tickets, so anyone not holding a season pass will have to make their purchase at the resort day-of.
Lodging
There’s no lodging within 30 miles of Baker, and the nearest town, Glacier, offers very limited accommodation options. The best bet for close-by lodging is Bellingham, which is 45-minutes-to-an-hour away.
No matter where you stay, accessing Mount Baker requires traversing a narrow, windy mountain pass that can see sketchy conditions at times. Luckily, there’s a DOT station right at the base of the switchback, so the access road is well maintained.
Aprés-ski
As a remote mountain with no on-site lodging, Baker does not lend itself to an extensive aprés-ski atmosphere. That being said, the area boasts an amicable atmosphere, and bars at the open bases can offer enjoyable happy hour vibes.
Verdict
Mount Baker isn’t perfect—but it really isn’t trying to be. For those looking for crazy chutes, easy-to-reach backcountry, and stupidly wet late season refills, this resort is really hard to beat. While it can be quite a pain to reach the mountain, ticket prices remain refreshingly low, undercutting every major destination resort in the state. For those experienced enough to handle it—even if staying entirely in-bounds—the Baker experience is quite the bargain.
NOTE: Mountain Score criteria for this resort were adjusted on October 12, 2021.
