My friend, Julie, suggested a weekend of skiing and winter activities at Baker with friends. After a group of friends decided on a weekend, she made a reservation through Mt. Baker Lodging. It was going to be a great weekend of hanging out and enjoying winter in the mountains.
A short drive from Seattle, Mount Baker is a perfect location for a weekend getaway without having to take any vacation days. Everyone decided on their daily activities around the Mount Baker ski resort and would meet in the evening for drinks, food, and relaxing dips in the hot tub.
Artist Point Snowshoeing
Kate and I decided to go snowshoeing. It was one of her first times snowshoeing, so we had a great time in the whiteout conditions. With the wind blowing, we had to wander around a little to find our tracks back to the trailhead.
The low visibility made for some great scenes of black and white landscapes. The rolling snow covered terrain had beautiful lines to photograph. The trees had somewhat of a permafrost on them from the conditions, which were beautiful. Even though we did not know if we made it to Artist Point, we decided to turn around when the tracks we were following started to go downhill.
We returned to the vehicles to drop off our snowshoes. We then found everyone waiting for us in the lodge. Apparently, the conditions were best for snowshoeing with the crusty snow cover skiing was not fun for those at the resort or ski touring.
A Day of Resort Skiing
Since we were lower in elevation and had been dumped on with snow overnight, we were hoping for a nice powder day on the mountain. A little worried that one of the 2wheel drive vehicles would not make the steep, windy climb to the top, we were on our way. Fortunately, we all made it. Julie and I decided to warm up on some moderate runs before meeting with the guys. After our first run, we rode the lift. Since there were four of us on the lift, my skis were tangled on top of Julie’s snowboard. Without much time to get off the lift, I realized I would have had a 10 foot jump. I took an embarrassing ride down the other side of the lift to another lodge and waited for Julie.
I waited for awhile since she waited for me at the top. When I was about to give up, she came down the mountain and met up with me. As I was waiting, I saw the guys riding the lift. They had yelled to meet at the top. As Julie and I met up with other people in our group and did some runs before heading in drenched from the wet snow continuing to fall.
The visibility was very typical northwest skiing conditions without being able to see too far ahead to navigate the bumpy terrain. I was wiping my goggles every few turns to better my sight. This was the first time I was experiences the PNW Cascade concrete, which was not the powdery conditions we experienced at the beginning of the day.
After lunch, we set a meeting time feeling a little defeated. This was my second time skiing at Baker, and the last time I was a new skier on rentals only following those I was with. Even though I fought the conditions, I learned more about the ski resort’s layout, which was different than most I have been to. With minimal lodges scattered around the mountain-some you can only get to via traversing and lifts-Mount Baker ski resort is less popular than others surrounding Seattle. It is a great spot to learn without long lift lines.
Mount Baker Lodging
Julie booked a chalet in a gated community. After some trouble getting the gate open, we arrived late Friday night after work. A total of 9 people stayed for two nights of fun. Most of the rooms had double beds with one room having a double bed with bunk beds. Staying roughly 30 miles away from the ski resort and near the small town of Glacier, we did not expect as much snow on Saturday night.
Without Wi-Fi or cell service/data, we found ways to stay entertained when not outside. The place had a VCR with Star Wars movies IV- VI. We watched them and had fun rewinding and seeing the lines go across the screen. After making some fajitas and starting the wood stove, a few of us took advantage of the hot tub. The snow fell into the hot tub more as a rainy mist from the warmth. I had a nice clump of snow/ice in my pony tail when I went back inside.
Overall, the chalet was clean and cozy. The firewood was wet with little inside to start the fire. After a few attempts, we finally had a blazing fire. It was nice to have a full kitchen at our disposal, along with couches and a television. Two showers and bathrooms were just enough for the amount of people we had.
Where is your favorite winter destination?
If you liked this post, please share it. To follow me on my journey to travel the world please subscribe to my RSS feed or any of my social networks.