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Mount Baker resort snow
Lat Long: 48.79° N 121.82° W
Ski USA - Washington

Mount Baker Resort Reviews

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Visitor reviews for Mount Baker Ski Resort

Mount Baker Ratings

Overall: 2.7. Based on 101 votes and 80 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 3.7

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Mount Baker is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 3.6

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Mount Baker has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 3.5

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 3.8

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 2.9

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Mount Baker

Public Transport: 2.1

  • There are no buses or taxis to Mount Baker
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 2.1

  • No places to stay in/near Mount Baker
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 1.9

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 1.6

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Mount Baker

Ski in/Ski out: 1.5

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 1.7

  • There are no child care facilities at Mount Baker
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 1.5

  • Mount Baker relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 3.0

  • There are no snow groomers at Mount Baker
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Mount Baker are groomed daily

Shelter: 3.2

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Mount Baker is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 1.8

  • If snow conditions are poor at Mount Baker, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 3.9

  • Mount Baker usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 3.5

  • The staff at Mount Baker are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Mount Baker are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 3.4

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 2.7

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 3.4

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 2.7

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 3.2

  • No intermediate terrain at Mount Baker
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 3.7

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 2.1

  • Not even a kicker at Mount Baker
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 2.3

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Mount Baker
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 1.5

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Mount Baker has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 2.9

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 2.8

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 2.1

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 1.4

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 1.7

  • Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
  • The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
  • The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 2.3

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 3.6

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 3.6

  • Overall, Mount Baker is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 3.6

  • Overall, Mount Baker is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

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October 16, 2009
pow pounda localNW from Ski USA - California USA - California
Mount Baker will no longer have the big park hits near chair 8, they said it's not worth the expense every morning. The 'pipe' isn't really built like a pipe to ride in. It's 4ft tall and it shoots you out so don't come for pipe or park. There is the pinky park but pinky about sums it up. Baker (Mount Baker) is not a resort but a ski area, meaning no special treatment for anybody, no lodging, but there is some in quaint Glacier, Wa, 30 some miles down hill. This is more for the freeriders and backcountry folk. Don't forget beacon, shovel, probe and your bro if you trek out of the ropes. Some days it is required inbounds, cause it really dumps sometimes, yes inbounds slides, tree wells and deep snow exists most of the season. I've seen 18" overnight in April. So don't get lost and stay out my way.
February 23, 2009
Nick from Ski USA - California USA - California
As of this year (2009) all the chair lifts at Mount Baker are quads. There are 1 or 2 parks depending on the snowfall they receive. There is the Pinky Park at the top of chairs three and four with short and long straight boxes, a c-box, kink box, and a dog house, along with a few jumps. When the other park is up, it's off chair eight and has more advanced features like pipes and bigger jumps.
January 31, 2009
tankthink
Mount Baker is a small and rustic mountain where facilities are average, chairs are even a bit scary, and lodging of any kind is limited. Best seen on a clear day as the lifts give you access to stunning vistas. Temperatures are warmer than most BC resorts making the snow heavier and a fresh wax suited to warm temperatures is highly recommended. As far as getting there on a clear day it's 2 hours drive from Vancouver; roughly the same from Seattle. Chains or 4WD are also highly recommended and a must on any significant snow day. Mount Baker has a good amount of terrain for all levels but with a relatively low peak, limited facilities, and a vertical close to that of Vancouver's local coastal mountains. Mount Baker is tiny compared to the Whistler or Banff resorts. Mount Baker may not be suited for those people who want the big mountain experience.
November 06, 2008
Ron from Ski USA - California USA - California
Baker's back country from #1 or #8 rocks, just be careful. I've only ridden the west coast but Baker's in a class by itself. The lifties are head and shoulders above everywhere else, always squeegee the chairs, then stick the handle out and give you a boost to the chair so you don't have to take your binding off! Expect to have your binding on when you come off the chair early season, especially #1, it's on a platform around 100' in the air w/a steep ramp opening day, almost flat late season, which gives you an idea how much snow they get. It can be dangerous even just off the trail groom when there's been a 6' dump over the last couple of days. I've been stuck vertical with just my board sticking out, just off groomed. I'd never ride there without a partner close by mid December to mid February if you go out of bounds-off trail, can't tell how many times I've been buried :)
August 26, 2008
Brandon E. from Ski USA - California USA - California
I ride all over the west coast and this last winter I worked at Mt Baker. It is definitely my favorite place to ride. Great snow, little to no lines, awesome terrain and back country. One of the least developed areas with a world class mountain.
April 15, 2008
JBR from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
AWESOME - loads of snow. Dead cheap, amazing terrain variation, great back-country and off-piste and really friendly; not a circus like Whistler and not full of 'I've taken one lesson and think I'm king of the hill' types you get in north short mtns.
November 15, 2006
Morgan
Mount Baker is a great place to ski or ride!! There is tons of terrain and lift lines are short even when the place is busy. The snow is a little heavier than in many other areas (similar to North Shore and other coastal areas) but there is a ton of it. The terrain park is second to none, and if you are equipped properly the backcounty is awesome. The only downside is the utter lack of a "resort"... There are no substantial accomodations close by, so it does not lend itself to anything other than daytrips. For the low price (less than North Shore), amount of snow and lack of crowds Mount Baker is the best value in my opinion!
March 06, 2006
tammy from Ski USA - California USA - California
You probably won't like it, so don't come...te he! just trying to keep it to ourselves
February 26, 2006
Barry
I like Baker better then Whistler. Way cheaper, not beginner friendly and tons of snow. Yes the chairs are slow and scary (no safety bars) but the line ups are short and the riding is awsome. The snow is often a bit heavier, but better than I see in the Vancouver locals.
September 15, 2003
Jeffrey Knecht from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Mt. Baker is a little area that rocks! Why? It's the snow! First, this place receives more snow than any other ski resort in the United States - over 600 inches in a typical year. That's more than Alta, Squaw Valley, Mammoth or Jackson Hole. In the 1998-99 season Mt Baker set the WORLD snowfall record - 1,140 inches! I hope you like powder if you visit. The amount of skiing available is not huge, but it's the quality of the terrain which makes this place great. Open powdery meadows, cliffs, chutes, hidden glades, open cruising terrain, tree-lined runs - all covered with a 100-200 inch base. Experts: You will be very happy here! Try glades Skier's Right off Chair 6, Chute right under Chair 1 (steep!), and Gabl's area under Chair 4/5. Baker also has a liberal backcountry policy - take responsibilty for yourself - that allows you to leave the ski area boundary and try Shuskan Arm. Respect avalanche warnings - 3 people died last year. Intermediates: Great area for you too! Cruise the areas between Chair 8 and Chair 4/5 for groomed tree-lined runs, a few open sloped and some easy pitches to learn powder techniques on. Beginners: Not the best area for beginner skiers. Limited terrain around the base lodges and lots of snow can make it tough for some. Snowboarders: They love this mountain! Lots of interesting shapes for hits, great powder and a long snowboarding tradition make this a great place for boarders. Liftlines are never a problem at Baker. Even at peak times they should be under 5 minutes. However, all the lifts are slow doubles or quads. Tip: The White Salmon base lodge is ALWAYS more crowded than the Heather Meadows lodge so use Heather Meadows when it's open on the weekends. Overall, Mt. Baker is an incredibly unique place and definitely worth a 2.5 hr drive from Seattle. If the snow does let up when you are there and the sun comes out, the views of Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuskan are stunning! Some of the best in the state.