Bannick
03-07-2004, 08:17 PM
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Baker-004-med.jpg
We arrived in Seattle on 13 February 2004. Having checked the weather sites and forecasts we immediately stated to make plans to head to Bellingham Sunday the 15th to hit Baker on the 16th and 17th. The forecast was for 6-10 inches Sunday into Monday with another 6-10 for Monday into Tuesday.
Monday broke clear and cool in Bellingham about 36 degrees this is good for Baker. We called the report and they received 8” and were reporting clear skies. We were up and in the car by 6:45 for the 70 minute trip up the mountain. The road to baker is like no other. You leave sea-level behind in Bellingham and head East on Hwy 542. The road winds up through the temperate rain forest past rivers, waterfalls and ancient cedars. Pictures do not do the drive justice. There are smells and feelings that you just cannot capture.
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Baker_Hwy-002-med.jpg
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Baker_Hwy-001-med.jpg
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Baker_Hwy-003-med.jpg
The road was cut up as a northern route through the cascade mountains but when the road reached what would become the Baker parking lot there was no where to go. Thus Mt. Baker Ski and Snowboard Resort was born. The arrival at the lot is filled with anticipation of the day ahead. We got up to the lot greeted by clear skies and a temperature of 28 degrees Fahrenheit. In all my years of riding Baker I have had clear skies only once. The parking lot was empty and the sound of bombs exploding up the mountain greeted us as we geared up. There is nothing quite like the sound of bombs to get you even more excited.
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Parking_lot-001-med.jpg
The “resort” itself uses generators to power everything and is still family run. They are completely off the grid. Thus there are no high speed lifts here. There are three new fixed grip quads and the rest of the chairs are old fixed grip doubles. The resort is actually on Shuksan Arm to the north east of Mt. Baker itself. The arm is a long ridge coming off Mt. Shuksan towards the Baker Massif.
Mt. Shuksan.
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Shuksan-001-med.jpg
So we got on the 10th chair or so and headed down to Chair 4.5 to start our day as the other chairs were not yet cleared. We took a “warm up” run down under the chair and dropped into seriously steep and exposed tree and rock lined chutes. The snow was deep. The trees were holding 18 to 24 inches easy. I am not sure where they figured on 8”. Trust me we were not complaining. It took me about 4 turns to remember what it means to ride big mountains again and was jumping into the fresh snow and steeps like I never left the west.
We hit Chair 6 when it opened for more powder runs and more drops. landing in all that snow felt like nothing. Total hero snow.
The view up 6
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Chair_Six-001-med.jpg
Coming down under 6
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Chair_Six-002-med.jpg
They opened the canyon so we went to check that out as well and took some runs down the front side of the resort via Austin. The canyon is just that. The true entrance is a short hike from the top of Chair 6. Access is about where the shots of the peak were taken from. The start is a steep wide open bowl with a bit of a flat at the bottom where it starts to narrow. The walls close in on both sides and the run through the bottom (a portion is groomed out) is actaully on snow that avalanches off the walls and fills in a creek. On a cold hard pack day if you stop you can thump on the snow and it sounds kind of hollow. (I have been told that later on in the season you can hear the water flowing beneath you.) The walls on both sides rise up about 6-800 feet on both sides and even after avi clearance the snow still sheds off the walls. The south wall has some amazing lines. The canyon spills out above the bottom of Chair 6 and 4.5. Like no other run I have done.
Bottom of the Canyon above Chair 6.
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Canyon-001-med.jpg
The South wall of the canyon with the top of Chair 8 and Panorama Dome…all in bounds!!
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Canyon-002-med.jpg
Our hike to Austin gave us clear views of Mt. Baker in all its glory.
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Baker-001-med.jpg
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Baker-002-med.jpg
The day ended with more powder and a storm moving in for Tuesday. Tuesday had another 12 inches of much heavier snow. The clouds were socked in as usual and we rode the mountain pretty much by feel. The Canyon was closed but there is plenty of other fun to be had. It was another epic day. Photos were next to impossible on days like that.
Coming up Chair 8 on Tuesday.
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Got_Snow-med.jpg
On our way up to Whistler the following Sunday Baker was clear again as seen from Abbotsford BC off the Trans-Canada Highway.
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Baker-003-med.jpg
I need to get back.
We arrived in Seattle on 13 February 2004. Having checked the weather sites and forecasts we immediately stated to make plans to head to Bellingham Sunday the 15th to hit Baker on the 16th and 17th. The forecast was for 6-10 inches Sunday into Monday with another 6-10 for Monday into Tuesday.
Monday broke clear and cool in Bellingham about 36 degrees this is good for Baker. We called the report and they received 8” and were reporting clear skies. We were up and in the car by 6:45 for the 70 minute trip up the mountain. The road to baker is like no other. You leave sea-level behind in Bellingham and head East on Hwy 542. The road winds up through the temperate rain forest past rivers, waterfalls and ancient cedars. Pictures do not do the drive justice. There are smells and feelings that you just cannot capture.
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Baker_Hwy-002-med.jpg
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Baker_Hwy-001-med.jpg
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Baker_Hwy-003-med.jpg
The road was cut up as a northern route through the cascade mountains but when the road reached what would become the Baker parking lot there was no where to go. Thus Mt. Baker Ski and Snowboard Resort was born. The arrival at the lot is filled with anticipation of the day ahead. We got up to the lot greeted by clear skies and a temperature of 28 degrees Fahrenheit. In all my years of riding Baker I have had clear skies only once. The parking lot was empty and the sound of bombs exploding up the mountain greeted us as we geared up. There is nothing quite like the sound of bombs to get you even more excited.
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Parking_lot-001-med.jpg
The “resort” itself uses generators to power everything and is still family run. They are completely off the grid. Thus there are no high speed lifts here. There are three new fixed grip quads and the rest of the chairs are old fixed grip doubles. The resort is actually on Shuksan Arm to the north east of Mt. Baker itself. The arm is a long ridge coming off Mt. Shuksan towards the Baker Massif.
Mt. Shuksan.
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Shuksan-001-med.jpg
So we got on the 10th chair or so and headed down to Chair 4.5 to start our day as the other chairs were not yet cleared. We took a “warm up” run down under the chair and dropped into seriously steep and exposed tree and rock lined chutes. The snow was deep. The trees were holding 18 to 24 inches easy. I am not sure where they figured on 8”. Trust me we were not complaining. It took me about 4 turns to remember what it means to ride big mountains again and was jumping into the fresh snow and steeps like I never left the west.
We hit Chair 6 when it opened for more powder runs and more drops. landing in all that snow felt like nothing. Total hero snow.
The view up 6
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Chair_Six-001-med.jpg
Coming down under 6
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Chair_Six-002-med.jpg
They opened the canyon so we went to check that out as well and took some runs down the front side of the resort via Austin. The canyon is just that. The true entrance is a short hike from the top of Chair 6. Access is about where the shots of the peak were taken from. The start is a steep wide open bowl with a bit of a flat at the bottom where it starts to narrow. The walls close in on both sides and the run through the bottom (a portion is groomed out) is actaully on snow that avalanches off the walls and fills in a creek. On a cold hard pack day if you stop you can thump on the snow and it sounds kind of hollow. (I have been told that later on in the season you can hear the water flowing beneath you.) The walls on both sides rise up about 6-800 feet on both sides and even after avi clearance the snow still sheds off the walls. The south wall has some amazing lines. The canyon spills out above the bottom of Chair 6 and 4.5. Like no other run I have done.
Bottom of the Canyon above Chair 6.
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Canyon-001-med.jpg
The South wall of the canyon with the top of Chair 8 and Panorama Dome…all in bounds!!
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Canyon-002-med.jpg
Our hike to Austin gave us clear views of Mt. Baker in all its glory.
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Baker-001-med.jpg
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Baker-002-med.jpg
The day ended with more powder and a storm moving in for Tuesday. Tuesday had another 12 inches of much heavier snow. The clouds were socked in as usual and we rode the mountain pretty much by feel. The Canyon was closed but there is plenty of other fun to be had. It was another epic day. Photos were next to impossible on days like that.
Coming up Chair 8 on Tuesday.
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Got_Snow-med.jpg
On our way up to Whistler the following Sunday Baker was clear again as seen from Abbotsford BC off the Trans-Canada Highway.
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/564/1078Baker-003-med.jpg
I need to get back.