Mount Baker is a large stratovolcano located in NW Washington state near the Canadian border. Nearly completely encased in ice, it hosts the second largest glacial system in the contiguous United States (after Mount Rainier). The Easton Glacier on its south side provides the gentlest route to the summit, although it is quite heavily crevassed. The tremendous snowfall on Mount Baker (averaging well over 600 inches annually) helps keep the crevasses bridged and the glacier skiable until late in the summer. Much above average snowfall during the winter of 1996-97 allowed us to enjoy typical June conditions on this ski trip in early August 1997.
Click on any photo to go there, or start your tour with the first photo...
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| Starting Elevation: | 3200 ft (1000 m) | Weather Conditions: | Clear, cloudy; moderate winds | |||
| Summit Elevation: | 10781 ft (3286 m) | Temperature: | 40-70 F (5-20 C) | |||
| Roundtrip Distance: | 14 miles (22 km) | Visibility: | Over 100 miles (160 km) | |||
| Total Skiable Vertical: | 5900 ft (1800 m) | Ski Conditions: | Windpack, soft corn snow, slush |
This was a private trip, with a party of two (myself and Alex Cronin).