How late does Mt Baker normally stay open? Is it still open in April? If so, what are conditions like there then? I may be there on a trip in early April next year and wanted to know if it would be worth bringing my skis.
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Pacific NW/AK/BC Mt Baker late season
- Thread starter TexasStout
- Start date
The Mt. Baker Ski Area closes daily operations at the end of March and then goes to weekends only through the end of April according to this coming season's calendar. Their web site has the scoop: http://www.mtbaker.us/ski-area-info/operation-calendar
And to answer the second part of the question. Snowpack is likely to be deep, coverage is likely to be excellent, and conditions could be... just about anything depending on the weather. Could be deep fresh snow, or refrozen crud, or anything in between. It's not unusual at that time of year to expect some springtime freeze/thaw going on, where the morning could be pretty firm and will likely soften up as the day goes on. However that time of year is so weather-dependent, you just never know, I've had some amazing powder days in early April before.
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When you say “I will be there on a trip”, will you be specifically in the Bellingham area, or the Seattle area in general? If the former, Whistler/Blackcomb may be a better bet, and the latter, Crystal. Both have a decent amount of terrain at higher elevations than Baker and better snow preservation at that time of the year.
That said, in early April you could have awesome conditions at any of the PNW areas, Baker included. I’ve skied Stevens on the last day of season, April 20-something, when it’s snowing decent quality snow, another year it was 70 degrees and sunny.
That said, in early April you could have awesome conditions at any of the PNW areas, Baker included. I’ve skied Stevens on the last day of season, April 20-something, when it’s snowing decent quality snow, another year it was 70 degrees and sunny.
Thread Starter
TS
Yeah, I didn't say specifically. Seattle. Stevens and Crystal are probably better choices for convenience sake.
For convenience from Seattle, Alpental is the easiest/fastest to get to, 60 minutes from Seattle. It’s not very big, but has 2200’ vertical and some serious gnar. Also has some nice night skiing, so you can hit it after any business you have to attend to on a given day. Otherwise, yes, Stevens (which also has a lot of night skiing) or Crystal. If you have an Ikon Pass, Crystal or Alpental makes sense, if you have an Epic Pass, Stevens. Otherwise, flip a coin, repeatedly, until you get the answer you wanted.