I spent my spring break taking a trip to Bellingham, WA with some close friends from school. The goal was to go on a ski trip, but the unfortunate reality of the rain shut us down for most of it.Â
Thankfully on our second to last day the resort opened up and I could enjoy my first day skiing in Washington. I was initially pretty distraught when facing the ninety minute drive from Bellingham to Mt Baker but it was immediately so beautiful I somehow didn’t seem to mind (Along with a quick stop to the delicious Wake & Bakery on the way).
I am still a little baffled that all in one day I was able to see the ocean, incredible greenery, and still go skiing. Only having lived in Colorado and Montana I was astonished at how beautiful the drive was. The time seemed to fly by.Â
Slowly the road headed uphill and the mountains peaked through the trees. I understood there was skiing in Washington but I was truly ignorant of the sheer size of the mountains surrounding Mt Baker. Not only was the resort skiing incredibly vast, but side/backcountry access was almost unbelievable.
I have to say the ski conditions were pretty abysmal, after five days of heavy rain the snowpack was certainly struggling. It didn’t seem to matter though as wonderful people in a new place made the day quite fantastic.
We got particularly lucky that it was snowing during our day, as opposed to rain, and we even saw the sun for a couple hours. It was interesting too, experiencing the snow surface after such heavy rain. I’m not sure I have ever skied such firm snow leading directly into sloppy slush all in the same one. It was quite the experience!
The people surrounding me made this day just a bit sweeter too. With a couple locals to lead us around my friends and I elated to tour around Baker. From skiing trees like I’ve never seen before, to wide open runs and even running water, I think I am certainly hooked.
I hope to return to Mt Baker soon, maybe in better snow conditions, but certainly with wonderful people and a smile on my face. It’s always fun to explore somewhere new (and makes bad skiing that much better)!