Mount Baker Ski Area

Mt. Baker Ski Area
Mt. Shuksan in 2003 from the White Salmon Lodge
Mt. Baker Ski Area Location in the United States
Location	Glacier, Washington, U.S.
Nearest city	Bellingham: 52 miles (84 km) west, 75 min drive
Coordinates	48°51′43″N 121°39′14″W / 48.862°N 121.654°W / 48.862; -121.654Coordinates: 48°51′43″N 121°39′14″W / 48.862°N 121.654°W / 48.862; -121.654
Vertical	1,589 ft (484 m)
Top elevation	5,089 ft (1,551 m)
Base elevation	3,500 ft (1,067 m) White Salmon Base Area 4,300 ft (1,310 m) Heather Meadows Base Area
Skiable area	1,000 acres (4.0 km2)
Runs	31 - 24% easiest - 45% more difficult - 31% most difficult
Lift system	8 chairs, 2 rope tows
Snowfall	641 in (53.4 ft; 16.3 m)
Snowmaking	no
Night skiing	no
Website	mtbaker.us

Mt. Baker Ski Area is a ski resort in the northwest United States, located in Whatcom County, Washington, at the end of State Route 542. The base elevation is at 3,500 feet (1,067 m), while the peak of the resort is at 5,089 feet (1,551 m). It is about 10 miles (16 km) south of the 49th parallel, the international border with Canada.

The ski area is home to the world's greatest recorded snowfall in one season, 1,140 inches (95.0 ft; 29.0 m), recorded during the 1998–99 season. Mt. Baker also enjoys the unofficially highest average annual snowfall of any resort in the world, with 641 inches (53.4 ft; 16.3 m).

The ski area is known for numerous challenging in-bounds routes and for the many backcountry opportunities that surround it. The backcountry is accessible from several chairlifts, and access is permitted from the resort following the Mt. Baker Ski Area backcountry policy.

The lifts at Mt. Baker are not named but referred to by number. All are fixed-grip quads. Chairs 3 and 4 access the same point from different sides of the mountain using a continuous loop of cable (haul rope); there is a mid-station at the top for unloading only.

Chair 1 runs from the Heather Meadows Lodge upper base area to the top of Panorama Dome. There is a midpoint station on this lift, where other riders can catch it halfway down the mountain, allowing for speedy runs on Austin, Pan Face, North Face, Chicken Ridge, and the famed Chute. Also accessible from Chair 1 is the Canyon and the rest of the Chair 6 terrain. Chair 2 is located at the Heather Meadows Lodge upper base area. This is a chair for beginners. Chair 3 allows customers either to access the Raven Hut Lodge area or return down to Chairs 2 and 3. Chair 4 runs from the Raven Hut Lodge area and back up to the top of Chair 3. Chair 5 replaced two parallel double chairs and accesses intermediate terrain, as well as the experts-only Gabl's run and the Elbow backcountry area. Chair 6 runs to the top of Panorama Dome. Chair 7 is the only chair that leaves from the White Salmon Lodge base area. From it, one can access Chair 8 or the Raven Hut Lodge area. Chair 8 is the longest chair on the mountain and features longer groomed runs as well as access to the Hemispheres and Shuksan Arm backcountry areas. Additionally, there are two handle-tow surface lifts for beginners, one located at White Salmon and one at Heather Meadows.