Mount Baker Ski Area sits at 1,500–2,000 metres elevation on the flanks of the active volcano of the same name, about 90 minutes east of Bellingham on Highway 542. It is not the biggest ski resort in the region, but it holds the world record for snowfall in a single season — 29 metres in 1998–99 — and consistently receives more snow than any comparable North American resort. The snow quality is legendary: light, deep powder that persists long after it has turned to slush elsewhere.
The area has two base lodges, no overnight accommodation on the mountain (which keeps the crowds manageable), and a culture that is more PNW ski bum than corporate resort. The terrain ranges from gentle beginner runs to serious backcountry accessed from the ski area boundary. In summer, the road to the ski area continues to Artist Point, an alpine meadow at 1,500 metres with views of both Mount Baker and the jagged Black Buttes.
story: > Mount Baker is one of the most active volcanoes in the Cascades. In 1975, it produced so much heat that the ski area had to close for a season amid concerns about an eruption. The heat subsided, the eruption never came, and the ski area reopened — but the mountain still releases enough volcanic gases to occasionally make the summit smell of sulphur.