Mount Baker, WA Operating Plan Winter 2020/21: No Limited Capacity and No Reservations to Begin With

There are many factors to consider when deciding to buy a season pass any given winter. This year is exceptional in a novel way for both of us, write Mount Baker, WA, so before you make the decision that is best for you fill yourself in on what you can expect from skiing or riding at Baker this winter.

• Related: Skiing the PNW – The Best Months to Ski Oregon and Washington

Make sure to check out the FAQs and if you have further questions please reach out. Some aspects of our winter operations are still under development so we appreciate your patience and understanding.

YES, MT. BAKER WILL BE OPEN THIS SEASON!

We are excited for the season and looking forward to seeing you all . . . friends, family, and new faces in the snow and mountains this winter.  We will continue providing Winter Ski Area operations and services and will be doing so with modifications to follow current Washington State and COVID-19 requirements relevant to the ski area.

Our crew has spent many, many hours this summer planning for the various scenarios we may see this winter, and now our crew is putting these plans into action and we will be ready for the snow to fly.  Scroll down to see a summarised list of our plans.  Throughout the fall we will be adding videos of our department managers walking through some of our planned operations for the upcoming season.  So check back throughout the next few months for continued updates.

While your day-to-day experiences will be different as we all adapt to ski area operations during COVID-19, enjoying nature and the outdoors remains the reason we are here.

DAILY OPERATIONS

• EXPANDED OPERATION SCHEDULE:  Open 7-days-a-week from Opening Day through May 5, 2021*
  • COVID-19 bonus; we are adding 7-day-a-week operation through the entire month of April and through May 5th.
  • Featuring springtime feature parks, starting around April 1st.
    * Opening and closing day are dependent on conditions
• Heather Meadows Base Area – Daily operations (7-days-a-week) will be based out of Heather Meadows this season.  The Heather Meadows facilities allow for more capacity during physical distancing.
• White Salmon Base Area – Open weekends and holidays, and possibly open for some midweek operation days.
• Raven Hut Lodge – Open 7-days-a-week
• CHECK THE WEBSITE SNOW REPORT DAILY FOR OPERATIONS DETAILS Please check the website snow the day prior to visiting the mountain, and the morning of each visit to verify operational plans for the day of your visit.

MOUNTAIN ACCESS

• NUMBER OF PEOPLE SKIING/RIDING:  Under current requirements, when the season begins you will not need a reservation to ride the lifts at Mt. Baker.
  • There may be a few, or many, days that there are NO RESTRICTIONS on the number of people we can have skiing/riding the mountain.
  • There also may be a few, or many, days that there ARE restrictions on the number of people we can have skiing/riding the mountain.
• RESERVATIONS:   If, and only if, RESTRICTIONS on the number of people skiing/riding ARE NEEDED for a given day, we will implement an online reservation system for skiing/riding access.  Again, there may be a few, or many, days this season where there is NO RESERVATION SYSTEM.  There also may be a few, or many days, this season where there is a reservation system.
  • Season Passes:  If, AND ONLY IF, there is a reservation system for lift access in place on a given day, Mt. Baker season passholders will be guaranteed AT LEAST 51% of the reservations on that day.  For logistics purposes, on reservation days passholders with a confirmed online reservation will need to activate their reservation at the ticket office and get a daily lift ticket (free) for that day in order to access the lifts.
  • Daily Lift Tickets:  If, AND ONLY IF, there is a reservation system for lift access in place on a given day, visitors will be required to secure a reservation online, and then visitors with a confirmed online reservation will need to activate their reservation at the ticket office and get a daily lift ticket for that day in order to access the lifts.
• MT. BAKER FACILITIES:  This season, access to all Ski Area facilities will be limited to Mt. Baker’s daily lift ticket and season passholders only.  This includes chairlifts, lodges, and ski area restrooms.
  • PARKING :
    • For those who don’t purchase a current Mt. Baker daily lift ticket or season pass, public parking at Heather Meadows is available on the WSDOT-maintained Highway 542 loop between 7:00 am – 7:00 pm.
    •  Mt. Baker ski area maintains the Heather Meadows and White Salmon lots at our expense for skiing and snowboarding customers.  Given the significant increase in non-ski area users, we might restrict parking in our parking areas to paying customers only.
    • Overnight Parking:  Will be limited and by reservation only.

SEASON PASSES

• Yes, we are selling season passes, starting September 15th!  Please CLICK HERE to link to our season pass section for complete details.
• BUY ONLINE!  For the health and safety of our staff and you, the customer, we have structured our pass prices and revised pass-making options this season to encourage purchasing online.  This will greatly reduce in-office, in-person transactions, which is important at this time.
  • Online purchasing benefits
    • Mailed directly to you!  Your season pass and complimentary custom art neck gaitor will be shipped directly to you in a timely manner at no additional charge.
    • It’s faster!  No in-person or over-the-phone wait time.
    • Promotes social distancing.  Reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure for yourself and others.
    • Re-use your old photo (for returning passholders) or upload a new one online.
    • FREE “Easy Money” gift card (value up to $40) for returning passholders who purchase online during Droppin’ In rates.  See FAQ for more information.
    • It costs the same – no added fees for buying online.
    • No need to get dressed up for a trip to the Business Office . . . you can make the purchase at home in your bathrobe while watching Afterglow or Dark Matter.
• Pass prices shown on the website include everything except Washington State Sales Tax.  So you will NOT be charged additional processing fees, mailing fees, credit card fees, or anything else, just the local taxes.