What skiers need to know about Mt. Baker’s opening day

Friday, Nov. 18, is opening day this year at Mt. Baker Ski Area. Here is what you need to know before you hit the slopes, which saw 674 inches of snowfall in the 2021-22 season:

▪ The mountain is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily and provides a variety of skiing and snowboarding across 32 named runs. It has seven green, 11 blue and 14 black or double black diamond runs across eight chair lifts and two rope tows, according to Mt. Baker Ski Area Marketing Director Amy Trowbridge. The lifts are four-seaters, but are fixed grip so they do not slow down at the bottom to make boarding easier.

Trowbridge said the longest she has had to wait in line for a chairlift is 14 minutes, but usually the wait is closer to 3-7 minutes on weekends. On weekdays, she said it is common to be able to ski right up to the chair without having to wait.

▪ Lift ticket prices vary by age and time skiing and are available only in person at the ticket window. Full-day tickets are priced at adult (16-59) $87.04, youth (11-15) $54.63, child (7-10) $37.04, senior (60-69) $73.15, super senior (70+) $51.39, beginner chair only (16-69) $54.63. Season pass sales reached the cap and are no longer available for sale this year.

▪ The White Salmon Base Area is located at mile marker 52 on Mount Baker Highway and Heather Meadows Base Area is located at mile marker 55. The ski area has road condition tools on its website to make sure people get to the mountain and back home safely. The drive is about 90 minutes from downtown Bellingham and the road conditions can be far from perfect during the ski season. Parking is limited to first-come first-serve, so the ski area recommends people arrive at least an hour early.

▪ Skiers and snowboarders who don’t follow the ski area’s backcountry policy risk losing ski area privileges. These requirements include having an avalanche beacon, a partner and knowledge of the area and weather. Ski patrol can be contacted in case of emergency at 360-300-7070.

▪ For those looking to learn to ski, Mt. Baker offers daily lessons starting this weekend, Nov, 19-20. Multi-week lessons will begin later in the season, likely around January or February, Trowbridge said.