Our last day turned out a bit wet but didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the people that showed up!  The snow held up well and was fast, and the drizzle and rain tended to stop in the afternoon, so things got a little better, and we love to see your costumes out on the mountain.

The crews will be busy putting things back in shape for next year, whether it be the lifts, lodges, snow cats, computer systems, snow removal equipment, rental equipment, or fresh gear for the retail shops.  Mt. Baker has some big ski area improvement projects planned for this sumer, so we will be talking with you about them more as summer goes on.

We want to thank every one of you this season, and all in all it's been a very successful one.  Thank you to all of the Season Pass Holders and the daily ticket buyers, we look forward to seeing you again in 2023-2024, and we’re sending a huge shout out and heaps of thanks to all of our employees and volunteers for bringing the Baker friendliness and hard work ethic, always happy to be sharing the stoke with the enjoyment for everyone.

Heather Meadows cafe will start up at the end of June, and season pass information for 2023-24 will be posted in mid-July. so don’t forget about us while you’re steeped in summer mode.  Stop by for a blueberry lemonade, and while you’re at it, go on out and pick a few handfuls of the tastiest wild blueberries for yourself.  They’re completely different from commercially grown berries, and there’s just something super special about being out in the heather meadows area snacking on wild grown fruits.

Did you know the White Salmon Base Area, day lodge, and main ski run off of Chair 5 are named after the rather rare white fleshed king salmon? Yes, it’s true! There really are white fleshed king salmon, and this writer has even caught them before in Puget Sound around the San Juan Islands.  Even the drainage flanking the Chair 8 side of the ski area boundary is named the White Salmon drainage, which flows off the White Salmon glacier on Mount Shuksan, and empties into the North Fork of the Nooksack River. A fun fact about the sea-run salmon, is that they can’t make it past the 180 ft migratorial fish barrier Nooksack Falls. Next time you’re taking a summer drive up the Mt. Baker Highway, take a short detour to view the impressive Nooksack Falls. Just don’t go too close to the edge!

For those of you still reading, here is our last installment in the Stories Behind the Trail Map series. One of the rolls part way down White Salmon is named “Ticket Checker”, named in the 1970s.  Back then we had one ticket checker on the entire mountain, and occasionally he would spring loose for 1 speed run.  So, on a very icy and fast skiing day, he decided to get maximum speed over the roll.  He didn’t plan on going that fast, but ended up being 30 feet in the air and sent it about 100 feet! He got what is commonly called in the back seat, rolling up the windows, and unfortunately landed on his outstretched arms behind him instead of his skis.  Needless to say he broke both arms, but was back to work just as quick as fast as his arms can heal.  Thus, the roll on the hill is forever called ticket checker, and now is adorned with a bright orange slow sign so y’all keep it on the ground.  We hope you’ve enjoyed reading these entries, and we will be picking up the stories behind the trail map again next season.

We hope you have a nice summer, and we look forward to seeing you again in the fall, whenever that snow starts to fly again!