The Mount Baker Splitboard Festival has become the biggest Splitboard event in the world. A time and place where like minded individuals migrate to the sleepy town of Glacier in Northern Washington. When March came around it was time to head up to Mount Baker ski area and get onto the skin tracks. Attempting to find good lines on one of the busiest weekends of the year.

Our first Day at the Mount Baker Splitfest

The first day at the Mount Baker Splitboard festival was an opportunity to feel snow stability. The weather was coming in and out but the snow was good so we decided to tour near the resort. It was the Friday before the Splitfest began so it was our chance to lap the easy access terrain.

Our first run of the trip took us near the top of Table Mountain. Quickly we switched from skinning over to boot packing once the terrain steepened.

From climbing we could tell the snow was going to be great when things cleared out. We were dealing with white out conditions as we made our way up the line. One step at a time we crawled up with snow up to our knees.

The first run was magnificent as we made our way down. The snow had seemed stable with minimal movement riding one person at a time.

With the day still being early we decided to head over towards the Mazama dome. We knew this place would see a lot of traffic from the Mount Baker Splitfest and this was our chance to put in a solid skin track.

After climbing up to the high point we dropped into our lines making sure not to cross each others tracks. It seemed that this was the Mount Baker Splitfest everyone was waiting for with a solid forecast and great snow.

Heading back up the valley we put in a gentle skin. This was one of the main spots that people toured so we wanted a track that wouldn’t get destroyed from lots of use. It was a great day feeling out the snow and we were excited for a solid forecast the following day.

A Sunny day in the Mount Baker Backcountry

We arrived at Mount Baker to find clear skies and wondering what to do. That day we were fortunate to be hanging out with Seth who was a local so we came up with a plan. The plan was to traverse North to the bottom of Highway 542 and ride the North facing slopes along the way.

The start of our day put us up on top of Mazama col following our old skin track which was still holding up well. From here on out we would be breaking trail. This was the time to put our boards on our packs and start climbing.

From Mazama Col we pushed our way up Mount Herman laying in a boot pack. With the new snow crampons weren’t needed heading up one step at a time.

Soon we were standing on the summit and enjoying a spectacular view. We could see the terrain we were riding the day before with Mount Baker hanging in the distance.

We scoped out the views for a bit before focusing on the lines we wanted to ride.

It’s Time to Snowboard some Mount Baker Backcountry

There was a nice open chute that was still untracked and it peaked our attention. We were starting to see other peoples tracks but this slope was still clean. Since it was north facing we knew it would hold some of if not the best snow around.

It was a white room with every turn making our way down the steep face. Sluffing was minimal and we could make fast turns on bottomless snow.

Once at the bottom of the chute we joined the other tracks before transitioning. We were heading north and happy as the snow had been even better than we had imagined.

While breaking in the skin track we could see our line behind us. It was a beautiful face and we were looking forward to the what was in store.

We kept pushing further riding the north side of slate peak followed by the next high ridge. Once on this summit we met another local who goes by the name of Woods, we knew we were in a special zone when we started mixing with other locals. The weather was coming in and out so the pictures were few and far between as we moved at a rapid pace.

It was a super fun push as we could always look backwards at our previous run while heading to our next.

The Exit to Highway 542

Finally we were skinning up to our last summit. From here on out it would be one final descent to the bottom of Highway 542. Normally the run would be firm as the bottom is at 2000 feet but this storm came in cold and deep. This was our chance to ride it in clean powder top to bottom.

We had already rode 3 great lines along the way where conditions got better with each run. We felt comfortable in the knowledge that we were around to ride down in solid conditions.

The final run was a snow pillow dream as we jumped from boulder to boulder in bottomless powder. Each turn was something special and we charged down the line.

This run had a different feel as it was in the forest riding all the way down to a forest service road. Once making our way to the forest road we skinned back to Highway 542 and hitched a ride back to our car.

It was a highlight of all my times touring around Mount Baker Ski area as we really got to explore new places. Being one of the snowiest places on the planet sunny powder days are rare and we made the most out of it. I’m super grateful to Seth for showing us around and I was looking forward to another big day with a solid forecast. The plan was to head for the NW Couloir on Mount Shuksan.

If you enjoyed this ski tour and are interested in more trip reports near Mount Baker and off Highway 542 make sure to check out this comprehensive break down of what backcountry lines are out there