Heliotrope Ridge is the Mount Baker equivalent of the Muir Snowfield on Mount Rainier. There are a few places in Washington where you can hike to to get early season turns. With low elevation glaciers and an easy hike it just takes a little bit of snow to get powder turns. After our first storm of the season it was time to drive north. The plan was to set up camp at the base of Heliotrope Ridge and spend the following day lapping the area. With a phone call from Jason Hummel I was on my way up the Glacier Creek Road. Soon enough I would be getting for first blue sky powder turns of the season.

On Friday I went up to the Muir Snowfield in hopes of finding snow but instead it was rain. On my way home Saturday morning I received a phone call from the Hummel’s. They were calling to see if I would be interested in going for a camping trip up to Heliotrope Ridge. Being interested I frantically threw all of my wet gear in the dryer and packed up to leave in a few hours. After all the packing, washing, and drying, the Hummel’s were a good two hours ahead of me.

Quickly I jumped in my car and sped up to Mount Baker in hopes of catching up. I pulled into the parking lot next to a couple of hikers who happened to be chatting about some skiers who had just headed up the trail. I asked them if the skiers had been twins. No, they said, they weren’t sure if they were twins, but the skiers “sure looked European.” European was good enough for me. Throwing my gear in the my backpack I was off making my way up the trail.

Hiking up the Heliotrope Ridge Trail to Camp Under Mount Baker

After about an hour of quick-paced hiking, I was drenched in sweat. By now the sun had began to set to the west. Determined not to be lured into resting and taking in the alpenglow I kept moving. Soon enough I was being beckoned by the call of a Hummel in the distance. Just as the sun began to disappear behind the mountains, I reached camp, near the base of the Coleman Glacier on Heliotrope Ridge. I set up my tent with the last bit of light. It was then that the wind came.

 

The wind blew all night and consequently none of us got any sleep. At one point the tent was rocking back and forth so hard I was worried about being blown off the edge. This went on for the whole night. Occasionally I would make my way outside to check out the view. It was a stunning clear night with a view all the way to the summit of Mount Baker.

 

Waking up to a Windy Morning

We all planned to get up early to watch the sun rise and take pictures, but it was about 9:30 by the time I crawled out of my tent. Josh and Jason awoke soon after, and noted that we’d probably better get going.

In my rush to pack my gear I had forgot my skins. While Jason got his photography equipment together, I started bootpacking to the top of Heliotrope Ridge. Once on the ridge the wind began howling with new fury. I took my goggles out of my bag to avoid being blinded by the flying snow and ice. Whenever a strong wind came I’d drop to the ground to avoid being blown away. Whenever the wind showed signs of letting up I’d rush forward ’till the gusts returned. When Josh caught up with me he said that we should traverse to a sheltered spot. I agreed that this was probably a safe bet.

 

While traverse across crevasses were a concern. I was bootpacking on Glaciated slopes. As a precaution Josh went first and probed the snow with a ski pole. Finally the winds calmed down and we could enjoy the freshly-fallen snow. Once on the top of Heliotrope Ridge we could finally get some turns.

 

The First Powder Turns of the Season on Heliotrope Ridge

Making our way down was a mixture of smooth and wind textured snow. One turn would be soft and dry while the next was ice. There was powder but we had to find the right spots. While taking turns down we had the stunning backdrop of Mount Baker and the Roman Headwall.

 

On our way down found a nice little wind lip to get powder turns off. Making the most of the area we rode about 6 or 700 feet before taking a second lap. The second time we hiked back to the top of Heliotrope Ridge and soon were dropping in for a final run. With a slightly different route we were able to find 1000 vert of good snow. All in all it the perfect way to spend a Sunday and get the first powder turns of the season. It was finally official that the season had begun!

 

Thank you for reading this trip report on Heliotrope Ridge

If you want to see more ski tours within the Mt. Baker Backcountry area check out this link