Mt. Baker has the highest lift-served snowfall in the world, so it should come as no surprise that it leads North America with 28.4% of winter days with 6 inches or more of snow and 65% of winter months with 90 inches or more. The 5% of months with than 30 inches are also an elite level of drought resistance. The key risk to snow conditions is not drought but rain. This is a minor issue for the locals, who can sit out the wet weather and wait to ski the next week’s dump. It does, however, make planning a big trip involving air travel here more of a gamble. In terms of quality, storms at Mt. Baker can bring the cold stuff that makes for beautiful turns, or just as often, they can douse you with warmer snow that you weigh by the pound instead of measuring by the inch. Be prepared with the fattest, most rockered skis you can get for the latter conditions.

Accumulation and Preservation

With its massive snowfalls, Mt. Baker has as good a shot at Thanksgiving skiing as anyone. But rain incidence is higher in November than the winter months, so mid-December is a more typical time frame for most terrain to be open. Mt. Baker is adequately covered at Christmas more than 90% of the time. While Mt. Baker is about half north exposed, its altitude is a modest 3,600-5,100 feet. Thus overall snow preservation is mediocre. Mt. Baker is a place you want to be when the snow is fresh, which as noted above is more often than anywhere else in North America.