Mount Baker Experience Winter 2013 14

ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

WINTER 2013/14

The Art of Deep Days Backcountry Technology Mobbing in the Chuckanuts The Elusive Lucas DeBari MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

SPECIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NORTHERN LIGHT

American Alpine Institute’s 5th Annual

InternatIonal mountaIn day

American Alpine Institute All Events Benefit the NW Weather & Avalanche Center Bellingham Dec 7 • Everett Dec 14 FREE! Rock REscuE clinics 2-hour hands on clinic • 12:30 pm or 3 pm Vital Climbing Gym • 1421 N State St, Bellingham • Dec 7 Vertical World • 2820 Rucker Av, Everett • Dec 14 FREE! avalanchE awaREnEss sEminaR Food • Drink • Live Music RAFFLE & AUCTION of a huge array of new gear Doors open at 6pm, Seminar starts at 7 pm Vital Climbing Gym 1421 N State St, Bellingham • Dec 7 Vertical World • 2820 Rucker Av, Everett • Dec 14

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MOUNT BAKER

e perience

Clinic space by reservation or walk-in • (360) 671-1505

Support avalanche safety in the Northwest

Your financial contribution helps improve avalanche forecasting and provides free avalanche education.

NWAC saves lives. www.nwac.us FoR moRE inFoRmation and a complEtE list oF sponsoRs go to: alpinEinstitutE.com/imd

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Mount Baker Experience | Winter 2013/14

AAI • 1515 12th Street, Bellingham • (360) 671-1505 MountBakerExperience.com

Sat u r dayS o n I c e De ce m b e r 7 | Ja n u a r y 1 1 | Fe b r u a r y 8 Vanishing Ice: Alpine and Polar Landscapes in Art, 1775-2012. On view through March 2, 2014 at the Whatcom Museum, 250 Flora Street, Bellingham, WA. Check www.vanishing-ice.org for details.

WINTER 2013 - 2014

Lift Ticket Gift Cards Available for purchase online, at Bellingham Business Office, or at the ski area when open.

Photo by Jason Hummel

www.mtbaker.us Mt. Baker Ski Area 1420 Iowa Street Bellingham, WA 98229

360-734-6771

Photo: Rylan Schoen

winter 2013/14 | Mount Baker Experience

3

Dog sledding

The Interview

Ahead of the (snow)pack

8

All lined up

9

Experience online, 2.0

11 Mountain Acres Bakers

Mt. Baker’s backcountry policy

14 Visual Language

An early winter ski tour We have a new website and it’s pretty rad

Photo by john scurlock

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Mount Baker Experience | Winter 2013/14

tiny house Adventures

Get away from it all, without leaving home

34 Events Calendar 36 Winter Product Guide 40 Book Reviews 46 Money Well Spent

Sno-park permits

Artwork and gifts in Maple Falls

22 Take this job and shove it

backcountry skiers

Odometers, GPS and more

16 Art from the Mountainside

Gear advancements for better, safer tours

Fire lookouts: havens for

Outdoor photography tips

15 The best ski Apps

10 Backcountry tech

A tasty new food cart in Glacier

30

A powder-day poem by a reformed 8-5’er

23 Deep snow, fine art

Photo by carl buchanan

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Harder than it looks

Photo by neil provo

27

Lucas DeBari

Avalanche airbags: what you need to know

Photo by Brett Baunton

20

Photo by Cole Barash

42

Photo by Grant Gunderson

winter 2013/14 In this issue

Four pages of stunning winter photography

28 Skijoring

Get towed around by your best friend

29 Skagit River Eagles

Don’t miss the annual migration

32 Dining and Lodging Guide

Plus some great hot cocoa recipes

18

The chuckanut Enduro

A mountain bike race in Bellingham

MountBakerExperience.com

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

Publisher’s Note

PUBLISHERS Patrick Grubb and Louise Mugar

By Pat Grubb

Editor Ian Ferguson

W

STAFF WRITERS Ian Ferguson Brandy Kiger Shreve Kara Furr Publication Design Doug De Visser ADVERTISING DESIGN Ruth Lauman, Doug De Visser ADVERTISING SALES Molly Ernst, Judy Fjellman, Janet McCall

elcome to the 2013/14 Winter edition of the Mount Baker Experience. Distributed from Vancouver, B.C. to Seattle this issue is our biggest ever. We hope you enjoy it.

We were pleased to learn last month that the Mount Baker Experience took second place in the Washington Newspaper Publisher’s Association annual awards in the lifestyle/culture division. This is what one judge had to say about us: “This is a fantastic read. The compelling first-

person stories made me want to run out the door and take off for the Mt. Baker area. Photography is eye-catching as well and section is well-edited.”

Nice. That’s exactly what we want people to do after reading the MBE. What this award really reflects, though, is the work of local writers and photographers whose endless passion for the outdoors is communicated through their words and their images. We thank them for their contributions and acknowledge their role in creating what you know hold in your hands.

Have you had a chance to look at our new website? It should be a great resource for all adventureseekers looking for new thrills and more. We want it

to be the ‘go-to’ site for our region. You can help that happen by posting trip reports, photos, events and more – see page 9.

Speaking of contributing, we are always on the look out for new writers and photographers. We only have one basic requirement – you must communicate passion!

Have a great season!

Shuksan Official Mascot of the Mount Baker Experience

OFFICE MANAGER Amy Weaver CONTRIBUTORS Steph Abegg, Brad Andrew, Molly Baker, Cole Barash, Steve Christie, Jay Goodrich, Grant Gunderson, Dylan Hart, Ryan Hasert, Jason Hummel, Patrick Kennedy, Justin Kious, Sue Madsen, Jason Martin, John Minier, Orion Moonie, Brent Murdoch, Paul Nicholson, Ian Provo, Neil Provo, Tero Repo, Richard Riquelme, Sharon Robinson, Rylan Schoen, John Scurlock, Kristin Smith, Neil Schulman EMAIL: info@mountbakerexperience.com WEB: mountbakerexperience.com FACEBOOK: facebook.com/mtbakerexperience PINTEREST: pinterest.com/mtbakerexp TWITTER: twitter.com/MB_Experience If you can see Mt. Baker, you’re part of the experience. Mount Baker Experience is a quarterly recreation guide for and about the Mt. Baker area, published by Point Roberts Press, Inc. and distributed from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C. Locally owned, the company also publishes The Northern Light, All Point Bulletin, Pacific Coast Weddings, Waterside and area maps in Blaine, Washington.

Vol. XXIX, No. 1. Printed in Canada. ©2013 POINT ROBERTS PRESS 225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230 TEL: 360/332-1777 Next Issue: February 1, 2014 Ads Due: January 10, 2014

aDventures in the pacific northWest

Winter 2013/14

the art of Deep Days Backcountry technology Mobbing in the chuckanuts the elusive lucas DeBari MountBakerexperience.coM

SpeciaL puBLication oF the northern Light

ON THE COVER KC Deane comes up for air on a deep powder day at Mt. Baker Ski Area. Looks like he forgot to bring a snorkel.

Photo by Grant Gunderson grantgunderson.com

winter 2013/14 | Mount Baker Experience

5

Ahead

Photo by PatRICK Kennedy

of the (snow)pack

Mt. Baker’s backcountry stance

Participants in Mt. Baker Ski Area’s annual Baker Beacon Rally search for a buried avalanche transceiver.

By Steve Christy

S

even people have died since 1999 in the backcountry surrounding the Mt. Baker Ski Area, something that MBSA’s operations manager Gwyn Howat does not forget. She can name every avalanche or deep-snow immersion victim by name, and she runs into family of the deceased in grocery stores around Bellingham. Despite this, Howat respects everyone’s right to shred powder. She doesn’t mind if you head into the backcountry from the ski area – she just wants you to be safe, educated, and responsible while doing it. That mind-set goes for the entire MBSA operation.

The ski area has been independently owned for its entire existence, a state of affairs that has let management carve their own path. It was one of the first ski areas to allow snowboarding when most of the resorts in North America were concerned about alienating their skiing customers. This proactive deci-

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Mount Baker Experience | Winter 2013/14

sion attracted snowboarders from all over the world and, in turn, led to a boom in accessing the backcountry outside the ski boundaries. This newfound popularity in backcountry use meant the ski area faced a new issue: Most users were not properly educated in avalanche safety and lacked the basic gear or knowledge to perform a companion rescue.

The catalyst for policy change at Mt. Baker came on February 14, 1999, when two young men lost their lives in an avalanche in Rumble Gully, outside the ski area. There’s really no way to describe how the families of the victims, the ski area management or the core group of Baker locals felt then or feel to this day. But Howat sums up this delicate subject well: “Death is permanent and the loss is not forgotten.”

Immediately after that tragedy, MBSA management met with the U.S. Forest Service, the Whatcom County Sheriff ’s

Office and members of Whatcom County Search and Rescue.

They discussed the growing interest in backcountry use, the lack of avalanche education and knowledge at the recreational level and the importance of maintaining access to public lands.

Within a week, Mt. Baker had created its own backcountry policy: “If you leave the ski area boundary into the backcountry or re-enter the ski area from the backcountry, you must have all of the following or you will lose your ski area privileges: 1. Avalanche transceiver and demonstrated ability to use it 2. A partner 3. A shovel 4. Knowledge of the terrain and your ability 5. Avalanche knowledge 6. Knowledge of local avalanche conditions”

MountBakerExperience.com

Photo by Brett Baunton

Photo by Brett baunton

“We understand the passion that people have for the mountains and snow here and we want everyone to live to ride another day.”

To help support the knowledge portion of the policy and train people in avalanche rescue, the ski area opened the Mountain Education Center and began offering backcountry and snow safety courses to anyone who wanted to take one. The goal was to make the courses affordable and accessible and promote responsibility when entering the backcountry. In its infancy, the courses were held anywhere the ski area could find room. But owing to the popularity of the courses and increased backcountry use, the ski area now has a dedicated area on the second floor of the Heather Meadows ski patrol hut, paid employees, and several highly-qualified instructors. This is not a profit center for the ski area – at best it breaks even financially – but the goals are still the same.

Along with the education center, Mt. Baker hosts an annual event called the “Beacon Rally,” which is designed to educate participants on the proper use of avalanche safety equipment. One of the highlights of the event is the timed avalanche beacon search. Instructors are on hand to answer questions pertaining to all avalanche-related topics.

In its first year, the rally became the largest snow safety event in the world with more than 300 people attending. This year, it takes place on December 15. If you’re not a season pass holder, or ticket purchaser, please consider a donation to the Mountain Education Center.

Jeff Hambleton of Baker’s Mountain Education Center sums up the Mt. Baker attitude nicely: “We put a heck of an effort into providing backcountry and avalanche education at this area and it’s working.” With its 15-year-old backcountry policy, on-site avalanche courses and an annual safety event to help skiers and riders stay smart out there, Mt. Baker has been one of the most proactive ski areas in North America in addressing avalanche safety for their customers.

As the Mt. Baker management team puts it, “We understand the passion that people have for the mountains and snow here and we want everyone to live to ride another day.”

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7

An early-winter tour

By Ian Ferguson | photos by Orion Moonie

N

o matter where you live, the first winter storm is usually a tease. With no base layer to build upon, the options for good skiing are limited and even deep snows are usually wet.

Occasionally, however, things line up just right.

A cold bank of moisture rolled over the North Cascades November 2. It poured all day and night in Bellingham, but few people in town knew where the freezing level was in the mountains because the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center (NWAC) website wasn’t yet running for the season. Any foray seeking deepsnow turns would be a gamble.

Some friends backed out the night before because of the uncertainty, so I called Casey Bateman and he invited me to join his WWU Geology friends on a tour to Skyline Divide. I was stoked to explore a place I’d heard of but never been.

We ditched Casey’s car at 6:30 and rode in Moonie’s Tacoma. Sean followed in his Subaru with Heidi, Greg and Peter. Old Crow Medicine Show and Bob Dylan kept us awake as Moonie maneuvered up the switchbacks of FS Road 37.

We stopped 500 yards shy of the trail head where the snow was about eight inches deep and suited up, amazed at the depth and lightness of the snow. We skinned up the road to the trail head.

As we got higher, the snow got deeper and the rising sun lit the snowy tops of the trees.

A mile up the trail, Moonie was well ahead and the others were well behind me. I stopped for a minute, let my breathing settle and looked around at the snow-laden Douglas firs.

The silence was absolute – no breeze, no brook, no birdcalls.

No distant whir of motors, no hum of electricity, no din of

industry – just a muffled lack of sound completely impossible in any urban setting.

The distant laughter of the approaching group broke my trance. We crested the ridge breaking tracks through three feet of cold fluff. With various expressions amid incoherent yelps and whoops of delight, we voiced Between Milepost 20 - 21 approval.

Mt. Baker Hwy., Deming “This snow is perfect!”

Ph 360/599-BEER (2337) It was deep and light. Wind-skidded clouds www.northforkbrewery.com cast intermittent shadows over the landscape.

We peered out at a white bowl with no tracks and made plans for our first runs of the day.

Restaurante

Sean Lahusen SKIS Skyline DIVIDE

ALL LINED UP

I watched Casey, Sean and Heidi pick out lines down through the trees one by one. Then I went, traversing to fresh snow and swooping into the fall line. I turned lightly at first, then with increasing force into beautifully forgiving powder. I rode out the bottom of the slope grinning.

We passed around Greg’s Rainiers in their fancy winter cans and ate lunch in the sunshine before moving on to another, larger bowl, to the south. We headed for the far side, boot-packing up a steep spur.

When we topped out, we had a two-stage line below us that followed the ridge down to the lip of a bowl. We shared turns on the ridge, then chose different entry points on the bowl, one by one.

Sean aired off a rocky outcropping, and it looked so fun we all lapped the line again.

The snow was stable. Nothing propagated more than a few feet, even on hard cuts on 40-degree slopes.

After our two-stage line, we skied down to a creek bed, then transitioned for the skin up a gully to the ridge.

On the way up, Sean noticed the gully was more filled in than anywhere else.

“We should ski this,” he said.

Dark clouds were piling up to the east, and the light was starting to fade. Heidi, Greg, Peter and Moonie decided to skin back to ski the first bowl, arguing that another lap here might put us back to the cars after dark.

Sean negotiated, saying we’d catch up in the other bowl. We transitioned quickly. Sean descended first, whooping, on the deepest run of the day. I was next – face shots the whole 500 feet down. Then Casey. At the bottom we cheered and transitioned as fast as we could, feeling like we’d gotten away with something.

We caught up with the other guys, who had skied a nice line in the first bowl, and we all got back to the cars as dark descended and light snow began to fall. It was a promising way to start the winter.

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Mount Baker Experience | Winter 2013/14

Salmon & Eagles of the Skagit • Birding the Samish Flats • Snowshoe Tracking Sailing to Yellow & Jones Island • Spring Birding • Ross Lake Canoeing

WWW.NCASCADES.ORG • NCI@NCASCADES.ORG • (360) 856-2599 “The Enchantments” by Sedro-Woolley-based photographer Andy Porter

MountBakerExperience.com

Photo by Jay Goodrich

New Website Mountbakerexperience.com The Mount Baker outdoors community, online

O

ur new website does more than showcase the photos and articles from each issue. It’s also a space for usersubmitted trip reports, with helpful route maps, links to current weather and more useful information so you can plan your adventure in the Mt. Baker outdoors.

To plan your adventure: 1. Choose the environment

Do you want to go camping? Choose Land. Fishing? Water.

Let’s try backcountry skiing. Choose Snow.

2. Choose the activity

Click on the activity you want to learn more about.

3. Explore the page

To submit a trip report: 1. Click on the Trip Reports drop down on the home page.

Avalanche Courses This avy course could save your life!

Mt. Baker & Bellingham 3-day programs Weekends Dec-Feb

Backcountry Ski & Splitboard

Clinics & Tours – Basic to Extreme

Trip reports are on the right. Useful links are below the map. GPS data (Pictured left) can be found by clicking on the map icons.

AlpineInstitute.com/Baker 360-671-1505

For Winter Fun!

2. Fill in the form with route de-

scription, conditions and date. You can add photos and GPS data if you want. Hit Submit, and you’re done!

We’ll take a look and post the report to the website as soon as we can.

We have the gear and the knoWledge for all your snow sports needs!

+ Rentals (ski, snowboard, alpine touring, xc, snow shoes & bikes)

+ Kids Season Rentals

This page features user-submitted trip reports, maps and other useful info.

4. Explore the features

Rent your equipment here!

American Alpine Institute

(limited availability – act fast-max. ski length 130, max boot size 24)

Other features of our new website include photo galleries and articles from our print editions, videos and blog posts, a comprehensive events calendar and helpful widgets such as a snow report for local ski areas. Join our online community!

+ Full Service Repair Shop + Winter Sports Clothing

(for snow sports & cycling needs)

Gear By: Atomic, Armada Salomon, Dynafit, Arbor, Smith, Black Diamond, Never Summer, Trew, BCA, Venture & More!

Your source for specialized Bikes & equipment.

Open 7 days a week.

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1108 11th St. Fairhaven • 360-733-4433 www.fairhavenbike.com

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Join

Nooksack Nordic A Ski Club A

• Cross country skiing for Families and individuals • Single & multi-day trips • Clinics • Carpooling

On Tap nOw!

360-676-1146 501 Harris Ave wwsboardshop.com/facebook “Bellingham’s premier Snow and Skate destination since 1980” snowboards • skateboards • surf boards • longboards • skim boards • and more

Evening meetings, first Thursdays

NooksackNordicSkiClub.org winter 2013/14 | Mount Baker Experience

9

Backcountry Photo by Ryan Hasert

Tech

Winter gear advancements

By Brent Murdoch

B

ackcountry touring is exploding in popularity and with that explosion comes an annual wave of new technology and gear. The winter of 2013/14 promises to be no exception.

North Vancouver’s own G3 has released the long awaited “Black Sheep” split board. The fully-rockered board uses carbon fiber over wood core for amazing turns. Even on technical or rough terrain, the board responds with an amazing ride. Black Sheep also gives solid edging when climbing as a true touring set up. If you board and want to hit the backcountry, check it out.

Avalanche transceivers continue to advance. With the move to three-antenna systems several years ago, beacons have become more and more user friendly. They offer much more technical advantage.

Three-antenna systems triangulate, giving both direction and distance approximations to users. Mammut’s addition of the Element to complement the Barryvox model is a good example of companies providing the technical advantages of high-end performance in basic lower price versions. Backcountry Access continues to offer the well-performing Tracker 2 at an affordable entry price for new users.

Another safety advance is the major arrival of the personal locator beacon (PLB). It is important these not be confused with avalanche transceivers.

PLBs allow users to not only send out an “SOS, everything has hit the fan”

signal for immediate help, but now users can send text messages bragging to friends about their epic lines while they are stuck at work.

Utah-based ski company DPS is leading the way once again with its Spoon technology. With a convex shape in the tip that prevents hooking on powder turns, their Spoon ski is designed for the deepest powder days. This pure carbon ski allows a super lightweight to truly perform. DPS has included the “spoon technology” from their Spoon ski in their Lotus series. This allows for much more controlled turns even on windblown days. Now carving can still happen even on days with less than optimal conditions.

Boot fitting is not taking a back seat either. Gone are the days of mandatory sore feet. Liners continue to improve. While it may take a few moldings to get things just right, no longer do you need to settle for numb toes. Ski shops that know fit should be able to do just that – fit your boots properly. If you can’t get a proper fit, find a dealer that knows the process and take your business there (see inset for a list of local boot-fitters).

Remember: Gear is there for one reason – so you can safely enjoy some great lines. Make this the year you actually get out more instead of just talking about it!

(Brent Murdoch owns Valhalla Pure Outfitters in Abbotsford.)

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Open Fri - Sun 10-5

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Beer & Wine

80 Local Artists and Vendors

Holiday Open House Dec. 7 • 1 – 5 PM

Refreshments, door prizes. Live music 2-4.

Happy Hour 2 - 5 pm

599-2890 • 6900 Mt. Baker Hwy. • Mile Post 24

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Open

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Mount Baker Experience | Winter 2013/14

7466 Mt. Baker Hwy Maple Falls 360.599.1347

Mt Baker Visitors Center

Free Maps Area Information

Open Daily 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Maple Falls

corner of Mt. Baker Hwy. and Silver Lake Rd.

360-599-1518 www.mtbakerchamber.org

Local boot-fitting shops Washington Backcountry Essentials 214 West Holly St. Bellingham backcountryessentials.net Sportsman Chalet 2420 James St. Bellingham Sportsmanchalet.com Fairhaven Bike and Ski 1108 11th St. Bellingham Fairhavenbike.com Glacier Ski Shop 9966 Mt. Baker Hwy. Glacier Glacierskishop.com

British Columbia Valhalla Pure Outfitters 1707 Salton Rd. Abbotsford Vpo.ca Valhalla Pure Outfitters 88 West Broadway Vancouver vpo.ca Mad Dogs Ski and Snowboard 2556 Montrose Ave. Abbotsford Bishopscentre.ca/maddogs-ski-and-snowboardabbotsford Skiis & Bikes 1701 W. 3rd Ave. Vancouver skiisandbikes.com

MountBakerExperience.com

Mountain Acres Bakers

By Brandy kiger shreve

B

eing in a small community with a small economy can make it hard to launch your entrepreneurial endeavors, but Colin and Danielle Duffy know that the way to any town’s heart is through its stomach.

After 19 years in the food service industry, the Duffys decided to create their own space and launched their food truck and community supported agriculture (CSA) business Mountain Acres Bakers in January 2013.

With a focus on good, local ingredients and affordability, the Duffys decided they would start small and keep it mobile to fit their lifestyle.

“A restaurant was daunting,” Danielle said. “Plus, I’m really into mobility.

We decided to go with a food cart that allowed for versatility and allowed us to bring our food to where the people are.”

The menu rotates to match the availability of local produce.

“We’re serving breakfast sandwiches all week and hot soup and grilled/ baked sandwiches on the weekends,” Danielle said, adding that it’s not just your typical bacon, egg and cheese on the menu. “We have things like The Pepper which is jalapeño bread, cheddar cheese, roasted jalapeños and spinach and we season and hand press our own sausage,” she said.

They also make their own bread, which they are doling out the community through their startup CSA program. The CSA offers 3-month shares and customers can sign up to receive one or two loaves per week. “It’s a rotating selection of bread,” Danielle said. “It changes every week.”

CSA shares can be picked up at the food cart Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Sign-up for the next share ends February 16. Their rig is parked next to Scott’s Ski Service, 9935 Mt. Baker Highway in Glacier and they are open Monday through Thursday 7:30 a.m. to noon and Friday through Sunday 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information, call Colin or Danielle at 360/599-9378.

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Organic Milk & Belgian Beers

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Corner of Silver Lake Rd. & Mt. Baker Hwy., Maple Falls

360/599-2222 • www.maplefuels.com owners Paul and Paula Jeong thank Jeff and Bethnie Come in and New Morrison for making the Fuelie the great place it is today. say hello! Paul and Paula are committed to excellent customer service.

• Fresh organic produce • Best beer & wine selection east of Bellingham • Gluten free products • Vitamins & Herbal Supplements • International foods • Bulk Foods • Over 3,400 DVDs

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360/599-2222 • Fax: 360/599-1389 winter 2013/14 | Mount Baker Experience

11

ROOMs WIth a view

Fire lookouts in Washington

By Steph Abegg

Photo by Paul Nicholson

B

ackcountry yurts, cabins and lodges offer drool-inducing, fantasy getaways in primo skiing and snowboarding terrain.

The problem with these dream ski-destinations is that they’re usually privately owned. If only there were a backcountry outpost, a haven deep in the mountains, where tired and cold skiers and snowboarders could thaw out and get some shelter between epic laps, for free…

In the North Cascades, there are at least three of them. They’re called fire lookouts. They’re open for free on a first-come, first-serve basis, and they sit on mountain peaks among some of the best skiing terrain in the Northwest.

Winchester Mountain, Hidden Lake Peak and the south peak of the Three Fingers range each host a discontinued fire lookout that is maintained by a nearby alpine/mountaineering club. They require a substantial effort to get to (and sometimes a lot of shoveling to get in), but the rewards are great. If you decide to stay in a fire lookout, be courteous and clean up after yourself, to ensure that they will be around for generations. Also, feel free to support the clubs that maintain them.

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Mount Baker Experience | Winter 2013/14

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Devastating fires such as the Yacolt Burn of 1902 inspired the construction of a vast national network of fire lookout stations in the 1920s.

The job of a lookout was to spot and report fires by telephone or radio so crews could be dispatched quickly.

At the system’s peak, there were 5,000 lookouts nationwide – including 685 overlooking the extensive forests of Washington.

The highest lookout was at 12,276 feet on Mount Adams, but it was used for only three seasons before being abandoned to the year-round ice. The most difficult to reach was Three Fingers; the approach was a series of ladders spiked into a 100-foot rock wall.

By the mid-1970s, most lookouts had been abandoned as fire detection began to rely more on technology and aerial reconnaissance.

Some were de-constructed by government agencies worried about liability, some have been left to rot and some have been restored and are maintained by hikers.

As of 2013, Washington has 87 lookouts still standing in their original locations, with fewer than 30 of those still actively used for fire fighting.

In addition, there are some old lookouts that have been moved to museums.

Most – though not all – of the standing lookouts in Washington are listed in the National Historic Lookout Register.

ChuckanutBreweryAndKitchen.com MountBakerExperience.com

Photo by Steph Abegg

Winchester Mountain is located northeast of Glacier off Highway 542. Turn left onto Twin Lakes Road (Forest Road 3065) just past the Department of Transportation’s Shuksan garage 13 miles east of Glacier, and follow it 7 miles to the trail head at Twin Lakes. The road gets snowed in each winter, so check with the Glacier ranger station for road conditions. From the trail head to the lookout on the 6,521-foot summit is a 2.1-mile skin. The Winchester Mountain lookout is maintained by the Mount Baker Club. Info: mountbakerclub.org.

Hidden Lake Lookout Photo by John Scurlock

Located east of Marblemount, Hidden Lake Lookout lies on a spur below Hidden Lake Peaks.

Take Highway 20 to Marblemount, then head east on Cascade River Road for 9.7 miles before turning left onto Sibley Creek Road (FR 1540), 1.5 miles beyond the Marble Creek Campground entrance. The trail head is 4.7 miles down the road. From the trail head at 3,600 feet to the lookout at 6,890 feet is a 4.5-mile skin. Although not required, an ice axe, crampons and a rope may come in handy. The Skagit Alpine Club maintains the lookout. Info: skagitalpineclub.com.

Three Fingers Lookout:

Photo by John Scurlock

Lookout!

Photo by John Scurlock

Winchester Mountain Lookout

The Three Fingers are east of Everett and the lookout is on the south peak. At milepost 7 on the Mountain Loop Highway past Granite Falls, take a left onto Green Mountain Road (NF 41). Head east, immediately passing two private roads, and stay on NF 41 for 17.5 miles. At 16.5 miles, NF 41 becomes NF 4160 with a right turn. The trail head for Goat Head Flats is 0.9 miles beyond. From the trail head to the lookout at 6854 feet is a 6.7-mile hike/skin gaining 4,000 feet of elevation. Crampons, ice axes and rope – and glacier-travel experience - are highly recommended. The Three Fingers Lookout is maintained by the Everett Mountaineers. Info: everettmountaineers.org.

John Scurlock has been photographing the North Cascades from his home built airplane since 2001. His stunning aerial photography is the subject of his 2011 book Snow and Spire: Flights to Winter in the North Cascade Range, which can be found in bookstores throughout the Northwest and online.

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Parlez-vous visual language?

An outdoor photography tutorial

3

By Neil Schulman

T

he sun was setting high in the Cascades. Evening light rippled over hilltops that looked like ocean waves. Lifts ferried silhouetted skiers on the last run of the day while the wind blew powder off the tops of ridges. It was magnificent. But when I looked at my images later, I saw a jumble of elements, like a chef who threw too many random spices into a muddled stew.

In this article, we’ll explore visual language: How we place objects, line and color in the frame to create strong images.

How the camera sees The camera sees space and objects differently than humans.

In a two-dimensional still image, there is no depth, movement or time. The photographer must use visual language to imply these things.

How humans see We react to photographs in a fraction of a second. The response occurs in our midbrain, an instinctive part of our consciousness. Based on millions of years of evolution, the principles of aesthetics are hard wired in our brains. Anyone lingering in an art gallery discussing why he or she likes an im-

1

age is really just rationalizing what their midbrain told them in that first instant. The photographer’s job is to anticipate and manipulate these reactions to evoke the response they want from the viewer.

Where your eye goes The eye goes to certain places in a photograph first. It perceives those things as most important. If your main subject doesn’t draw attention quickly, it will get lost in the shuffle. The area of highest contrast, followed by the highlights, then mid tones, then shadows Warm colors before cool colors Objects in sharp focus before blurry ones Large objects before small ones Objects perceived as closer to the camera before those further away Objects perceived as moving before objects perceived as still Isolated objects before clumped objects Humans, then other living things, then inanimate objects Having the eye hunt around and discover meaning keeps the viewer interested. But if it’s too subtle or too difficult, the viewer’s eye will never find the needle in the haystack.

Warm colors will seem to advance toward the viewer, while cool colors will recede. When colors are paired with their complementary colors (opposite on the color wheel) they create drama and a perception of greater contrast and saturation.

When they are paired with like colors, the colors seem muted, as do the emotions associated with them.

Colors also have meanings. Red goes with passion; black with elegance, mystery or evil and yellow with sunshine.

Color can be a distraction in outdoor sports. Most outdoor gear is highly saturated and warm, and can distract from facial expressions or texture. Removing color from these photos often helps an image (Image 1).

Perspective

Most amateur photographers know the “rule of thirds” – placing the main elements along lines and intersections roughly along thirds of the frame. Empty space has weight in photographs. When we place an element directly in the center, the equal space above/below and left/right hold it in place. That means the only way it can ‘move’ is forward/back, toward or away from the viewer. In direct portraits this can be very effective, but if we want a relationship between elements within the frame, it doesn’t work.

When we place an element to the side and either up or down, we allow it to move in those planes. It can then have relationships with other elements in the frame, including empty space (Image 2). The rule of thirds is based on the golden ratio, an aesthetic older than the Parthenon. The sections aren’t even. In cultures that read left-to-right and top-to-bottom, the strongest position is the bottom right.

Perspective is the relationship between the viewer and the elements in the frame. Camera position plays a major role. Headhigh? On the ground? Above? How close?

The focal length of the lens also controls perspective as well as what’s in the frame. A wide-angle lens makes objects close to the lens seem bigger, and those farther away even more distant and small. They also distort perspective on the edges; trees in the corners will begin to slant.

Telephoto lenses compress distance, making distant ridges appear close together and more vertical. The F-stop on your camera also controls how much of the image is in focus. Small aperatures keep nearly everything in focus, while large diameters will keep only a narrow range in focus, and the background and foreground will blur. This isolates a subject from its environment and softens distracting backgrounds.

Different lines have different meanings. Horizontal lines imply stability and rest, while vertical lines convey strength, power and growth. Diagonal lines are more dynamic and depict movement to something. Lines from upper left to bottom right are perceived as falling into the frame with gravity. Lines from bottom left to upper right are perceived as climbing up and out of the frame.

Mount Baker Experience | Winter 2013/14

Color

Movement and weight

Lines

14

Converging diagonals draw the eye like a vortex to where they meet. While diagonal lines imply movement to something, curves move through the frames. Curves are also sensuous, and become more so if they’re very sinuous. Curves with room to move will result in a more peaceful image.

Lines also have a hierarchy. In a scene with many horizontal lines, vertical lines will become dominant and be perceived as moving.

Balance Balance is the relative ‘weight’ that different elements have in the frame. All the elements of composition – contrast, placement, size, color, lines and perspective – control how an image is balanced. Peace or tension?

Remember that reactions to images are hard wired. Images that follow the principles of composition will be perceived as peaceful. If peace is what you want to convey, follow these rules.

If you want to create tension, as I often do, when photographMountBakerExperience.com

ing sports, dramatic landscapes and intense personal stories, break the rules to evoke tension. (Image 3)

Practice: Here are some exercises to improve your compositions: 1. Slow Down. Put your camera on a tripod. Take no more than one image every 15 minutes. See the whole frame, and think carefully about camera position, composition, and light. Imagine you’re shooting with a view camera where each sheet of film costs $8.

2. Simplify. See how few elements

you can include in an image to make it impactful. Convert it to black and white. Boil your images down to texture and light.

Photograph monochromatic scenes on grey days. Less is often more.

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3. Eliminate the horizon. Photograph landscapes with no horizon. Landscapes will become more intimate and less about where they are, but what they feel like (Image 3).

The rules of composition are re-

ally tools of composition. Don’t use them blindly.

Neil Schulman is a photographer and writer from Portland, Oregon. His clients include the Or-

egonian, RapidMedia, Sea Kayaker, Coast & Kayak and several conservation groups. You can see his work at neilschulman.com.

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Art

printed leaves to dinner plates, bowls and pitchers, the husband-and-wife team makes more than 80 different items that come in five different glazes. “Kids love the slugs,” Jeff said.

Jeff (left) said his love for clay began at an early age, joking that he played in the mud a lot as a kid, but it wasn’t until he was an undergraduate at Western Washington University that he found his passion for the earthenware creations.

“I used to throw everything, but the RAM press is what sets us apart from other potters in the area,” Jeff said, referring to the 1940s-vintage press machine he uses to make molds of his hand-thrown work for reproduction. “We’re using it with a porcelain-style clay that we’ve had a lot of success with. There’s a stigma against mold-made pottery, but I have a stigma against hurting my body. I can actually work and not be in pain all the time this way. It makes getting on the wheel and throwing custom work enjoyable again.”

Jeff, who has been a potter for more than 15 years, said that even though many of his pieces are produced on the press, everything is inspected and has to meet their standards before being sold in galleries. “Even when we use the press everything is still hand-dipped and painted before going through the firing process.”

Cascadia fires their work at 2,400°F, a temperature that ensures that the ceramics are durable and long-lasting.

“It’s close to the same temperature that china is fired at, which To help you with your holiday shopping list, we’ve picked a makes it tough,” Jeff said. That extra durability is important, few artists to show off that can be found at Mountainside Gar- since they don’t craft their work to simply sit on a shelf – it’s dens Gallery & Gifts. intended to be used.

“They are beautiful, but we are making dishes for everyday Cascadia Stoneware use,” Natalie said.

All items are dishwasher, microwave and oven safe. Their At Cascadia Stoneware in Deming, Jeff and Natalie McDouwork sells for $5 to $100 depending on the size and complexity gall have been using both traditional methods and a hydraulic of the piece. They also take custom orders. press system to produce their artisan work in their mountainNote: They will be also be selling their work, including “secside shop, and it’s served them well – their ceramic-ware has onds” at the Pacific Arts Market in Bellingham the first three developed into a style that has found demand across the counweekends of December. try. cascadiastoneware.com Creating everything from stone slugs to platters with imBaker Experience Dec - Hospitality and Exp Credit | 9.75 x 5.75

from the mountainside

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f you’re in the market for a few holiday gifts to put under your tree this year, then a trip to Mountainside Gardens Gallery & Gifts on your way down from a day skiing on Mt. Baker might be in order.

With more than 80 artists and artisans showcased in the 750-square-foot gallery space a mile east from Kendall, the emphasis is on local goods and handcrafted finesse. The items range from hand-sewn aprons and crocheted dishcloths to high-end pottery and hand-dipped candles. “These aren’t things you can find at the mall or a store in Bellingham,” owner Nancy Jacobsen said. “Plus they’re local. We’re really promoting our Whatcom County artists.”

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Nouveau Designs Jewelry-maker Kim Jacobsen dabbles in a little bit of everything, but is best known for her hemp and stoneware creations. Don’t let the fact that she’s using hemp fool you into thinking that her work is just for hippies and surfers, though. The self-taught artist is turning out elegant earrings, necklaces and bracelets using the woven fiber.

“I learned how to do macramé in girl scouts when I was eight,” she said. “I learned how to create my own knots, but it wasn’t until about five years ago when a friend of mine wanted a necklace at a store in the mall that I really got into it. I said ‘Don’t buy that, I can make it for you.’”

That necklace was the first of many. She’s since refined her process and found materials that elicit the jewelry style she had envisioned for herself. “I use a finer grade of hemp,” she said. “I didn’t want it to be the stereotypical hemp jewelry you see out there – I wanted it to be attractive to all ages.”

Now Jacobsen incorporates beads, gemstones and ceramics into her braided work, and has learned to make the ceramic pieces herself, working with Jeff and Natalie at Cascadia Stoneware to create intricately-designed pendants and earrings out of clay. “I’m putting clay pendants on leather and cords,” she said. “I’ve been learning by just playing around in my free time at Cascadia, when I’m off the clock.”

Jacobsen’s work sells for $10 to $60, depending on the materials used to create it.

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Honey Glow Candles What started as a hobby to create gifts for family and friends has kept candle maker Holly Johnston busy for the past few years. During that time she’s developed and designed her own line of hand-dipped and molded cleanburning candles that are easy on the lungs and the pocketbook.

The 100 percent beeswax candles with cotton wicks are sustainable and healthy, and you won’t find any overwhelming scents or perfumes in her work. “When you walk down the candle aisle at many stores, the smell is overwhelming,” she said. “They say it’s ‘aromatherapy’ but most of those scents have a petroleum base. That’s stuff you don’t want to be breathing.”

So she works to keep her products pure, sourcing her beeswax from local beekeepers, to ensure the fidelity of the final product. “A lot of products claim to be 100 percent beeswax,” she said, “but in reality it only has to be 10 percent with the rest additives to claim that label. But there’s absolutely nothing added to my products.”

The purity and local sourcing of her products are a point of pride for Johnston. “That’s something I pride myself on – it’s all from right here, from people I know,” she said.

Honey Glow Candles come in a variety of designs, and Johnston’s molds are often focused on nature. “I’ll make things like mushrooms and pine cones and flowers,” she said. The candles range in price from $1 to $20. honeyglowcandles.blogspot.com Mountainside Gardens Gallery & Gifts is located at 6900 Mt. Baker Highway (MP24). The shop is open from 10 to 5 Friday through Sunday, and can be found online at mountainsidegardens.com.

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17

Mobbing in the Chuckanuts

The Chuckanut Enduro

By Ian Ferguson Photos by Carl Buchanan

B

ellingham is known for its mountain biking and its races, but until very recently the town wasn’t known for its mountain bike races. Following the success of the Chuckanut Enduro race in October, that’s probably about to change.

Enduro is a style of mountain bike racing popular in Europe and now on the rise in North America. It combines the best parts of two more traditional disciplines: cross-country and downhill racing. Cross-country races are long distance – they require stamina and fitness to complete. Downhill races send riders down steep, hazardous terrain, and require advanced technical ability. The idea behind enduro is that riders are tested for both their endurance and their bike handling.

Timed stages over generally descending single-track and steep, gnarly downhills are combined with untimed uphills to get to the start of the next stage. A good enduro is also a fun social event.

As the fifth and final stop in the Cascadia Dirt Cup, a five-part enduro series in Oregon and Washington, the Chuckanut Enduro sold out its 225 spots long before race day and attracted a big crowd to the start and finish line at Larrabee State Park in the Chuckanut mountains south of Bellingham. The course wound through the Chuckanuts, north to Arroyo Park and

back, finishing with a steep descent down the Double Black Diamond trail to Fragrance Lake Road.

“It was a super cool event,” said Bellingham local and pro cross-country racer Logan Wetzel at the post-race beer garden. “It was awesome that we had access to these trails. I know Eric Brown played a huge role in making it happen.”

The Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition (WMBC) hired Brown as their first employee over the summer. On top of his other job, Brown works part time planning and building trails, attaining permits and advocating for mountain bike access.

I caught up with Brown on a rooty section of the Double Black Diamond trail during the race. He told me about some of WMBC’s future plans in between shouting encouragement at passing racers.

“We’re putting together this big trail plan for Larrabee and the Chuckanuts …Yeah! Get some!... I’ll be doing something very similar with the reconveyance land (8,000 acres of

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Mount Baker Experience | Winter 2013/14

parkland recently purchased by Whatcom County). Most of it will be multi-use, but there will be some single use specific to each user group like hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking …There you go! Eyes on the prize!...Taking 25 percent out of the inventory and dedicating it to specific uses gives those groups the opportunity to do whatever they want without having to worry about other users … Mobbing! MOBBING!!... You want to mitigate conflicts between groups as much as possible, and the other user groups get that.”

Brown became animated when we started talking about the enduro course itself: “The pros will come along and they’ll probably air this drop right into the berm.”

The man loves trails, and he’s stoked to be building more of them. Brown and the WMBC have proposed 17 miles of new

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Photo by Ian Ferguson

Rider: Brad Andrew Photo: Brandon Franulovic

From l., Lars Sternberg, Charlie Sponset and Darrin Seeds won overall medals in the Cascadia Dirt Cup.

trails throughout the Chuckanuts.

“I like planning and scouting new stuff. It’s my thing,” he said.

The Chuckanut Enduro required permits from the Department of Transportation, Larrabee State Park, the city of Bellingham, Whatcom County… the list went on. Despite the red tape, Brown said the success of the Chuckanut Enduro opened up the potential for more mountain bike races in the future.

Local pro shredder Lars Sternberg, a regular on the international enduro scene, agreed.

“The community embraced it, and it’s kind of laid the groundwork for more of these,” he said. Sternberg skipped the finals of the world enduro series in Ligure, Italy to help organize and race in the Chuckanut Enduro.

“The race in Ligure would have suited me pretty well, but honestly I was not going to miss this,” he said after the race. “It feels awesome to be racing on a hometown course.”

After contending with 20 miles of track and nearly 5,000 feet of elevation gain, many riders were still cramping up at the post-race beer garden, but all agreed the race had been a huge success – even the park rangers. A Larrabee Park ranger addressed the crowd assembled in the beer garden and said he’d welcome back the bikers anytime.

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The Elusive Mr. DeBari

Professional snowboarder and Glacier native Lucas DeBari took a moment out of his roller coaster year to tell us about his past, his present and the upcoming projects he’s excited about.

By Ian Ferguson

Lucas DeBari (LD): I’m 25 years old, and I was born in Glacier. I moved 30 miles away when I was 18 and now I live in Bellingham.

MBE: How old where you when you first started snowboarding?

LD: I got my first snowboard for Christmas when I was four years old. That would have been 1992.

I’ve been snowboarding ever since. My first run was down Born Street next to Milano’s in downtown Glacier. My parents worked at Milano’s and that Christmas there was two feet of snow. The day after the storm, they set me up on the hill so my first snowboard run was right next to Milano’s in Glacier. From there, it was rope tow and on up at Mt. Baker. My mom had been skiing since her twenties and that year she switched to snowboarding, so we kind of learned together. A guy named George St. James who made the first descent of the Northwest Couloir (Mt. Shuksan) was a local semi-pro shred who worked at my parents’ restaurant. I remember him taking me up a couple times under the lift, learning how to stand up. I can’t imagine my motor skills at that point were very dialed. I was four, five, six. The only reference I have is, there’s a video of me doing the banked slalom when I was five, a little over a year after I got my first snowboard. I was doing the falling leaf down the whole thing, but I was moving around at that point.

MBE: Are there any other memories that stick out from when you first started getting into the sport?

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LD: One of the memories I think about a lot involves Craig Kelly, who is kind of the godfather of snowboarding. He grew up in Mt. Vernon, and

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Photo by Tero Repo | Courtesy of The North Face

Mount Baker Experience (MBE): Tell us about yourself.

Mt. Baker was his home. When I was probably about five or so, I remember my mom and I were riding down under chair seven, and he came down and stopped, because at that time there was no one my size riding a snowboard. He told me to grab my nose when I was snowboarding, because I was too far in the backseat. Still to this day, I don’t really understand what he was getting at, but at that age, having the hero of heroes give me a tip … that’s a moment I’ll never forget.

MBE: Do you ever grab your nose now when you find yourself in the backseat?

LD: No! That’s the thing, I still don’t understand how that helps.

Maybe I just haven’t reached his knowledge level. At some point in my career, I will figure out what he was talking about.

Baker for fun, but it turns out what we’re doing at Baker on a daily basis is pretty gnarly for most people.

I was pretty over snowboarding and trying to make a career of it professionally during junior, senior year of high school, and Nate Lind was very forceful in not letting me mess up, because he saw the potential. He was like, “Dude, come with me to South America. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime, quit doing drugs and being an idiot, let’s go shred and film.”

He was pro at the time, and he was taking time out of his schedule and money out of his pocket to help me out. I’m super thankful for that because it changed my whole life and gave me this career in snowboarding.

MBE: When did you start to seriously consider snowboarding as a career?

Photo by Cole Barash | courtesy of The North Face

LD: I went through a crazy roller coaster with snowboarding. I got into it really young.

I got sponsored when I was eight. I did national competitions for kids until I was 12, and won lots of different disciplines in the sport. When I was about 13, I started honing in on being an Olympic half pipe rider. For a few years I was doing the pro circuit with Danny Kass and Shaun White, finishing top 20 pretty consistently in the professional half pipe scene. I was pretty serious about it. I was training, I was on the road all winter, I was barely going to school and my parents were really supportive and made it possible for me.

I was 14 when I broke my humerus in a competition. It was a pretty pivotal moment.

Being that age with Louie Vito, Kevin Pearce and other kids who were established pro half pipe riders, we were all progressing on the same level, and once I fell behind I really never caught back up. I had this mental block where I was really afraid to push myself in the half pipe again. And so by the time I was 16, my “pipe dreams” were kind of fading away. I had other interests going on. I had a girlfriend in Bellingham, I got my license, I started partying and snowboarding was more of just something I did. I still had sponsors from previous years, but I kind of went down some bad paths. Just classic teenager ****ing up, nothing too crazy.

I was 17 when Nate Lind took me under his wing. He was a pro local guy who got me into filming, which is another aspect of professional snowboarding. It was just so natural for me. I mean, pow? I’ve been riding pow my whole life. You want me to just jump off this? I do that for fun anyway. It was a skill set that I had acquired through the freestyle and the half pipe and just riding at Baker every day.

That year I graduated high school and my parents bought me a ticket to go to South America with Nate, and I went and filmed a video part in Chile. I came home that fall and signed a contract with Burton, and from then until now I’ve been advancing in my snowboard career.

It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t a goal of mine, it just happened.

At that time, snowboarding was becoming more mainstream – Shaun White, Nissan sponsors, things like that. The athletes who were excelling at half pipe and these defined disciplines were professional athletes. I didn’t have the discipline to stay with them, so once I started filming it was like, “This is me.” I like being creative, I like using natural terrain and interacting with it in my own unique style. The fact that I was good at it was really a surprise to me. I was like, wait a minute, I just ride

alpinist. He could be a professional ice climber if he wanted.

He has a skill set that is so beyond snowboarding, and I knew that going in.

The whole experience… I got my ass kicked. I left the day before Thanksgiving and I got home on Christmas Eve. We were living on the boat for 30 days. Just getting to Antarctica was a burly mission. It was 10 days of travel, seven days of sailing to get there. We crossed the Drake Passage, and I didn’t know it at the time but that voyage is known for strong currents and terrible weather. Our captain was very competent, but we had massive swells the whole time. I got really seasick, didn’t leave my bed for three days at one point. We were just eating light crackers and water.

Ten days of not doing anything, and you get to Antarctica with these Alaska-style spine lines, this amazing terrain, and it’s just ice. Solid ice. We were in Antarctica for about three weeks, and I was just doing everything I could to keep up with Xavier.

There were a couple things that I just had to back down from, like, you know, man, I just don’t have the skill set, this is too dangerous for me. Even backing down off some of the bigger, more exposed lines, I was still pushing my limits so far. I’m thinking to myself, I ride powder for a living. I made my career jumping off cliffs into soft powder and doing tricks into it. Now it’s like full mountaineering. I’m riding with two ice axes, I’ve got crampons everywhere, I’m terrified and if I fall I’m going to die. So you’re asking yourself, why am I doing this? And then you get to the bottom of your run, the pitch eases off, and you snowboard down to this little rock with penguins, and then the Zodiac comes and picks you up right off the shore, it’s like, “this is sick.”

MBE: Do you want to incorporate alpinism more into your snowboarding?

“It turns out what we’re doing at Baker on a daily basis is pretty gnarly for most people.”

MBE: Let’s fast forward to the beginning of last winter. You went to Antarctica to ride big, steep lines with Xavier de la Rue. The expedition was supported by one of your sponsors, The North Face. Can you tell us about that experience?

LD: Through my career I’ve kind of made a name for myself as one of the younger athletes in big mountain snowboarding. I got in with The North Face, which was a huge leap in pushing me in the direction I want to go with snowboarding. Through them I’ve had the opportunity to work with some insane athletes, one of whom is Xavier de la Rue. We’ve done expeditions together to Chile, Japan, Canada; I’ve ridden with him near his home in Chamonix, and then last year he invited me to come to Antarctica. I consider myself an opportunist – a missed opportunity is one of the worst things in life. So immediately I was like, “Yes!” not knowing what I was getting into. This guy is your classic French, Chamonix-raised kid who is a natural

LD: Absolutely. I had some experiences prior to Antarctica in ski/snowboard mountaineering. It’s something I enjoy. But I know that I get puckered. It scares me. I’ve said I enjoy scaring the shit out of myself. But I think that getting into rock climbing and spending more time in the mountains this summer kind of opened this world of more mountaineering-style snowboarding. I really like the isolation of it, and you’re able to really set goals. I want to ride that peak, or that line. You have to have such a wider variety of skills to accomplish it, and that appeals to me.

MBE: After you got back from Antarctica, you hopped into a tricked-out Subaru with your buds and headed off on a snowboarding road trip. That must have been a little different from the Antarctica trip.

LD: Yeah, it was kind of like the yin and yang of snowboarding. I went from a super expensive, high-profile trip to Antarctica, where you have a huge production crew and it’s real serious and to the point – I really enjoyed it, but then coming home and filming my own project with three of my good buddies in a super-badass, old-school Subaru Loyale… we had like a 290-something horsepower STI engine in there, the whole suspension, axles, brakes and tires were redone, it was painted by a homie of ours… I really wanted to create a different vibe. A lot of snowboarding media tries to treat you like a rock star, or a bad ass or someone elevated above the general public. I don’t see it like that. I love to snowboard, I grew up snowboarding continued on page 38

winter 2013/14 | Mount Baker Experience

21

Alarm cuts loose at 6 a.m.

It must be time to get up again Wondering what the weather is doing – Newsman said a storm was brewing

He barks to me about some job And I just give a little nod And dive into his tedious task I wish I had the guts to ask

What to wear, I can’t decide I guess I’ll have a look outside Holy smokes, there’s so much snow!

And off to work I have to go

Say to him, “Hey, look here dude I truly intend to not be rude, But why don’t we just screw this place And set upon a powder chase.”

Down a bowl of Honey Scooters Throw on a shirt I won at Hooters Load the tools up in the truck Another day, another buck

Instead I start upon some chore I’m sure it’s one that I’ll abhor Like frame this wall or lay this floor Take out the trash and hang this door (And what the hell are these parts for?)

But hold a moment, what’s that I see…

Groups of skiers filled with glee Smiles and laughter all around Shouldered skis and poles abound

Take this Job and Shove It

I contemplate the sick day option One that I must use with caution What I really want to say is, “Please!

Please won’t you let me ski the trees?”

I guess to them the snow is trouble For they don’t ski, they only shovel.

But deep inside I realize That this job I now despise Is the only way I can afford this Wretched sum that is my mortgage

The slog to five is long and hard But finally I punch that card Pick up my stuff and hit the door And wonder if there’s something more

And so I heave a heavy sigh And give a friendly wave goodbye To a skier with a happy face Who’s off to find his happy place

An existence where I’m free to strive To break away from 8 to 5 One in which I truly choose Which sick days I will abuse

Climb on in and start the truck And maybe with a little luck I’ll cut out early, but who am I kidding?

Today I’ll do the boss’s bidding

I want to live with those who play And value every powder day And work with those who understand That skiing is part of who I am

But with thoughts of powder so seductive Today will be quite unproductive.

So I missed another day As much as I am sad to say This kind of crap can be a bummer If this is life, just give me summer

My boss on site is quite irate Just because I am a little late I tell him that the roads are slick He just says, “Hop to it, quick!”

A pow-day poem

All the guys at work are flaunting Brand new plows and how they’re wanting To head on home and plow all day And how they’ll plow the pow’ away

I guess this guy can’t comprehend That on days like this I’d rather spend My time out skinning through the hills Seeking soft and fluffy thrills

However I’m not filled with sorrow For I will simply ski tomorrow.

The author, John Minier, penned this poem while working as a tradesman in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Today, John is the owner of Mt. Baker Mountain Guides in Bellingham. Dreams do come true.

By John Minier

Shawn Freyer splitboards towards Mt. Shuksan | Photo by Justiin Kious

22

Mount Baker Experience | Winter 2013/14

MountBakerExperience.com

ART OF THE POW DAY

photos by Grant Gunderson

TOP LEFT: Adam Ăœ skis powder in Myoko, Japan

TOP RIGHT: Elyse Saugstad slashes a turn in the Mt. Baker backcountry

ABOVE: Cody Townsend gets deep at Mt. Baker Ski Area.

LEFT: KC Deane throws a lincoln loop off a pillow near Mt. Baker.

ABOVE: Graham Clark and Kaden McFarland set a skin track in the North Cascades. Photo by Rylan Schoen.

TOP RIGHT: Nate Lind drops a backside rodeo as the sun sets over the Glacier Creek access area. Photo by Brad Andrew.

MIDDLE RIGHT: John Wells launches off a cornice in the Mt. Shuksan backcountry. Photo by Jason Hummel.

LOWER RIGHT: Carl Lautenbach clears the bridge over Bagley Creek.

Photo by Dylan Hart.

FACING PAGE: Sunset over the Mt. Baker backcountry.

Photo by Justin Kious.

TOP: Adam Roberts airs off a drop in the Mt. Baker backcountry. Photo by Rylan Schoen.

ABOVE: Chris Rubens spins switch on a deep powder day at Baker. Photo by Grant Gunderson.

LEFT: Brian Kennedy and Nick Ireland skin near the summit of Mt. Baker as steam from the crater fills the sky. Photo by Patrick Kennedy.

Sled dog racing

By Sue Madsen

Photo by Sue Madsen

F

rost crystals glitter in the cold morning air, and a brittle layer of hoar frost crunching under my skis is the only sound that breaks the morning stillness until suddenly a cacophony of barks rings out from around the bend, and a sled pulled by grinning dogs swings around. I ran into Jim Malin training his team some time ago near Schreiber’s Meadows, and was instantly intrigued.

Sled dog racing is immensely popular in northern states and Alaska. Every February newspapers around the nation run stories on the Iditarod, Yukon Quest and other top-tier races. Here in the snowy northwest, the sport has a much lower profile.

However, with a bit of sleuthing I uncovered a lively regional scene.

Locally, the best way to learn more about sled dog racing or other dog-powered sports is the Northwest Sled Dog Association (NWSDA). The group’s members run the gamut from enthusiastic amateurs to competitive racers but all of them love these dogs and love working with them. Many of the club outings are strictly social – geared towards amateurs who are interested in learning techniques, exercising their dogs and connecting with others who share their interests. Beginning mushers and all breeds of dog are welcome.

While professional mushers may own more than a hundred dogs and run teams of 20 or more, recreational mushers tend to have fewer dogs and run short distances. A typical recreational team (although there really is no typical in this sport) may range from two to six dogs, and cover 5 to 30 miles on a training run, depending on the dogs, gear, terrain and weather conditions. Many mushers get into the sport by rescuing or fostering dogs already trained to pull. A good lead dog is key; it is difficult for a musher following behind the team to teach inexperienced dogs to pull, but dogs readily learn from each

other. Lead dogs are often retired racers paired with younger pups just learning the ropes.

Mushers look for packed groomed snow to run their dogs.

Locally, Glacier Creek Road and the area around the Schreiber’s Meadows sno-park road are popular training spots.

Snowmobile trails create an ideal running surface, so many training routes start at sno-parks catering to folks who prefer motorized winter sports. I’ve often seen people skijoring (being pulled on skis behind dogs) on Hannegan Road, although skiers and loose dogs can be a distraction, particularly for beginning teams. When snow is scarce mushers fall back on “dryland” training, using three- and four-wheeled carts, scooters or even bikes. Logging roads are perfect and locally abundant – just be sure no active timber harvesting is taking place.

The best way to get an introduction to sled dog racing is to attend a race or event. There are no races in the Mt. Baker area, but if you’re interested in watching a race or meeting professional and amateur mushers, consider a weekend trip. The Cascade Quest Race is held in Plain near Lake Wenatchee from January 31 to February 2, 2014. The Crystal Dog Challenge near Snoqualmie Pass takes place February 15–16. Or consider heading down to Camp Koinonia near Cle Elum, where the NWSDA hosts frequent events. There are also several companies that offer dog sled tours in areas such as Leavenworth or Mazama. Try SierraBlu kennels out of Leavenworth (sierrablukennels.com).

Be aware that sled dog racing is not as simple as hitching the family pack to a sled and heading off into the snow. While virtually any dog can be trained to pull, many mushers gravitate towards northern breeds – Alaskan or Siberian huskies, malamutes, etc. These breeds are active, independent and need experienced and disciplined dog owners. Kids love dogs, and

may be thrilled to take a ride or experience the sport firsthand as a spectator, but should be closely supervised when around the teams. Kids and adults alike must respect the dogs and musher, and not approach the animals with treats or affection unless invited to do so.

Running dogs requires specialized equipment – booties, harnesses specifically designed for pulling and the like. Packed snow and ice can be hard on a dog’s feet. Inexpensive harnesses purchased from the local pet store are not designed for pulling; they will chafe and put pressure on sensitive areas, and may injure your dog.

Appropriate gear is not necessarily expensive and there are a number of good local sources (see below). Training and exercising sled dogs requires a year-round commitment to keep dogs in top shape. However, running dogs in temperatures above 55˚3F. will cause heat stress.

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For more information on dog-powered sports: Northwest Sled Dog Association (NWSDA): nwsda.org Sled Dog Central: sleddogcentral.com Pacific Sled Dog and Skijor Association: psdsa.org K9 Scooters Northwest – “urban mushing:” k9scootersnw.org

Equipment Alpine Outfitters: alpineoutfitters.net Nordkyn: nordkyn.com

winter 2013/14 | Mount Baker Experience

27

Skijoring

By SUE Madsen | Photos by Brett Baunton

S

kijoring refers to the sport of running dogs (or horses) ahead of a musher on skis. The skier skis, assisting with poles, and the dog(s) pull. Simple? Not on your life.

Done right, skijoring can be a great introduction to “dog-powered” sports, provided one uses the correct equipment for both humans and dogs. Start with one or two dogs at most, using pulling harnesses and a specially designed belt or rock climbing harness for the skier. You’ll need your arms free to pole.

The skier should have at least a minimal knowledge of cross-country skiing, even if it is just the ability to comfortably balance on skis. The dog needs to be in good physical condition, willing to pull, and at least minimally trained to respond to the skier’s

28

Mount Baker Experience | Winter 2013/14

commands. Any breed can do it, and even smaller dogs can be used provided the skier is willing to provide power to assist.

The amount of training your dog needs will vary.

Northern breeds take to pulling rapidly, other breeds may take a little longer to get the idea, and some dogs are simply not suited for or interested in the sport. It takes a lot of patience on the skier’s part, who must be willing to get tangled up, and fall down while trying to train his or her dog.

If you are interested in skijoring it helps to learn from experienced practitioners. The NWSDA (nwsda.org) has members who skijor and can act as mentors. REI also sometimes offers skijoring seminars, so check around.

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MountBakerExperience.com

eagles

eagles of the skagit

By Kara Furr

H

undreds of bald eagles from Alaska and northern Canada migrate to the Skagit River every winter to prey on the thousands of salmon that swim upriver to spawn. People flock to the Skagit River valley to catch a sight of this yearly display.

The bald eagle, once nearly extinct due to loss of habitat and the use of DDT, has rebounded over the last few decades, and was removed from the endangered species list in 2007. While bald eagles have begun to thrive throughout the continent, their numbers remain largest in Canada and Alaska. In western Washington, the eagle population swells from late November to late January as northern The following outfitters offer

eagles follow their food sources south, with numbers usually peaking from the last week in December through mid-January.

You can observe the eagles perching along the river from both water and land. The Skagit River eagle float is a popular yearly tradition for kayakers, canoeists and rafters. Whether you head out on your own or with a commercial rafting trip, this is an up front way of appreciating the beauty of both the river and the eagles.

Otherwise, there are many pullouts along Highway 20 in the Bald Eagle Natural Area which comprises 2,450 acres of protected land along the upper Skagit River at its confluence with the Sauk River, east of Concrete.

Another great place to stop is Howard Miller Steelhead

Outfitters

Ovenell’s Heritage Inn B&B,

Log Cabins and Historic Ranch

guided tours on local rivers: Adventure Cascades adventurecascades.com

Cascades Fly Fishing Expeditions cascadesfly.com Chinook Expeditions chinookexpeditions.com Pacific NW Float Trips pacificnwfloattrips.com Triad River Tours triadrivertours.com Wild & Scenic River Tours wildandscenic.com

Eagles in B.C.: For eagle viewing in southern British Columbia, check out the Squamish River in Brackendale just off the Sea to Sky highway five miles past Squamish.

The best viewing area is on the municipal dyke on Government Road in Brackendale. To reach it, exit Highway 99 at Mamquam Road and head north on Government Road to the dyke across from the Easter Seal Camp.

Head to Brackendale anytime in January for the annual Brackendale Winter Eagle Festival and Count. Visit their website at brackendaleartgallery.com for more information.

Canadian Outback Adventures and Events canadianoutback.com Sunwolf Rafting sunwolf.net

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Alpine Adventures alpineadventures.com Blue Sky Outfitters blueskyoutfitters.com

County Park in Rockport, home to the Skagit River Bald Eagle Interpretive Center (skagiteagle.org), open Saturday and Sunday from the first weekend in December to the last weekend in January. The center is a great resource for information on eagles and viewing sights – they also offer guided walks.

You can combine your bird watching with enjoying the Skagit Eagle Festival (skagiteaglefestival.com). The month-long festival takes place in Concrete, Rockport and Marblemount every weekend in January. The festival features a variety of free tours, walks and educational programs, as well as arts and crafts, wine tasting, river rafting, music, dance and more.

Whether by land or on the river, this great migration is a spectacle that’s not to be missed.

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dream home on wheels

Photo by Ian Provo | Courtesy of Outdoor Research

Chasing snow in a tiny house By molly baker

I

n October 2011, fellow Outdoor Research ski ambassador Zack Giffin and I started building our dream home on wheels. The purpose was to tow this cozy 112-square-foot cabin around to North America’s most famed mountain passes and ski areas. Much like Zack’s years of ski bumming from his van, the tiny

house was built on the vision of the mountains being our backyard and home being a place that exists wherever the snow is falling.

Being ski bums, our financial resources were as unpredictable as the snowfall. Mini houses don’t necessarily use mini budgets and for two people living out of ski bags, money

for bamboo floors, a tiny antique stove and cherry trim seemed unattainable, even for such a small space. We did what dreamers do.

We asked for help. Our shared outerwear sponsor, Outdoor Research, loved the tiny house idea and thus, the house became the Outdoor Research Tiny House.

With a group of friends and a film crew, we’ve traveled from Silverton, Colorado to Revelstoke, British Columbia and everywhere in between, spending weeks in Jackson Hole, skiing Alta backcountry, crossing the border into Canada and exploring the mountain gems found in Nelson, Revelstoke, and Banff. We

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have a blossoming bouquet of new ski friends around North America and even started a tiny house band (I am on the melodeon following two guitarists).

Last year we were snowed in at North America’s snow mecca (Mt. Baker, obviously) and had to gift a friendly snowplow driver beer to spend the afternoon digging the tiny house out so we could make it to Lummi Island for Christmas dinner.

We’ve had trucks catch on fire, skied at 3 a.m. in the moonlight from the tiny house in the Whitewater parking lot, and hosted tiny house parties of more than 20 festival enthusiasts at the Banff Film Festival.

The house has endured breakdowns, near break-ups and life-altering ski days. The whole world of skiing has been invited into the house, its door open to any travelers going into the mountains looking to find a home.

Living tiny has been an exercise in downsizing our lives in order to upscale experiences. The trade-off for no bathroom, one suitcase and a small space has been more ski days, more friends and better stories.

Now in our third year of living tiny, we’ve thoroughly researched the vagrant life; dabbling in the art MountBakerExperience.com

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of living from one ski destination to the next and making memories one powder turn at a time. The tiny house has provided purpose. We’ve slowly become those ski gypsies we always dreamed about. We’re still mastering life on the road. From here, the road seems to go on forever, with the tiny house steadily bringing us to the paramount experiences of life. A small idea about a tiny house has turned into a grand adventure, and that’s something we’ll never change.

32

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101 W. Main • Everson, WA • (360) 966-3161 winter 2013/14 | Mount Baker Experience

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where to stay Bellingham

Blaine

Best Western Plus Lakeway Inn 714 Lakeway Drive 360/671-1011 thelakewayinn.com Bellingham’s only full-service hotel with 132 spacious guest rooms and suites, two restaurants, lobby café, indoor pool and hot tub, fitness center, and 11,000 square feet of meeting space for weddings, banquets and corporate events.

Semiahmoo Resort Golf and Spa 9565 Semiahmoo Parkway 360/318-2000 semiahmoo.com The 213-room Semiahmoo Resort features a pool, full-service spa, fitness center, multiple and diverse restaurants, more than 25,000 square feet of meeting and event space and two golf courses (Semiahmoo Golf and Loomis Golf Trail Club).

SpringHill Suites Bellingham 4040 Northwest Avenue 360/714-9600 springhillbellingham.com Discover a hotel infused with smart and stylish design, offering a seamless blend of comfort and functionality. Enjoy our newly redesigned spaces to work, relax and connect and be completely in sync with the hotel experience you want.

The Chrysalis Inn and Spa 804 10th Street thechrysalisinn.com 360/756-1005 Each of the guest rooms overlooks a spectacular Northwest seascape.

Spacious rooms features a fireplace, down comforters, luxury amenities and a two-person bath elegantly set in natural slate. Three distinctive room types offer increasing levels of luxury.

Burlington Fairfield Inn by Marriott 9384 Old Highway 99, Exit 232 360/757-2717 marriott.com/otsfs Newly renovated. Free continental breakfast, including fresh-brewed coffee, waffles, pastries and fresh fruit. Indoor pool, spa, exercise room, and room service from Bob’s Burgers and Brew. Free wireless and wired internet throughout the hotel, including a business center.

Hampton Inn & Suites 1860 S. Burlington Boulevard, Exit 229 360/757-7100 burlingtonsuites.hamptoninn.com At the crossroads to the Skagit Valley, San Juan Islands and North Cascades. Just off I-5, minutes to

exciting shopping, restaurants and nightlife! Bright spacious guest rooms, includes free hot breakfast with different menus each day.

Concrete Ovenell’s Heritage Inn & Log Cabins 46276 Concrete Sauk Valley Road 360/853-8494 ovenells-inn.com Open year round, fully equipped, AAA-rated log cabins on a secluded cattle ranch and wildlife preserve bordering Skagit River. Minutes from Mt. Baker National Recreation Area and North Cascade National Park. Family and pet friendly.

Glacier Blue T Lodge 10459 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-9944 bluetlodge.com Conveniently located behind Chair 9 Woodstone Pizza and Bar, this six-room inn is ideal for families or groups. Clean rooms have queensized beds, a full bathroom and views of Church Mountain as well as access to a meeting space.

The Inn at Mount Baker 8174 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-1776 theinnatmtbaker.com The Inn at Mount Baker, located

just west of Glacier, is an excellent choice for accommodations. A stay includes gourmet European-style breakfast, featherbeds and breathtaking views of Mt. Baker and the Nooksack Valley.

B&B is the perfect place to stay while visiting the Pacific Northwest mountains.

Maple Falls Baker Accommodations 7425 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2999 or 888/695-7533 bakeraccommodations.com Baker Accommodations offers cabins and condos in the resort developments of Snowater, Snowline and Mt. Baker Rim, conveniently located just east of Glacier.

The Logs at Canyon Creek 7577 Canyon View Drive 360/599-2711 thelogs.com The Logs is located in Glacier Springs, near Canyon Creek and the North Fork of the Nooksack River. Stay in the rustic twobedroom log cabins. The homes are widely spaced along the creek, allowing for private space and relaxation.

Mt. Baker Lodging 7463 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2453 or 800/709-7669 mtbakerlodging.com Mt. Baker Lodging offers cabins, condos, chalets and executive rental home accommodations. A number of selected units are pet friendly.

Walk-in reservations and one-night stays available.

Mt. Baker View Guest House 6920 Central Avenue 360/599-2155 mtbakerviewguesthouse.com The Guest House in downtown Glacier sleeps six; two bedrooms, hot tub, kitchen and games. Cascade Retreat in Snowline sleeps 15; 5 bedrooms, sauna and hot tub.

Never raise rates for holidays and no cleaning fees.

Winthrop

Winter Creek Bed & Breakfast 9253 Cornell Creek Road 360/599-2526 wintercreekbandb.com Hidden below the impressive glaciers of Mt. Baker and at the doorstep of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Winter Creek

Chewuch Inn 223 White Avenue 800/747-3107 Guest rooms for romantic getaways, seasonal travelers and outdoor enthusiasts. The relaxed atmosphere of a B&B with the privacy of a hotel. Centrally located for adventures in the surrounding wilderness areas.

Remaking a Winter Classic Favorite hot chocolate recipes

By Kristin Smith Winter is the season of snow, ice, crisp days and frozen fingers - the season when a hot drink suddenly becomes a life saver. What better drink to cure what ails you than that timeless classic, hot chocolate?

But sometimes you long for a little variety.

Cocoa, but with a twist. These five recipes give hot chocolate a hint of the unusual.

Chai Hot Chocolate

Ingredients: One serving’s worth of hot chocolate mix (I use the Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate Sensations cocoa packets) One chai tea bag

My personal favorite, which I learned from an Outward Bound instructor. Perfect for mountain mornings (or the morning commute). Pour boiling water into the mug of your choice and stir in chocolate. Make sure it is well stirred (no chocolate heaps in the bot-

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tom). Add the chai tea bag immediately after.

Steep for at least seven minutes, or the longest recommended time for your tea brand. You want to be able to taste the chai through the chocolate. After the tea has steeped, remove the tea bag.

Raspberry Hot Chocolate

Ingredients: One serving hot chocolate mix 1 teaspoon seedless raspberry jam

Prepare a cup of hot chocolate as you normally would. After the chocolate is ready, stir the raspberry jam into the hot chocolate. (Modified from a recipe on kellishouse. blogspot.com)

Gianduja

Ingredients: One serving hot chocolate mix

Mount Baker Experience | Winter 2013/14

2 teaspoons hazelnut butter This flavor is named after the Italian chocolate and hazelnut paste invented in the late eighteenth century, which was named after a Carnival character representing the Italian region of Piedmont (where hazelnut is commonly used in confections). After making a mug of hot chocolate, stir in two teaspoons of hazelnut butter. Make sure it is thoroughly mixed. Enjoy.

Spicy Hot Chocolate

Ingredients: One serving hot chocolate mix Hot pepper of your choice

For the more daring palates out there, try hot chocolate as served by its original inventors--the ancient Maya. Slice a thin ring of pepper without any seeds. Drop it into the chocolate and stir, then discard the pepper. Sip carefully.

Liquid Caffeine

Ingredients: One serving hot chocolate mix Coffee

For all the coffee drinkers in our highly caffeinated corner of the world who just aren’t satisfied with chocolate’s meager boost, here is your winter elixir. Make hot chocolate, leaving some room in the mug. Add as much freshly brewed coffee of whatever type as your heart desires – from a tablespoon of espresso to instant coffee powder. Chug, then fly through the morning with plenty of caffeine in your veins.

I use instant hot chocolate mix, but homemade cocoa would work just as well (or possibly better). Go ahead and experiment! Give your chocolate, and your winter, just a dash of different. You never know where it will take you.

x

MountBakerExperience.com

where to eat Acme Acme Diner 2045 Valley Highway (Hwy 9) 360/595-0150 acme-diner.com This ’50s-style diner’s friendly staff is ready to serve you great home-cooked food; fresh ground hamburgers, daily dinner specials, gluten free meals, pizza, espresso, homemade desserts and Acme ice cream! Open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Blue Mountain Grill 974 Valley Highway (Hwy 9) 360/595-2200 bluemountaingrill.com Fresh, homemade fare, including baked bread and desserts made daily, steaks and burgers. Open for lunch and dinner everyday, and breakfast on weekends. Enjoy a beautiful view of the Twin Sisters.

Bellingham Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen 601 W. Holly Street 360/752-3377 chuckanutbreweryandkitchen.com Enjoy world-class European style, award-winning lagers and ales and a local-centric menu of fresh American cuisine including woodstone pizzas, burgers, seafood, salads and more. All ages welcome every day starting at 11:30 a.m.

Keenan’s at The Chrysalis 804 10th Street, Bellingham thechrysalisinn.com 360/392-5510 Casual yet elegant, Keenan’s at the Pier has a revamped look, new menu, full bar, and executive chef Rob Holmes to feature even more of the beauty and style of the Pacific Northwest. Enjoy a free panoramic view of Bellingham Bay and the San Juan Islands at every table!

La Gloria Market 4140 Meridian, #100 360/733-9102 lagloriamarket.com La Gloria is your full service Mexican markets and restaurant where everything is fresh and very authentic. Market and restaurant in Bellingham, Netos Market and Bakery in Everson and food truck in Everson.

Lorenzo’s Mexican Restaurant 190 E. Bakerview Road 360/527-3181 lorenzosmexicanrestaurant.com Arouse your taste buds to the best Mexican food around. Offering a variety of house specialties, combination plates and classic Mexican favorites that are sure to excite your family. Locations in Bellingham, Mount Vernon and Sedro Woolley.

Oboe Café 714 Lakeway Drive 360/671-1011 thelakewayinn.com Bellingham’s hidden gem located inside Best Western Plus Lakeway Inn. Home to Bellingham’s best breakfast for the crab benedict.

Northwest specialties for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Expansive wine selection and water wall seating.

Washington Café and Bakery 45938 Main Street 360/ 853-7723 washingtoncafeandbakery.com Located in the historical TP Inn building on Main Street. Enjoy old-fashioned friendly service and a casual family atmosphere. We offer the best of the Northwest harvests, from land and sea. Carefully selected and prepared.

Herb Niemann’s Steak House 203 W. Main Street 360/966-2855 eversonsteakhouse.com Nestled in the middle of Everson, serving a mouth-watering array of steaks, Bavarian specialties, seafood and desserts to customers since 1993. Offers atmospheres for adults and families alike, including parties up to 50.

Poppes 360 Neighborhood Pub 714 Lakeway Drive 360/671-1011 bellinghamrestaurant.com Voted home to Northwest’s Best Cocktail. Enjoy Northwest fare for lunch, dinner, appetizers and dessert. Happy hour every day; 12 taps, specialty martinis, nightly entertainment. Year-round covered and heated patio with three fire pits.

Deming

Ferndale

Il Caffe Rifugio Restorante 5415 Mt. Baker Highway 360/592-2888 ilcafferifugio.com Gourmet full-service menu, serving wine, beer and espresso at reasonable prices. 8 a.m.– 8 p.m. Thursday – Sunday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 15 minutes from Bellingham. New drive-up bar. Live music and events. Last stop for WiFi.

Grant’s Burgers 2254 Douglas Road 360/922-0335 Serving up our delicious, landmark American burgers and shakes since 1964. Home of the “big bun.” Callins welcome! Locations in Ferndale and Lynden.

The Grace Cafe 1065 E. Sunset Drive 360/650-9298 gracecafepies.com The perfect stop for your morning coffee and pastry or afternoon snack. Muffins, cinnamon rolls, fruit-filled scones, handmade pies, or for something more substantial, try a breakfast bagel or deli sandwich. Dine in or drive thru.

Westside Pizza 4260 Cordata Parkway, Suite 107 360/756-5055 westsidepizza.com Pizza made with only the best ingredients available, and dough made fresh every day. The perfect place to stop after a long, hungry day of adventuring.

Burlington Train Wreck Bar & Grill 427 E. Fairhaven Avenue 360/755-0582 trainwreck.com A fun, casual and inviting place to get a beer, wine, cocktail or quick and delicious meal. Serving customers ages 21 and over locally sourced products with a smile and gourmet flair.

Concrete Annie’s Pizza Station 44568 State Route 20 360/853-7227 anniespizzastation.com Family-owned pizza restaurant focusing on fresh, homemade, quality Italian fare. Friendly service, helpful information and great food combine for an unforgettable experience.

Nooksack River Casino – Canoe River Restaurant 5084 Mount Baker Highway 360/592-5472 nooksackcasino.com The home of the signature seafood buffet – fresh crab, shrimp, salmon and more! Come back each week to see what new and delicious dishes our chef has to offer! Tuesday–Sunday a different buffet each day.

The North Fork Brewery and Beer Shrine 6186 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2337 northforkbrewery.com Looking for marriage or a pint of fresh ale and hand-tossed pizza?

Pizzeria, Brewery, Wedding Chapel and Beer Museum is your place!

Open to all. Monday-Friday: Dinner, Saturday–Sunday: Lunch and dinner.

Everson Cafe 544 302 E. Main Street 360/966-7822 The Hogan family restaurant serves fantastic fare from juicy burgers to tender quality steaks. Open every day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., 3 p.m. on Sunday. Breakfast served all day.

Dessert by Lynden Dutch Bakery.

Good to Go Meat Pies 128 W. Main Street 360/966-2400 goodtogomeatpies.com Our destination kitchen in Everson features classic meat and vegetarian pies (pasties) baked daily, locally sourced. Original soups and desserts. Tuesday – Friday 11:30 a.m.– 6 p.m., Saturday 11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Eat in or take out.

Glacier Chair 9 Woodstone Pizza and Bar 10459 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2511 chair9.com The perfect place to enjoy a great family meal or a brew after a day on the mountain. Bands play weekends, and the space offers plenty of dancing room. Try the “Canuck’s Deluxe” pizza, a staff favorite. Open for lunch and dinner.

Graham’s Restaurant 9989 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-3663 Warm up by the woodstove after an epic day on the mountain. Grab a stool at the legendary bar and enjoy rotating selections of fine craft beers, ciders and wine. Serves fresh rustic pub fare, daily specials, essential weekend breakfast!

Graham’s Store 9989 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2665 Conveniently located in the same building as Graham’s Restaurant, this store contains everything from bagel sandwiches and ice cream to movie rentals, beer, wine and an ATM, as well as handmade hats and a selection of books.

Milano’s Restaurant 9990 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2863 milanorestaurant.us Known for their mouth-watering fresh pasta, succulent seafood, and homemade sauces, food at Milano’s is an authentic “taste of Italy.” The casual atmosphere is perfect for lunch and dinner, and breakfast on the weekends.

Mountain Acres Bakers 9935 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-9899 We are a new food cart in Glacier that is offering delicious, fromscratch food. Our focus is to provide quality organic and local products served on our fresh baked bread.

Wake ’n bakery 6903 Bourne Street 360/599-1658 getsconed.com Open daily 7:30 a.m. to 5-ish p.m.

Serving breakfast burritos, quiche, soup, lunch wraps and freshly baked goods. Gluten free options.

Organic espresso and coffee. Great gifts. Indoor seating. Dine in or take out.

Maple Falls Cafe 542 7466 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-1347 Experience one of their signature hash-and-eggs breakfasts with an espresso, or a glass of wine or beer with a BBQ pulled pork sandwich, veggie panini or pulled Reuben.

Outdoor patio seating. Happy hour 2–5 p.m.

Maple Falls Café 7471 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-1800 maplefallscafe.com American food with a twist!

Wholesome, healthy, great-tasting food made from scratch. Local organic ingredients. Winter menu: stews, soups, mock fondue. And the infamous John Wayne Burgers!

Famous house-made berry cobblers. Friendly, casual farmhouse atmosphere.

Maple Fuels Corner of Mt. Baker Highway and Silver Lake Road 360/599-2222 maplefuels.com The deli offers a wide selection of fresh sandwiches, made with local Claus meats. Fuel up on gas, grab a coffee or pick up some groceries and wash your clothes at the laundromat while you’re at it. WiFi.

Van Zandt Everybody’s Store 5465 Potter Road, off Highway 9 360/592-2297 everybodys.com This delightful, eclectic store features a wide array of gourmet meats, specialty cheeses and fine wines, many of which are made locally. Also check out their great selection of clothing, books and artwork.

winter 2013/14 | Mount Baker Experience

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EVENTS

Find more events and submit your own at mountbakerexperience.com

November

December

Whatcom Land trust planting party: November 23, Wickersham.

Help plant conifers and restore habitat near the Samish River headwaters. More info: whatcomlandtrust.org

Banff mountain Film Festival World Tour: December 3, Mount Baker Theatre, Bellingham.

A plethora of amazing big-screen stories. Journey to exotic locations, paddle the wildest waters and climb the highest peaks. More info: mountbakertheatre.com

XC Skiing and Snowshoeing forum: November 23, Bellingham.

Learn all about these fun winter sports from the Nooksack nordic Ski Club and the Mount Baker Club. More info: nooksacknordicskiclub.org Cheese and Gift fest: November 23 & 24, Van Zandt. Yummy tastings and more at Everybody’s Store.

More info: everybodys.com MEC Snowfest: November 23, Vancouver. A legendary snow swap, giveaways, clinics and activities throughout the day at MEC Vancouver. More info: events.mec.ca Maple Falls Short Film Festival: November 10, 17 and 24, Maple Falls. Featuring award winning films from the Louisiana Bayou to the Basque Region of Spain. Amusing, funny, touching.

A tour of the world in 3 Sundays at the Maple Falls Town Hall.

The Pumpkin Pie push: November 26, Bellingham. An all-paces run sponsored by Fairhaven Runners and Walkers, featuring pumpkin pie for hungry racers. More info: fairhavenrunners.com

Baker Backcountry Basics: Dec. 3, 6-7:30p.m. REI, Bellingham.

Mt. Baker offers endless backcountry ski and snowboard lines for those with the right tools, experience and time. More info: rei.com/ stores/bellingham.html Petite Fours Miniature Art Show: December 6, Bellingham.

An art show featuring works not to exceed six inches in any direction.

More info: alliedarts.org Superhero Lighted Bike Parade: December 6, Bellingham.

Don your superhero cape and light up the holiday art walk as we parade slowly through downtown Bellingham, visiting the Tree Lighting Ceremony. Bellingham Public Market, 6 p.m.

International Mountain Day Event: December 7, Bellingham.

Free rock rescue clinics, avalanche seminar, raffles, door prizes, pizza, beer and more at Vital Climbing Gym with American Alpine Institute. More info: alpineinstitute.com

Girls on the run 5K: December 7, Bloedel Donovan Park. Join girls on the run for a non-competitive, community-wide 5k event. More info: whatcomymca.org Jingle Trail 5K Run and Walk: December 7, Coupeville.

Central Whidbey’s annual holiday fun run at Camp Casey at 10 a.m.

More info: centralwhidbey chamber.com Gunner Shaw Memorial cross country race: December 7, Vancouver. The Gunner Shaw is known for its challenging, traditional-style cross country course and for its post-race food and company. More info: vancouvertrails.com/events Deception Pass Dash: December 8, Deception Pass. An exciting sixmile paddle through the swirling current of Deception Pass near Oak Harbor for human-powered vessels: kayaks, canoes and SUPs. More info: outdooradventurecenter.com Santa Claus Comes To Town: Dec. 14, 1-4 p.m., Acme General Store. Come have your photo taken with Santa and tell him how good you’ve been.

Zombie Xmas Cross: December 14, Lake Samish. A costumes-optional cyclocross at the Lutherwood Bible Camp grounds. More info: cascadecross.com Deception pass Dash: December 14 and 15. A 25k and 50 race in

beautiful Deception Pass State Park near Oak Harbor. More info: deceptionpass50.blogspot.com Mt. Baker Beacon Rally: December 15, Mt. Baker Ski Area.

Learn and/or practice how to use your avalanche transceiver by racing to find a buried beacon. Prizes for the fastest times and lots of avalanche awareness information.

More info: mtbaker.us Holiday festival of the arts: Throughout December. A six-week festival of over 100 local artists, craftspeople and musicians. More info: alliedarts.org Avalanche Awareness at REI: December 17, Bellingham. Learn to access local avalanche bulletins and weather reports, recognize basic signs of danger and learn simple ways to avoid avalanche danger.

More info: rei.com Snowshoeing Basics: December 18, Bellingham. Learn all about this fun winter sport from REI staff.

More info: rei.com Nordic Ski Waxing Clinic: December 23, MEC North Vancouver.

An introduction to ski waxing and tuning. More info: events.mec.ca

Ugly Sweater Run: December 24, Seattle. Celebrate the holidays by running in the ugliest sweater you can find. 3.1 miles, all are welcome. More info: theuglysweaterrun.com

January Polar Bear Plunge: January 1, Birch Bay. Ring in the new year with a frigid plunge into the Salish Sea. More info: birchbaychamber. com Chiller Cross: January 11, Bellingham. Cyclocross in January!

Hardly for the faint of heart. More info: cascadecross.com Boston and Baja bicycle slide show: January 15, Bellingham. Hear see the stories from the adventures of Emily and Connor, a young couple who cycled across the continent last summer. More info: everybodybike.com Skagit Eagle Festival: Every Saturday and Sunday in January.

Free tours, walks and educational programs to learn about the bald eagles of the Skagit River. Arts and Crafts, wine tasting, river rafting, music and more. More info: concrete.wa.comconcrete-wa.com

Stop by and say Hi!

located on the Guide Meridian at Pole Road

21st ANNUAL

Using only the purest local beeswax, our candles burn brighter, hotter, cleaner, and longer!

Join us as you prepare for your wedding and experience:

• Over 50 wedding vendors • Area’s largest fashion show at 4pm • Sample wedding cake & hors d‘oeuvres • Win fantastic prizes before the fashion show

SUNDAY, JANUARY 5TH, 2014 • 12:00 PM TO 5:00 PM BEST WESTERN LAKEWAY INN 714 LAKEWAY DRIVE, BELLINGHAM, WA To register, purchase tickets or get more information, visit

www.bridalinspirationsexpo.com or call 360-733-2563

Handcrafted in Glacier, WA AvAilAble At these locAtions: Bellingham Public Market Living Earth Herbs Downtown Emporium 109 W. Magnolia St. Bellingham Community Food Co-op Downtown & Cordata Paper Dreams at Village Books Fairhaven

Mountainside Gardens, Gallery, & Gifts 6900 Mt. Baker Hwy., Mile Post 24 Crossroads Grocery Maple Falls Anacortes Farmer’s Market at the Depot

www.honeyglowcandles.blogspot.com

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Mount Baker Experience | Winter 2013/14

MountBakerExperience.com

mountbakerexperience.com Call-in s serving Whatcom County our landmark Burger since 1964. W e lC o m e!

Check us out on

Facebook.com/GrantsBurgers

2254 Douglas Rd. in Ferndale • (360) 922 0335

1945 Front St. in Lynden • (360) 318-8599

(360) 599-3115 GLACIER, WA

Cheap daily trips to Mt. Baker

Don’t go out alone!

EXPO

Recreation Northwest Holiday Baking—for You Downtown Store

FOOD CO OP Bellingham’s Natural Grocer

1220 N Forest Street Open Daily 7 am – 10 pm

Your #1 Resource for Local and Regional Recreation Opportunities to Enjoy a Fun and Healthy New Year!

Cordata Store

315 Westerly Road Open Daily 7 am – 9 pm

www.communityfood.coop

Thursday, February 13th 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

& Vodka

Our moonshine is handcrafted using Grandpa Smith’s original recipe – flavored moonshine blends the original with local fruit.

Free Tasting Tours and Sales

Organic • LOcaL

Thursday/Friday – 2 to 6 p.m. • Saturday noon – 6 p.m.

1305 Fraser St. • Haskell Business Center D2 Bellingham • I-5 exit 253 (Lakeway)

mountbakerdistillery.com 360.734.3301

BEST WESTERN PLUS, Lakeway Inn & Conference Center

Meet Face to face with Health Professionals, Nutrition Experts, Local Gyms, Personal Trainers, Bike Shops, Running Stores, Gear Outfitters, Outdoor Media, Outdoor Activity Clubs, Stewardship Organizations and Local Race Organizers.

See the full list at RecreationNorthwest.org Sign-up to win a free entry to your favorite race!

Featured Speakers @ 7:00pm Heather Anderson/Pacific Crest Trail Self-Supported Fastest Known Time Brandon Nelson/Guinness Book of World Records 24 hour paddling record

e Fre he t to blic Pu

Our Sponsors & Partners Best Western Plus Lakeway Inn, Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism, Sustainable Connections, Mount Baker Experience, KISM and Adventures NW Magazine. winter 2013/14 | Mount Baker Experience

35

By Pat Grubb

Winter gear guide

G3 HIGH TRACTION Split board Skins North Vancouver’s own G3 has had quite the impact in recent years with its split boards, skins and other gear. These skins feature one of the best tip and tail attachment systems in the industry and a lightweight high performing synthetic skin. The swivel clip tip design and adjustable dynamic tail make installing and removing the skins a breeze. Tip and tail clips are self-aligning and made of durable stainless steel. $169.95.

Mt Baker Snowboard Shop at mtbaker.com

MSR Deploy TR-3 Poles

Helly Hansen Thrym Jacket The new Thrym Jacket’s innovative H2 Flow system is anatomically body mapped and offers the best optimization of Flow that HH has ever done. Goose down-insulated pods provide strategic warmth and are angled upward to specifically funnel warm air into the spinal cavity and up and out the jacket’s back collar.

Insulated with PrimaLoft, the four-way stretch jacket features an athletic fit and Helly Tech Professional waterproof breathable fabrics. It also offers all-premier ski features needed like stretch and zip-away snow skirt, goggle cloth and ski pass pocket. $900.

MSR’s new Deploy TR-3 poles deliver rock-solid performance for mountaineers, backcountry skiers and winter travelers requiring compact size and fast adjustments. The three-section poles are built around a zero-slip adjustment for unrivaled reliability and feature MSR’s Trigger Release for one-handed adjustment at the grip. $160.

msrgear.com

hellyhansen.com

Solomon Quest Max Thierry at Fairhaven Bike & Ski recommends Salomon’s Quest Max boot which comes with a custom shell in a 98 last that can be expanded up to a 104.

The boot has a walk/touring mode that allows you to put on the miles in the backcountry and the Salmon Lodge parking lot. You can even purchase a tech sole that will work with a Dynafit binding. Combine these boots with one of Salomon’s Q Series skis and Thierry says you’ll have the perfect package to ski steeps, powder or spring snow. $400.

fairhavenbike.com

Backcountry Access Tracker 2 Avi Transceiver Tracker2 offers precise pinpointing with triple receiving antennas, instantaneous real–time display, and the same easy–to–use interface as Tracker DTS. An intuitive mechanical search/transmit switch makes it easy to use right out of the box. Thinner profile and harness than Tracker DTS. Includes Special mode and multiple burial indicator lights. $335.

Backcountryaccess.com

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Mount Baker Experience | Winter 2013/14

MountBakerExperience.com

WintER Gear Guide Mountain Equipment UK’s Eclipse Hooded Zip Tee Jeremy at American Alpine Institute says this is the most versatile shirt for the skier/splitter, mountaineer, rock/ ice climber, trail runner, hiker or hardy bike commuter!

A recipient of AAI’s Guides Choice Award, it features an integrated, yet independent, face mask and snug hood, with slots for helmet straps of any kind (but can stretch enough to fit over most climber’s helmets if caught in a squall up on a route!). This piece was made to rock it in the outdoors and streamline your clothing kit! Men’s and women’s versions offered. $140.

MSR Lightning Ascent

guideschoice.com

The Lightning Ascents are by far the lightest snowshoe in their class. Torsion 2 crampons are designed to better distribute forces on rugged terrain and boost traction by maintaining continuous contact with the snow surface. MSR touts the new freeze-proof PosiLock AT binding as their most secure and comfortable binding for aggressive ascents. $270.

msrgear.com

Smith Optics Vice Goggle The new Vice goggle features a semi-rimless design providing an expanded peripheral view.

The Carbonic-X lens enhances contrast and heightened scratch resistance. Anti-fog inner lens and Porex filter make them Smith’s most advanced anti-fog goggles yet. From $110-170 depending on lens.

smithoptics.com

Nordica Patron John at Glacier Ski Shop recommends the Nordica Patron in a 185 cm or 193 cm for guys. “This is the true ‘doall ski’ for Mt. Baker skiers – it will float the deep and rail the hard pack. It’s a playful ski that can handle a heavy foot,” he says. $450.

For women he suggests the Icelantic Oracle in a 155 cm or 165 cm, describing it as “a great in bounds or out of bounds ski. It is light for touring yet it can handle the variable Mt. Baker Ski Area snow, something most light skis don’t do well.” $385. He also says, “Check out our new e-commerce site!”

glacierskishop.com

Helly Hansen Mission Jacket

IcelanTic Oracle

Helly Hansen’s iconic all-mountain jacket is revamped with a H2 Flow system for added breathability and warmth. Insulated with PrimaLoft, it has stretch 2L fabric for comfort and will keep you dry, warm or cool, depending on conditions and intensity.

Features include jacket-to-pant powder skirt, goggle pocket, and RECCO advanced rescue system. $400.

hellyhansen.com

be local, buy local.

We encourage you to support your local retailers. These winter items can be found at American Alpine Institute, Backcountry Essentials, Comor Sports, Fairhaven Bike & Ski, Glacier Ski Shop, Hidden Wave Boardshop, LFS Marine & Outdoor, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Mt. Baker Snowboard Shop, Northshore Ski & Board, REI, Skiis & Biikes, Sportsman Chalet, Valhalla Pure Sports, West Coast Sports, WWS Boardshop, Yeager’s Sporting Goods and other quality retailers in Washington and British Columbia. winter 2013/14 | Mount Baker Experience

37

Continued. from page 21..

Just a few inches of floodwater can end up costing thousands of dollars in repairs, and flood damage isn’t covered by homeowners insurance.

Don’t risk your home. Call us for flood insurance today.

EVERSON SUMAS

(360) 966-3732

(360) 988-2462

617 Cherry Street 103 W. Main Street Sumas www.KELLEYINSURE.com Everson

and anyone who enjoys that, I’m stoked to be around. So I really wanted to share with people what draws me to snowboarding, which is riding with your homies everyday regardless of conditions, chasing the good snow, figuring out how much money you have and how many turns you can get. We set out right after New Year’s. We were gone all season, shredding and documenting. We kept it really light and natural, we only had one filmer. It was a really nice contrast to how I had been filming in the past.

MBE: Who was on that trip with you?

LD: Kael Martin, who grew up in Bellingham/ Ferndale area, he’s been riding Baker his whole life, and then Alex Yoder and Blake Paul from Jackson Hole in a similar situation.

Jackson Hole is very nostalgic in the snowboarding world and they grew up there, snowboarding since they were kids. So we had four people who were just dedicated snowboarders, who love to do it. No real story or goal for the film other than to document what we do and why we love it, and how lucky we are to be able to do it.

MBE: In watching the film a bit of a friendly rivalry comes across between Mt. Baker and Jackson Hole…

NLG

LD: You know, it’s funny – the Jackson guys really, honestly think it’s

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better out there. We just have to say, yeah, totally, it’s better out there, you should stay there all season… It’s all just fun s***-talking. We’re proud in the Northwest of what we have here.

The Cascades are an amazing range.

I’ve been fortunate to snowboard all around the world, but there’s nowhere as sick as Mt. Baker - that’s all there is to it.

MBE: Then you guys went up to Whitewater, B.C. where you injured your knee. What happened?

LD: It was the culmination of a lot of factors. The Antarctica trip, despite being super gnarly and technical, really took any muscle and athleticism I had built up over the fall and dissipated it. I was on a boat for 30 days, and we rode some gnarly lines but it wasn’t a lot of lines. It wasn’t a lot of physical activity.

I came back and didn’t allow myself that month of shredding before I started filming. I hurt my back at the Ultra Naturals three weeks before we went up to Canada for filming.

When it happened, it had all the signs of an injury coming. It was day ten of filming, it was the end of the day, I was tired, I’d been pushing it too hard for too long without resting. I was filming this 20-30 foot air on the side of a road with a good landing. As I landed I accelerated across the road and aired off the other side of the road, but it was a switchback and so I landed on the road again below the switchback. It wasn’t the biggest air, and I’ve definitely landed harder than that, but

I was off-balance, I was tired and I wasn’t expecting asphalt. I just landed on my front leg with it fully extended and immediately knew my knee was done. I had torn my ACL. And from that day until just last Sunday, I hadn’t strapped into a board.

MBE: You rehabbed over the summer, and in the fall you went on a climbing trip through the southwest. Was that your first time back on the knee, or had you been hiking and climbing on it all summer?

LD: For two months after surgery I was like a machine, doing every bit of rehab the doctors told me to do plus another 50 percent. I changed my diet and made a commitment to getting healthier. Once I was able to walk around and hike in the mountains, I pretty much let rehab take a backseat to having fun. Normally in the summer I leave for months at a time, but this summer it was mostly day trips. I was joking with my buddy the other day, just three months after surgery we went and did the northwest ridge of Slesse.

Climbing is not bad on the knee.

It’s slow, controlled movement. But hiking, and hiking downhill while carrying a pack is bad. We set out at 4 a.m., summitted at sunset and ended up sleeping in space blankets on this notch half in the snow. At the time I was just like, oh yeah, we’re just pushing it, but that was three months out of surgery. What an idiot … It was an amazing experience but I was a little hot out of the gate.

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Mount Baker Experience | Winter 2013/14

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So I climbed as much as I could, that was my activity for the summer.

I was able to push myself in climbing almost as much as I would have normally. Then in the fall I did a loop of climbing in the southwest – Red Rocks, Indian Creek and Yosemite.

From when I blew my knee out in February to when I left in October was the longest and most time I’d spent in Bellingham in probably five years. It was really strange to do that, and my roommates were like, wow you’re here a lot. It was a really big thing for me to take off in my truck with the canopy and hit the road.

MBE: Do you have any major projects on the horizon this year?

LD: Yeah. I just had a big meeting about it in San Francisco, so I’m pretty sure it’s going to happen but nothing is set in stone. It’s going to take me a couple months of snowboarding to get me back to the level I want to be at, but a trip to Greenland is a major goal of mine. I’ve got a big trip proposal that hopefully comes together. I’ve got a couple ski mountaineers who have done some incredible stuff all over the world, in the Himalayas and on Everest, so I’m hoping to go get puckered in Greenland.

I’m really excited about this area in northwest Greenland called the Caledonian Alps, these beautiful mountains that are relatively unexplored. That’s the carrot at the end of the stick for me getting healthy.

If we do it right I think we would try to add a philanthropic element to the trip. Maybe bring some awareness of Inuit communities that have been hit hard by alcoholism and the melting ice sheet. It would be pretty cool to use my resources as a professional snow boarder to help share what’s happening and kind of counteract my carbon footprint. I think spreading the knowledge is important, because we’re pretty unaware of how other cultures live in this world and I’ve been fortunate enough to experience other cultures in the places I go. It’s kind of my duty to report back to western society or even just my friends what’s happening and what we can do to help.

Meeting some of those people is one of the best parts of my travels.

MBE: Do you ever wish you could stay in one place or do you prefer to be on the move?

LD: I absolutely prefer to be on the move. They say variety is the spice of life, and I love traveling. Bellingham is this amazing, beautiful place; it’s a great community, all my friends are here and they’re here every time I come home. But I love adventure. I love getting on the road and knowing where I’m going but not how I’m going to get there or what’s going to happen on the way. At some point in my life I may be a little more content sitting still, but right now every opportunity I can leave town to check something out, it’s a must.

MBE: When you do come home, what’s your favorite dish at Milano’s?

LD: They’ve got the seafood linguini that’s probably my favorite, it’s usually on the specials. Just home cooking. My family is super close, and every time my sister and I come home from a trip we have a real nice dinner. But yeah, the seafood linguini… if my dad’s making that, it’s good.

We’re in a good spot to eat seafood and pasta.

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Baker Ski Area is my favorite zone.

The lines that we ride there are comparable to anything I’ve touched in the world. So fun.

I’ve really gotten into split boarding a lot in the last couple years, so even Mt. Herman and the immediate slack country of Mt. Baker is just phenomenal. If you get a sunny day on the Shuksan Arm or Table or Herman, it’s gold. People are paying $1,000 a run in Alaska to get pretty similar terrain, and we have it in a half-hour skin. So the Baker area, and then kind of exploring the Cascades is my new thing.

I’ve gotten to some remote areas through rock climbing in the summer, and I’d really like to explore the Picket Range and the North Cascades Highway outside Darrington on a snowboard. It’s such an amazing range because the access is so difficult, especially in winter. If we really put our heads together and figure out how to get into some of those areas, I can only imagine the terrain is just phenomenal.

Glacier and Maple Falls homeowners: are you looking for ways to off-set the debt service on your 2nd home?

Consider placing your vacation property in the Mt. Baker Lodging vacation rental program.

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Our Clients enjoy peace-of-mind while working with the Mt. Baker area’s oldest, largest and most established vacation rental agency. Mt. Baker Lodging provides friendly and knowledgeable personnel in a fully staffed local area office, utilizing a direct hands-on approach to managing the properties that we represent. Our Clients also have the flexibility of utilizing their homes for personal use between rental occasions. It’s a win/win!

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39

Looking for a good book?

These new titles from Seattle’s Mountaineers Books are certain to inspire, educate, and thrill you.

Cycling The Great Divide

The Crag Survival Handbook

The Unspoken Rules of Climbing

By Matt Samet 978-1-59485-766-9 $19.95 Many new climbers learn climbing skills in rock gyms and have missed learning with a skilled climber in the outdoors. This gap leads to conflicts and accidents.

Longtime climber Matt Samet lays

out how to become a member of the climbing community. Climbing etiquette, dealing with conflict and Leave No Trace practices are all presented along with key skills like movement, dealing with fear, gear management and how to fall.

From Canada to Mexico On North America’s Premier LongDistance Mountain Bike Route

By Michael McCoy and Adventure Cycling Association 978-1-59485-819-2 $18.95 Ready to challenge yourself? How about a 2,745 mile bike ride from Banff, Alberta through the mountainous great divide to Antelope Wells, New Mexico?

The route will take you mostly on dirt roads, some pavement and single track through some of North America’s most beautiful scenery.

The book gives riders a route guide to allow them to either ride in stages as time and money permits or take it all in one go.

Where to stay (camp or motels), where to find water, buy food or bike parts – everything you need to successfully complete the ride is included.

We’ll get you to your

ADVENTURE Rairdon Jeep of Bellingham When your adventures take you through untracked terrain, you’ll want to be sure you’re in a tried and true off-road Jeep Grand Cherokee!

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Front Yard Forager

Identifying, Collecting and Cooking the 30 Most Common Weeds

By Melany Vorass 978-1-59485-747-8 $18.95 The Front Yard Forager invites readers into the fun and delicious world of foraging. A concise field guide and recipe book, it showcases the 30 most readily found edible urban weeds.From dandelion to day lily, nipplewort to nettle, and pineapple weed to purslane there’s a salad bowl full of fresh edibles just waiting to be collected. Plant profiles feature a field identification guide, as well as where to find the plant and what to do with it in the kitchen.

Recipes range from simple and classic to practically gourmet, while introductory chapters acover the hows and whys of foraging.

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• Full line volvo dealership sales and service • plUs service for all other makes & models • Quality pre-owned vehicles convenient location oFF i-5 • 1601 iowa street • Bellingham

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A Step-By-Step Guide

By Bob Burns & Mike Burns 978-1-59485-762-1 $14.95

Thousands have learned compass and map skills with the help of father-and-son team Bob and Mike Burns and their straightforward, simply explained book, Wilderness Navigation (65,000 copies sold).

Now they’ve written a book for everyone who has bought a backcountry GPS device and found it inexplicably complicated to use (which includes most of us).

Wilderness GPS is an easy-to-use guide to get you navigating the outdoors with your handheld GPS device.

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Waterfall Lover’s Guide Pacific Northwest

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Mapmaker and waterfall junkie Greg Plumb is your guide to the best of the Pacific Northwest’s waterfalls, with each waterfall keyed for accessibility by car, on foot, or by canoe or raft and rated for magnitude and aesthetic value.

He notes which falls can be seen right from the road, viewed from a swinging footbridge, or have salmon attempting to jump them.

This new edition includes 70 new waterfalls, 19 new maps, more than 50 percent new photographs, and a new “Waterfall Computer Companion” that features the more than 100 “one-star” waterfalls in an online companion site.

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APPROVALS APPROVALS APPROVALS PRODUCTIONPRODUCTION NOTES PRODUCTION NOTES NOTES COLORS COLORS 2014 SUBARU 2014 SUBARU 2014 SUBARU • All line art & •logos All line areart repro •& Alllogos line art are&repro logos are repro Proof_____ AD___ Proof___ __ CW___ __ Proof___ AD___ __ GCD___ ____CW___ AD___ __ __ AE___ __ GCD___ CW___ __ Prod___ __ __ GCD___ AE___ __ __ Client___ __Prod___ AE___ ____ __ Prod___ Client___ ____Client_____ • Unless specified • Unless by workorder, specified • Unlessby all specified workorder, other images by workorder, all other images all other images 2.5i PREMIUM 2.5i PREMIUM2.5i PREMIUM Last Touched :Randy Last Urlacher, TouchedLast :Randy 5-31-2013 Touched Urlacher, 11:08 :Randy AM, 5-31-2013 Urlacher, Production:Volumes:Production:2013:S 11:08 5-31-2013 AM, Production:Volumes:Production:2013:S 11:08 AM, Production:Volumes:Production:2013:S are FPO are FPO are FPO

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19091909 Cornwall 1909 Cornwall Cornwall Ave.,Ave., BELLINGHAM, Ave., BELLINGHAM, BELLINGHAM, WA 98225 WA WA 98225 98225 $ $ $ $ $ $ 23,169 23,169 23,169 27,10827,108 27,108 123-456-7890 123-456-7890 123-456-7890 www.anytownsubaru.com www.anytownsubaru.com www.anytownsubaru.com

35,49135,491 35,491 -2192 Dewey -2192-2192 Dewey Discount Dewey Discount Discount

$

JF1GJAH63DH018158 JF1GJAH63DH018158 STK98191 JF1GJAH63DH018158 STK98191 STK98191

23,099 23,099 23,099

(360) 734-3840 734-3840 (360) (360) 734-3840 734-3840

Lynden Lynden Lynden Lynden Lynden 407 19th St.

Scale: 1” = 1” Scale: 1” =Scale: 1” 1” = 1”

$ $ 33,299 33,299 33,299

ubaru:SOA:DL_Dealer:3DL0135_FO_Wallet ubaru:SOA:DL_Dealer:3DL0135_FO_Wallet ubaru:SOA:DL_Dealer:3DL0135_FO_Wallet Non-New Updates:1SOADL130135_MY14Wallet_ Non-New Updates:1SOADL130135_MY14Wallet_ Non-New Updates:1SOADL130135_MY14Wallet_ HP_4C_FO.indd HP_4C_FO.indd HP_4C_FO.indd Printed at: None Printed at: None Printed at: None Revision #: 1 Revision #: 1 Revision #: 1

-1270 Dewey -1270-1270 Dewey Discount Dewey Discount Discount

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$ $ 21,899 21,899 21,899

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ETD PACKAGE 01 ETD PACKAGEETD 01 PACKAGE 01

EFA PACKAGE 01 EFA PACKAGEEFA 01 PACKAGE 01

EFF PACKAGE 02 EFF PACKAGEEFF 02 PACKAGE 02

STK 98677 VIN 4S4WX9GD8E4400032 STK 98677 VINSTK 4S4WX9GD8E4400032 98677 VIN 4S4WX9GD8E4400032

STK 98558 VIN JF2SJAAC6EG407454 STK 98558 VINSTK JF2SJAAC6EG407454 98558 VIN JF2SJAAC6EG407454

STK 98655 VIN JF2SJAEC7EH459714 STK 98655 VINSTK JF2SJAEC7EH459714 98655 VIN JF2SJAEC7EH459714

es**for Pictures illustration ** Pictures for illustration purposes for illustration purposes only. purposes only. only.

Forester, Subaru,Subaru, Outback, Forester, Forester, Outback, Tribeca,Outback, Legacy, Tribeca,Impreza, Tribeca, Legacy,Legacy, Impreza, Impreza, TI WRX, and SUBARU STI WRX, andSTI SUBARU BOXER and SUBARU are BOXER suggested BOXER are suggested are suggested rks. trademarks. * A documentary trademarks. * A documentary *service A documentary feeservice of up service to fee$150 of up feetoof$150 up to $150 added may be tomay the added sale be to added price the sale of to the the price capitalized sale ofprice the capitalized of cost. the capitalized cost. cost. mbers VIN posted numbers VIN at numbers posted dealership. posted at dealership.

One atonly dealership. at One this only price.

One at this onlyprice. at this price.

November ExpiresExpires November 30, 2013.

November 30, 2013.

30, 2013.

Providing Pole & Post Frame Services to Whatcom and Skagit Counties Year-Round

BELLINGHAM

60-734-8700 360-734-8700 360-734-8700 • 1800 • 1800 • 1800 IOWA IOWA IOWA STREET STREET STREET • BELLINGHAM, • BELLINGHAM, • BELLINGHAM, WAWAWA ** Pictures for illustration purposes only.

Subaru, Forester, Outback, Tribeca, Legacy, Impreza, WRX, STI and SUBARU BOXER are suggested trademarks. *A documentary service fee of up to $150 may be added to the sale price of the capitalized cost. VIN numbers posted at dealership. One only at this price.

Expires January 2, 2014.

360-734-8700 • 1800 IOWA ST. • BELLINGHAM

www.deweygriffin.com

360-380-4436 pioneerpostframe.com winter 2013/14 | Mount Baker Experience

41

Staying afloat

Avalanche air bags and you

By Jason D. Martin and Richard Riquelme

Photo by Grant Gunderson

42

Mount Baker Experience | Winter 2013/14

MountBakerExperience.com

I

t was February of 2012, and three skiers were dead just outside of the Stevens Pass Ski Area in the Tunnel Creek drainage. Five people were initially caught in the backcountry avalanche. One of the survivors became wedged between two trees while snow rushed over him.

The other survivor, Elyse Saugstad, deployed an avalanche airbag, which kept her near the surface of the snow and allowed rescuers to find her quickly.

Along with other high-profile cases of airbag-assisted avalanche survival, Saugstad’s experience created a great deal of interest in avalanche air bags. Our shop at the American Alpine Institute (AAI) began to receive almost daily inquiries about these potentially lifesaving tools.

In essence an avalanche airbag is a regular backpack with one or more large airbags stowed in the top and the side. The idea is that if there is an avalanche, the skier can pull a ripcord and deploy the rapid inflation airbags. Then, in theory, these airbags will keep the skier’s body near the surface of a moving avalanche, allowing for an easier rescue.

There are many aspects that must be taken into account prior to the purchase of one of these systems. Before making any purchasing decisions, you must look at the advantages and disadvantages of three main aspects of this system.

What type of gas is being used to inflate the bag chamber?

How many airbags are being inflated, and how much volume?

What type of mechanism is being used to trigger the deployment of the airbag(s)?

To decide what kind of gas (compressed air or nitrogen) is the most appropriate for you, think about where you are going to use your pack. Air temperatures and altitude may have an effect on cartridge performance and the speed by which the gas moves from the cartridge to the airbag. It appears that compressed air works a little better at lower altitudes – like those found here in the PNW – while nitrogen works better up high.

One additional concern that should be mentioned is the difficulty some have had taking these backpacks abroad. For some reason the TSA doesn’t like weird cartridges of gas stashed inside backpacks on their planes...

The terrain that you’re skiing is another factor to take into account. If you’re skiing in a place where there are lots of sharp trees and branches, or in a place where there are a lot of sharp rocks, there is the possibility that you are going to puncture a balloon. Some systems employ a two-balloon pack with two valves, providing a back up in case a balloon is punctured or a valve malfunctions.

Some brands have worked hard to develop a configuration that provides more “floatability” by playing with the volume and spatial adjustability of the balloons.

If you are going to be using the pack as a recreationalist you may have different needs than a ski patroller or a guide.

Why? Because each group has different needs. The recreationalist needs affordability and functionality with a simple pull. Professionals often use packs with mini-explosives that (according to the respective marketing departments) will guarantee deployment above and beyond the minimum standards. Lastly, a guide may want a remote control triggering mechanism in case one of his or her participants is in a slide, but fails to trigger their system.

Now the real trick of these packs is not that they might save you from an avalanche, it’s that they might trick you into a false sense of security. The pack will give you a better chance if you’re in a slide (an increase in survivability of about 16 percent for those caught in a serious avalanche, according to statistics compiled by the Utah Avalanche Center), but it won’t save you from drop-offs, trees, boulders or any number of other terrible things that could happen to you if you’re involved in a slide.

The best tool that you have to avoid an avalanche is your own brain and your ability to use it. If you haven’t taken an avalanche course, then you’re missing the key ingredient.

To learn more about the statistics surrounding avalanche air bags and balloon technology in the 2012-2013 season, please log onto utahavalanchecenter.org/blogavalanche-airbag-effectiveness-something-closer-truth.

The avalanche instructors and ski guides at AAI have all indicated a belief that these packs will be industry standard within the next few years. If you are a backcountry skier or snow boarder and you don’t have one of these yet, you might want to look into air bags and start saving up.

x

Photo by Richard Riquelme

Following is a list of Level I programs offered by AAI (alpineinstitute.com). The standard American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) Level I course provides a three-day curriculum with one full classroom day in Bellingham and two days in the Baker backcountry.

For those who can’t commit three consecutive days to a program, AAI offers a two-evening/two-day option in conjunction with the Outdoor Center at Western Washington University (WWU). Two evenings of lectures from 6 to 10 p.m. are followed by two days in the field. This option is open to the public, and WWU students receive a $50 discount.

Three-Day Level I Programs – $325 Nov 29 – Dec 1 Dec 6 – Dec 8 Dec 13 – Dec 15 Dec 28 – Dec 30 Jan 3 – Jan 5 Jan 10 – Jan 12 Jan 18 – Jan 20 Jan 24 – Jan 26 Feb 7 – Feb 9 Feb 15 – Feb 17 Feb 21 – Feb 23 Feb 28 – Mar 2 Mar 7 – Mar 9

Two Evenings/Two Days Option – $325 Evening Lectures: Jan 14, Jan 16 Field Days: Jan 19, Jan 20 Evening Lectures: Jan 28, Jan 30 Field Days: Feb 1, Feb 2 Evening Lectures: Feb 25, Feb 27 Field Days: Mar 1, Mar 2 Photo by Richard Riquelme

winter 2013/14 | Mount Baker Experience

43

Come Chill with us!

PHOTO: Brandy Kiger Shreve

Come Chill at BirCh Bay • Welcome in 2014 with the Ring of Fire on New Year’s Eve and the Polar Bear swim on New Year’s Day • Visit restaurants and pubs along the bay • Sit by the fireplace and watch winter storms from your rented waterfront cottage

Come Chill at mt. Baker • Play in the snow • Dine and listen to live music along Hwy 542 • Ski the resort that enjoys an annual average snowfall of 641” • Rent a cozy log cabin and watch the stars from your hot tub

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Find your winter fun at www.bakerbirchbay.com

From snowballs to sandcastles and everything in between!

MountBakerExperience.com

Mount Baker Experience | Winter 2013/14

Sam Cohen skiing at mt. Baker | Photo by Grant Gunderson

winter 2013/14 | Mount Baker Experience

45

Money well spent

RestauRant

Great Food, Live Music

Warm Wood-Burning Stove Weekend Breakfast

Serving food 7 days a week • Mon.-Fri. 2pm till close • Sat. & Sun. from 8am till close.

9989 Mt Baker Hwy. Glacier, WA • 360-599-3663 • Follow us on Facebook

The benefits of a sno-park permit Walk-in reservations and 1 night stays available!

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OPEN EVERY DAY 9AM - 5PM

ade Homem ts Desser

CHAIR 9 Woodstone Pizza & Bar • Family Dining

By Sharon Robinson

C

osting about as much as dinner for two, a sno-park permit is a small price to pay for access to more than 45 Washington state sno-parks designated for non-motorized winter recreation, especially when you consider all that comes along with the access.

The money from the permits provides snow removal, sanitary facilities, trail grooming, signs, maps,

GLACIER, WA

Bar Special

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Private room available for parties and events

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Locavore, comfort food, and fresh baked bread

parking lot construction and administration of the winter recreation program. Salmon Ridge Sno-Park (near Mile Post 46 on Highway 542) is in the heart of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest area and is one of the most scenic sno-parks in the state. The Salmon Ridge winter recreation trail system is maintained by volunteer effort through a Bellingham-based cross-country ski club, Nooksack Nordic Ski Club.

Sno-park permits are available from November 1 to March 31 annually. To purchase online, go to parks.wa.gov/permits. You can also buy one from a local vendor at more than 100 retail locations throughout the state. All permits must be displayed in the lower left corner of your vehicle’s windshield.

One-day permits are honored until midnight of the date written on the permit. The cost for a one-day

permit is $20 online or $22 if purchased from a vendor.

Seasonal permits are nontransferable between vehicles. The cost for a seasonal permit is $40 online or $42 if purchased from a vendor.

Special groomed trails permits in conjunction with the seasonal permit are required at eight sno-parks in the state. Check the website parks. wa.gov/winter for locations and more details.

Discover Passes, or federal recreation passes, do not work in a designated sno-park. Sno-park funds provide plowed parking lots with easy access and most have sanitation provided. Some of the money comes back to Nooksack Nordic Ski Club in a sno-park grant to help pay for trail grooming expenses, so when you purchase a sno-park permit you are giving back to your community as well. Another way to give back

Hours:

Mo-Tu-We-Th 7:30am-12pm Fr-Sa-Su 7:30am-4pm

Located behind Milano’s Restaurant • www.mtbaker.com 360-599-2008 • 888-466-7392 • 9996 Forest St., Glacier, WA

Alpine, Tele & Snowboard Waxes

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Full Breakfast Cooked to Order

Winter Creek Bed & Breakfast

9253 Cornell Creek Rd, Glacier WA (360)599-2526 www.WinterCreekBandB.com

46

Mount Baker Experience | Winter 2013/14

A 1968 Airstream trailer that has been artistically and meticulously redesigned to be a

Joelle - 360.599.2443 9970 Mt. Baker Hwy. Glacier, WA Next door to Glacier Ski Shop

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GOURMET BREAKFAST | HOT TUB ADULT ONLY FACILITY | MASSAGE THERAPY BY APPOINTMENT

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Mt.Baker

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Now Serving Breakfas & Lunch t All Day

Behind Milano’s Restaurant • Open everyday at 7:30 am

glacier’s only hotel.

Photo By Brett Baunton

bluetlodge.com 360/599-9944

to your community is to join the efforts of the club with brushing and trail-work parties in the fall. Go to the club website for dates and more information at nooksacknordicskiclub.org.

Salmon Ridge Trail System has more than 25 kilometers of groomed cross-country ski trails and 3 miles of snowshoe trails. There are three distinct areas to ski or snowshoe, each offering a different winter recreation experience.

NOW OPEN located next to CHAIR 9

A great place to rest your head after your mountain adventure.

Ask about our pet friendly rooms.

MILANO’S

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R E S TAU R A N T & D E L I GLACIER , WASHINGTON

Cozy Log Cabins Fireplaces Kitchens eek Stay 2 nights, Mid W l the 3rd is FREE Specia *excluding holidays

New Office in Maple Falls at 7425 Mt. Baker Hwy. 1.888.695.7533 BakerAccommodations.com

7577 Canyon View Dr. (Glacier Springs) Glacier, WA

360/599-2711

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Mt. Baker View Guesthouse View • 2 Bedrooms

Full Kitchen • Hot Tub • Sleeps 6

Cascade Retreat

• Fresh Pasta Dinners All Day • Daily Specials • Espresso 1 9 • Catering Est. 90 • Soups & Salads 360/599-2863 • Homemade Desserts 9990 Mt. Baker Highway Glacier, Wa. • Wide Selection of www.MilanoRestaurant.us Beer & Wines Open 2-8 weekdays • 2-9 weekends Happy Hour 2-5 • 7 days a week

Enjoy drink & small plate specials during happy hour

Spacious • Hot tub • Sauna Full kitchen • Sleeps 15

Reservations 360-599-2155

www.mtbakerviewguesthouse.com

winter 2013/14 | Mount Baker Experience

47