Mount Baker Experience winter 2017

WINTER 2017

ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2017

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

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WINTER 2017 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

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OUTDOOR RECREATION

SUMMIT&EXPO Bellingham, WA

SUMMIT

Friday, February 24th 9:00am - 5:00pm

Recreation industry professionals sharing ways to grow and promote Washington State’s flourishing recreation economy.

2017 Keynote Speakers:

Jon Snyder - Governor’s Policy Advisor on Outdoor Recreation Cailin O’Brien-Feeney - Outdoor Industry Association

BASECAMP

Friday, February 24th 7:00pm - 9:00pm

An exclusive networking event for Summit attendees and EXPO Exhibitors.

Register to attend the Summit and to exhibit at the EXPO at RecreationNorthwest.org

EXPO

Saturday, February 25th 1:00pm - 6:00pm

Bellingham Cruise Terminal Explore Washington’s outdoor recreation opportunities to find new ways to get outside and play.

Demos & Prizes

Free to the Public

Elevation: The Art of Cascadia A passionate celebration of the northwest landscape Throughout the month of February beginning with the Gala, Friday February 3rd Chuckanut Radio Hour Featuring Leif Whittaker, My Old Man and the Mountain Tuesday, February 28th

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Thank you to our Sponsors!

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2017

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

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BAKERGUIDES.COM WINTER 2017 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

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Winter2017 in this issue

38

PATRICK MCCARTHY

From living the dream to managing the team

36

Radka Chapin photo

Oliver Lazenby photo.

18

Jason Griffith photo.

Brad Andrew photo.

12 CAPE ALAVA LOOP

ENDANGERED FREEHEELER

CITIZEN EFFORT

Winter escape on the Olympic Peninsula

A passion for the turn

The volunteers who maintain forest roads

8

POSTCARD Greetings from the winter night sky

10 INTRO TO BACKCOUNTRY How to become a backcountry skier

14 A FOOTPRINT

Excerpt from Leif Whittaker’s new memoir

15 STACK THE DECK

Lessons from a fatal avalanche on Mt. Herman

20 SPIN BOTH WAYS

42 BC SKI RESORTS

Exercises for those who turn one way

22 DOSE OF NATURE

44 SNOWBOARD CLUBHOUSE

A prescription for playing outside

46 WHAT DID WE LEARN?

Through the lens

41 WINTER EVENTS

Mt. Baker Snowboard Shop’s new owner

23 PHOTO GALLERY

Quick guide for the powder highway

Examining a grizzly bear encounter

43 BC SKI AREAS

Come in from the wilderness

30

6

PHOTO ESSAY Mountain Time with Adam Roberts

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2017

34

Robyn Barker photo.

Oliver Lazenby photo.

Corey Warren photo.

What to know before hitting the road

GLACIER RESEARCH 33 years of measuring melt MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE Special publication of The Northern Light PUBLISHERS Patrick Grubb and Louise Mugar EDITOR Oliver Lazenby PUBLICATION DESIGN Doug De Visser COPY EDITOR Kara Furr OFFICE MANAGER Amy Weaver

ADVERTISING DESIGN Ruth Lauman • Doug De Visser ADVERTISING SALES Catherine Darkenwald • Janet McCall Molly Ernst • Judy Fjellman CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS ISSUE: Heather Baroody Adams, Brad Andrew, Robyn Barker, Darcy Bacha, Radka Chapin, Grant Gunderson, Jason Griffith, Jason Hummel, Maya Hunger, Paul Kelly, Justin Kious, Audra Mercille, Jason Martin, John Minier, Corey Warren, Luca Williams, Leif Whittaker, and Mike Yoshida EMAIL: info@mountbakerexperience.com WEB: www.mountbakerexperience.com FACEBOOK: facebook.com/mtbakerexperience INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/mtbakerexp If you can see Mt. Baker, you’re part of the experience. Mount Baker Experience is a quarterly outdoor recreation magazine for and about the Mt. Baker region, distributed from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C. and published by Point Roberts Press, Inc. Locally owned, the company also publishes The Northern Light, All Point Bulletin, Pacific Coast Weddings, Waterside and area maps.

Vol. XXX, No. 4. Printed in Canada. ©2016 POINT ROBERTS PRESS 225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230 TEL: 360/332-1777 NEXT ISSUE Spring 2017 • Out mid-February Ad reservation deadine: January 20 ON THE COVER Chris Rubens flies through the trees on a deep day at Mt. Baker a few years ago.

Grant Gunderson photo.

WINTER 2017

ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

CONTRIBUTORS CONTRIBUTORS MBE Winter 2017

bradANDREW

Brad Andrew is a Bellingham-based freelance action sports photographer. He spends his winters chasing the snow looking for the perfect spot to make the perfect image. He is a husband, father and a student of life.

darcyBACHA Darcy lives at the base of Mt. Hood, Oregon, where his photography is inspired by the beauty and people surrounding him.

radkaCHAPIN Radka Chapin is an avid alpine climber and backcountry skier who never leaves the house without her camera.

grantGUNDERSON One of the ski industry’s pre-eminent photographers, Grant has shot for every major snow sports and outdoor publication worldwide.

Grantgunderson.com

jasonGRIFFITH Based in Mount Vernon, Jason is a fisheries biologist, member of Skagit Mountain Rescue, husband and father of two young boys. Accidents aren’t allowed when he heads to the hills with the Choss Dawgs.

jasonHUMMEL Jason is an outdoor photographer from Washington who has documented numerous first descents in the North Cascades.

Alpinestateofmind.com

mayaHUNGER Maya is a Washingtonian who likes type 2 fun and human powered sports. Writing for various publications makes her feel like she is contributing to society while she spends the majority of her time far in the backcountry.

paulKELLY Paul is a former U.S. Navy photographer, Brooks Institute alumni, and Eddie Adams Workshop grad. He is a New Hampshire native who shoots mountain biking, snowboarding, and outdoor lifestyle.

justinKIOUS

Justin Kious was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and is constantly trying to capture fresh lines.

audraMERCILLE Audra Mercille is a Pacific Northwest-based freelance adventurer. She found photography as a way to display her love and gratitude for the mountains and landscapes that inspire her.

jasonMARTIN Jason is a mountain guide, general manager at American Alpine Institute and a widely published outdoor writer. He lives in Bellingham with his wife and two young children.

johnMINIER John is the owner and lead guide of Mt. Baker Mountain Guides. Originally from Alaska, he has a deep appreciation and respect for wild and mountainous places.

coreyWARREN Corey Warren is a freelance creative based in Seattle, with roots in Bellingham as co-founder of the gone-but-not-forgotten INNATE retail store.

lucaWILLIAMS Luca Williams is a certified rolfer in Glacier.

She helps snowboarders, skiers and other outdoor enthusiasts to get aligned and out of pain. Website: lucasrolfing.com Blog: movingwithgravity.wordpress.com

leifWHITTAKER Leif is a climbing ranger for the U.S. Forest Service on Mt. Baker. Born in Port Townsend, he has climbed some of the world’s tallest peaks, including Mt. Everest twice. Leifwhittaker.com

shukSAN Shuksan grew up in the Northwest and is at least the second best wrestler in the Mount Baker Experience office. He likes symmetry and is always happy to fill a hole in the magazine at the last minute.

WINTER 2017 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

7

om

fr s g n i t ree

G

Y K S R E WI NT

TH E

POSTCAR DS

terlands Reports from the highways & hin

eastern Cascades. boards Sister, some would have called us morning sun we strapped on our snow hen Rio and I set out for the North Twin After resting a few peaceful hours in the vast a vivid the or n now mit natio sum desti the ng w, engi chall n to the valley belo crazy – not just because of our familiar but and surfed the slush on the north face dow of use beca also but le, rcyc moto the t. amount of equipment we had loaded on memory of a dark and magical starry nigh , planfor the long and technical climb. ier Glac stargazing opportunities. Individual stars from best rture the depa of e noon som after offer late ths our mon er wint The s beam center the last facing away from the jagged west ridge to revel in the appear brighter, since North America is ions tellat cons and Halfway to the summit, we stopped on ets tcom set of Wha liar, fami over vast view displayed a red curtain ll see a different, and probably less of light before the sun disappeared. The of the Milky Way. This also means you’ ng duri ness dark of s ts – up to 16 hour ions than in summer. With the longer nigh tellat County. The stars were about to debut. cons and . onfly sleep drag g tiful ficin beau sacri a and were greeted by the vibrant night without We finally made the summit at midnight the winter solstice – you can experience head nearly pitch black. The sky the ng leavi le, visib warmest layers, pack a hot beverage and was your n moo grab t, of r effec With winter now in full a curious mouse. Just a slive of azsight starg the for with ities rtun ided subs oppo kly best quic the nt the dark asce sky. As always, butterflies we carried in our stomachs on out to experience the magic of the night ve felt as illusi we the ntain see mou also t the of migh top you y, the luck on y sed are reall ls. Expo the sky. Stars glistened like polished jewe ing are during the new moon phase. If you le though we were part of the night.

Aurora Borealis in the northern sky.

We lay Audra Mercil m sky were like something from a dream. o t brigh Fr starthe and r Bake Mt. nlit Moo norththe urge to sleep until the sun crested the awake drinking up the night and fighting

W

x

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shop early. shop often. shop local.

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A MIN

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WINTER 2017 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

9

How to get started

SKIING IN THE BACKCOUNTRY STORY AND PHOTOS BY JASON D. MARTIN

T

he words skiing and fun are essentially synonymous.

The art of skiing is one of the most pleasurable pastimes in the world. There is nothing quite like sliding on the snow at a beautifully maintained ski area.

Except for skiing the backcountry, that is. Resort skiing is great, but in a straight-up comparison, backcountry skiing is just more fun for many people. Earning those blissful turns feels more rewarding.

But skiing in the backcountry can be intimidating. Assuming one has easy black diamond skills, three factors might keep a skier from venturing into the backcountry: equipment, avalanche danger and navigation.

EQUIPMENT: Backcountry skiers have two main choices for bindings: telemark and alpine touring. Telemark bindings have a free heel that is never clamped down, while alpine touring bindings allow the heel to lift for climbing and lock down for downhill skiing.

If you’re not already a telemark skier, you’ll probably want to start out on alpine touring bindings. Most resort skiers will have a much easier time with these, rather than learning a new skiing style while also navigating the challenges of backcountry skiing for the first time.

Binding choices break down even further, as there are two major types of alpine touring bindings on the market. The first is the often called the “frame” binding, which is similar to a resort binding and allows a skier to easily step into it. The second is the super lightweight “tech” binding, which uses a system of pins that slot into holes in the toe of special boots.

The first type of binding (Fritschi Freeride, Marker Duke, Atomic Tracker, etc.) will be easier for the standard resort skier to adapt to and is more confidence-inspiring on the downhill. But most people these days ski on the second kind of binding (Dynafit, G3, Plum, etc.) because they’re lighter and more efficient for climbing.

There are dozens upon dozens of touring skis on the mar-

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2017

ket, each designed with a different thing in mind. Some are super lightweight, while others are heavier but offer better performance skiing downhill. Most new backcountry skiers start with skis on the downhill-oriented end of the spectrum.

While this adds weight for uphill travel, it makes the downhill portion of the day much easier, especially if the conditions are variable or difficult. Keep in mind, however, that you’ll spend 90 percent of the day going uphill.

To actually go uphill on touring skis, you’ll also need a good pair of climbing skins. Skins, which are usually synthetic but used to be made exclusively from animal fur, at-

tach to the skis for uphill travel. They allow the ski to slide forward but not backwards. They’re peeled off and stowed in the pack for the downhill action.

Touring boots are similar to downhill boots but they’re designed with an uphill mode with more forward flex for ergonomic uphill movement. Ideally, a new backcountry skier will be able to find a boot that works well for both the uphill and downhill. Ski shop employees can help you find a model that works well for you.

AVALANCHE DANGER: An average of 27 people a year died in avalanches in the last 10 years in the U.S. alone. One person was killed in an avalanche just outside Mt. Baker Ski Area last year.

There is really only one way for the new backcountry skier to adequately address avalanche danger: a full three-day avalanche safety course. The best avalanche safety programs conform to American Avalanche Association standards. Locally, these are identified as American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) compliant programs. The American Alpine Institute provides AIARE Level I courses at Mt. Baker every weekend.

For these courses, you’ll need to buy, rent or borrow the final equipment on the list: an avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel. You’ll carry these items every time you venture into the backcountry but ideally you’ll never use them.

They’re in your kit so you can rescue your partner if they get buried in an avalanche. They are not avalanche repellant.

BACKCOUNTRY NAVIGATION: Skiers regularly enjoy resort skiing in the flat light inside a fog bank. While marginally dangerous in the resort, these conditions become serious in the backcountry. Obstacles are only the beginning of the problem. You also need to know where you are and how to get home in a whiteout.

Backcountry skiers should learn to use a topographical map, compass, altimeter and GPS. These are all tools you can learn to use through online resources and by playing with them in the front country.

Historically, GPS units have been very expensive. Today there are a number of phone apps that can be used in airplane mode in the backcountry. My personal favorite is called Gaia GPS. These apps are not super intuitive and require practice before using them in the field. Remember: GPS units often have replaceable batteries whereas the opposite is true for smartphones. A dead phone won’t get you home.

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CAPE ALAVA LOOP a winter escape on the coast STORY AND PHOTOS BY JASON GRIFFITH

F

or the hiker who doesn’t ski, winter in the Pacific Northwest can be trying. The high ridges are blanketed in snow and clouds for months. The low winter sun makes the deep mountain valleys dark, sodden and unattractive for hiking or backpacking.

After a summer spent in the glory of the alpine environs, the scruffy second growth and muddy trails of the lowland hills are an uninspiring substitute. It’s easy to let the fitness of summer fade as you putter around town and watch your hiking gear gather dust.

However, with some time and luck, there’s a way to combat the winter hiking doldrums without leaving the Pacific Northwest.

How? Head to the coastal section of Olympic National Park. Stretching for 73 miles from the mouth of the Queets River north to the Makah reservation, the coastal unit of the park has long sections of road-less wilderness with some of the most rugged, pristine and picturesque marine shoreline in the lower 48. Sea stacks, dramatic headlands, marine mammals, diverse bird life, tide pools and spectacular campsites make an overnight hike on the Olympic coast one of the more memorable outings you’ll do in a year. Like any successful summer trip to the alpine, however, an enjoyable trip to the coast isn’t possible every week of the winter, or

Sip ‘N Shop on the Cove • Sat. Nov 26 Jingle Trail Run & Greening Events & Parade • Sat. Dec. 3 Chocolate Walk • Sat. Feb 11

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2017

even most. Tides, winds, weather and strategy are all factors for planning a safe and enjoyable trip to the coast.

The first thing you should know about hiking the coast is how far it is from the I-5 corridor – expect a six-hour drive, including a ferry ride and stop at the ranger station for a permit.

I’d suggest a three-day window as the minimum amount of time for a backpack on the coast.

The next item to consider, in light of the long drive, is whether you’re going to do a one-way hike or one that is out and back. The access points are few and far between on the coast and hitching back to your vehicle is problematic, so unless you have a large group with multiple vehicles, a one-way backpack is difficult.

Fortunately, one spectacular section of the park’s coastal section is easily hiked as a loop.

Known as the Ozette Triangle or Cape Alava Loop, this 9.4-mile trail passes through the complete coastal ecosystem mix.

The hike starts out on the shores of Lake Ozette before crossing the Ozette River on an arched bridge and diving into the moss-draped forest. After a quarter mile is a junction. Head left toward Sand Point to hike the loop in a clockwise direction. That way you’ll walk north along the beach with the prevailing wind. A mixture of boardwalks and well-graded trail takes hikers 3 miles to the coast. The forest is a dense tangle of mature cedar, hemlock and spruce crowded with an understory of head-high shrubs and broken up by a patchwork of wet coastal prairies.

The forest makes it plain that it rains a lot (80-100 inches a year), and one of the challenges of coastal winter hiking is picking a window between storms. Be sure to check the surf conditions as well, since walking along the coast can be dangerous when storm surges push driftwood high into the forest and the beach offers little safety.

As you head toward Sand Point, the surf booming in the distance grows louder with every step. The gently rolling trail eventually drops off a low ridge towards the water as the dense forest gives way to the beach and groves of wind-blasted spruce (often “flagged,” with branches mostly on the leeward side) that will typify the next leg of the journey. Great camps (no fires, water from Wish Creek to the south) are tucked into the forest both south and north of Sand Point and after the long drive it makes a perfect place to set up camp and explore for the afternoon. The relaxed nature of coastal hiking (little elevation gain), combined with the beachcombing and tide-pooling opportunities make it perfect for family trips.

The next 3 miles of surf, sand, tide pools, sea stacks, birds and flotsam are the highlight of the Ozette Triangle. The hiking is easiest at low tide, so plan your departure from Sand Point accordingly. If you tend to dawdle though, don’t worry; the few rocky headlands that you

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

must round have a high tide route through the forest marked with black and orange targets on the beach.

These “trails” are usually steep and muddy, receiving minimal maintenance, but often have knotted ropes to assist with the steepest sections. Halfway to Cape Alava, as you begin to round a headland at Wedding Rocks, drop your pack and take a few minutes to find the petroglyphs carved into the rocks by the ancestors of the Makah – a reminder that what we now consider a wilderness has long been the home of coastal Indian people.

Soon after rounding Wedding Rocks, Cape Alava swings into view, the next night’s destination if you are on the relaxed itinerary. This is where the other half of the loop trail meets the coast and is home to many comfortable camps tucked into the forest above the high tide mark (fires allowed, water from unnamed creek to the south). The northern half of Cape Alava is on the Ozette Reservation and there’s a display summarizing the history of a tribal village that was buried in a mudslide at this location during the last “Big One” in 1700. The tide pooling here is worth an afternoon’s ramble. The nutrient-rich currents that sweep along this section of the coast support an amazing diversity of life including urchins, sea stars, crabs, anemones, fish and sea cucumbers.

As you work your way offshore it is evident that the intertidal abundance is arranged in layers, with the distribution of species controlled by tidal exposure, wave energy, and competition for space.

After a restful night lulled by the ever-present surf, it’s time to turn inland and walk the northern leg of the loop back to the car. This section is similar to the southern branch of the trail, climbing steeply away from the wind-blasted spruce on the beach to the tangled forest and prairies leading back to Lake Ozette. You’ll pass Alhstrom’s Prairie, named for a pair of Scandinavian immigrants who homesteaded here in the early 1900s, about a mile from the beach, but any traces of their work have long since moldered into the peat. This leg of the loop is an ancient route that served the Indian village at the Cape (inhabited until the 1930s). Approximately 3 miles from Cape Alava you arrive back at the car having sampled a cross-section of what makes the Olympic National Park’s coast section so special. If the weather hasn’t been too unkind you may have just found a new winter pastime – there are 70 more miles of coast to explore!

A Destination Always Worth the Drive!

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Breakfast: Weekends 8am - noon Open at 11am Monday-Friday • Lunch & Dinner

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Permits: Needed for all trips to the coastal section of Olympic National Park. Fee is $5 per person/night; those 15 and under are free. Available at Port Angeles and Quinault NPS ranger stations. Advance reservations required for Ozette area between May 15 and September 30.

Water: All water on the coast needs to be boiled, treated or filtered to remove giardia or cryptosporidium.

Campfires: With the exception of the section between Yellow Banks and Wedding Rocks, fires are allowed. Driftwood only.

Toilets and sanitation: Toilets are located near the campsites at Cape Alava and Sand Point, and at various other high-use camp areas along the beach. In the absence of a toilet, dig a cat hole in the forest 200 feet from any campsite or water source.

General info: Bear canisters (available for reasonable rent at ranger stations) are required for overnight food storage. Carry a tide chart, a watch and a map and know how to use them.

Twelve-person party limit. Flexible soled boots are better than stiffer ones for dealing with slippery rocks. Variable hiking surfaces, tides and headlands limit most hikers to 5-10 miles per day. No pets, stock or bikes. Map: Green Trails Ozette No. 130S.

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WINTER 2017 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

13

J

im Whittaker, the first American to stand on the world’s highest summit, has said he never encouraged or discouraged his son Leif from mountaineering. Leif found the mountains anyway.

Mt. Everest and Nepal figure prominently in Leif ’s new memoir, My Old Man and the Mountain. But it’s just as much a story about a personal journey, adventure and growing up being the youngest generation of a famous mountaineering family.

Born in Port Townsend, Leif Whittaker lives in Bellingham and works as a seasonal U.S. Forest Service climbing ranger on Mt. Baker.

The following excerpt is about Leif ’s first ascent of Everest in 2010.

My Old Man

and the

Mountain: A Memoir

BY LEIF WHITTAKER

On a night like tonight, when frozen clouds obscure the stars, when bursts of wind punch the tent walls into my face, the South Col’s a humbling place. The landscape and the storm don’t care that I’m the youngest son of the first American to summit the highest peak on planet Earth. They don’t care how much I’ve trained or how strong I am or how long I’ve dreamed about Mt. Everest. They don’t care about the St. Christopher medal and the red string. On a night like tonight, the flame of our stove is what matters. The warmth of my sleeping bag is what matters. The strength of the pickets driven into the ice around our tent is what matters. A night like tonight whittles away emotion and imagination. It breaks things down to their simplest form. I have to pee.

But on a night like tonight, peeing’s a dangerous proposition. The water bottle marked “Leif ’s Pee” is already full. I’ve been guzzling grape Tang like it’s pouring from the Fountain of Youth and I think I’ve peed half a dozen times since we got here. The good thing is my pee’s the color of lemonade, which is a lot better than the color of 10W-30, but the bad thing is I have to crawl out of my warm cocoon and go outside. It’s all swirly and white out there. I still can’t see Melissa and Kent’s tent. But I can’t think of a way to avoid it.

My boots are frozen stiff, so I yank out the liners and slide my socked feet into the shells. I strap a pair of clear-lensed goggles over my face, touch the button on my headlamp, pull the cannula out of my nose, and crawl through the vestibule into black and white. The wind’s picking snow up off the ice and flinging it all over the place. Crystals coat my goggles in a split second and I can’t see a thing. I can’t even see the moraine beneath my feet, so I slide the goggles down around my neck and squint into the storm. I don’t need to go far. Just a few steps.

The wind jukes and darts like a fish evading a predator. Half of the contents of my bladder end up in the snow and I think the other half ’s divided between my boots and down suit. At least it’s out. I crouch low to the moraine and empty my pee bottle in a crevice. Thank God I won’t have to leave the tent again until morning.

Where is the tent? I thought it was right behind me but, oh fuck, it’s gone. In fact, Camp 4’s gone entirely, engulfed in the blizzard. A rush of fear and adrenaline runs through me like I used to get, when I was a kid and terrified of the dark, stepping outside our house at night. I could die here, just a few steps from the tent, and nobody’d be the wiser.

FAMOUS CLIMBER’S SON DISAPPEARS WHILE URINATING or JIM WHITTAKER’S SON FEARED DEAD ON WORLD’S HIGHEST PEAK. The news stories will identify me as the son of Jim Whittaker, but they’ll fail to mention me by name. No more than a paragraph will be devoted to explaining the circumstances of my death, but the story will go on for another five pages with quotes from Dad and a description of his legendary ascent. A cloud of frozen dust stings my eyes. The beam of light coming from my headlamp runs into the storm’s white flecks of static. I don’t know which way to go.

Another cloud of frozen dust swirls at me and I instinctively close my eyes. When I open them again, I see something in a patch of snow. Relief floods me. I see a footprint.

Excerpted from My Old Man and the Mountain: A Memoir

14

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2017

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BACKCOUNTRY BULLFIGHTING lessons from a fatal avalanche on Mt. Herman

BY JOHN MINIER

T

he rain began on Thursday, January 21.

Over the next 48 hours, the Mt. Baker Heather Meadows weather station recorded 7 inches of water. The rain worked its way down through the snow, breaking bonds between the grains.

In some areas, the weight of all the rain was too much; slopes failed and avalanched into the valleys below. Despite the natural avalanche cycle, layers of snow on the steep north face of Mt. Herman groaned and shifted, but did not slide.

By Saturday, temperatures were cooling again. A weak weather system brushed the area on Saturday night and on Sunday the skies began to clear.

Fresh snow sat lightly on the surface, beckoning to backcountry skiers and snowboarders. As the day wore on, the snow along the north face of Mt. Herman continued to settle and shift. Finally, in the early afternoon, gravity won. The entire snowpack released its grip on the steep, rocky slabs to which it clung. Directly below, two men were desperately fighting for their lives.

BROKEN MEMORIES I met Peter in late summer. He was chatting casually with Frank, the boot fitter at Backcountry Essentials known for his conversational skills. I walked past the two of them and into my office.

Frank followed me in, closed the door and said, “There’s somebody I think you should speak with.

He was involved in the avalanche accident at Baker last season.”

Peter and I sat and talked for a half hour. It seemed like his first opportunity to discuss the accident with someone in the ski and avalanche industry. He had many questions regarding the avalanche and I answered them as best I could,

Photos courtesy of Northwest Avalanche Center

based on the information in the official accident report produced by the Northwest Avalanche Center (NWAC). Dissecting the events of the accident is nearly impossible due to Peter’s complete loss of memory of the incident. He suffered a serious head injury at some point during the avalanche and has no recollection of anything from about one month prior to the accident until three weeks after.

Peter didn’t learn that Mark, his friend and ski partner that day, had died until well after the fact.

It wasn’t an easy lesson. Throughout his early recovery, Peter had a hard time turning short-term memories into long-term ones. “I had to be told like four or five times. I had the same reaction every time,” he said.

I met up with Peter again this fall to chat in a more private setting. The conversation was a little more personal, and we spoke about his relationship with Mark. “He was just such a nice dude.

You know, you get that feeling about people.” Their flexible schedules made them the perfect backcountry partners. “It was bad. Both of us were very easily convinced to not work,” he said.

Despite only having known each other since the previous summer, Peter and Mark managed to do quite a bit of skiing. “That was number 32,” Peter said, when asked how many days he had skied before the accident. “And maybe number 15 with Mark. We both really loved skiing.”

“I kind of got to know his family. He has two kids,” Peter said. “He had been skiing the Cascades for quite a long time. He wasn’t the type to take risks. I like that. I really appreciated that. More than half the time when we were skiing, we would actually dig a pit and check the snowpack – actually do the shit that we had learned.”

Peter wore a GoPro on the day of his accident.

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The limited footage provides the only clues as to what hapas much as we build experience with avalanche problems. If pened. At some point Peter fell and was injured. Around you commonly ski or ride the Mt. Baker backcountry, you’re 12:40 p.m., Mark called 911 to request assistance. Bellingprobably used to dealing with storm slab and wind slab, but ham Mountain Rescue and the Mt. Baker Ski Patrol spotted that doesn’t mean you know the first thing about managing the two from the Heather Meadows parking lot and made problems less common to the area. contact with a megaphone. Peter had suffered a head and leg Mark and Peter were caught by a glide avalanche that reinjury, and was sliding slowly downhill with Mark’s assistance. Above the Avalanche Start Zone two men loomed the steep north face of Mt. Herman, a feature commonly called the “Widow Maker.”

UNDERLYING PROBLEMS As an avalanche educator, much of what I do is distill a complex phenomenon down into its basic concepts. There is, however, a limit to how much we can simplify avalanche hazard.

When I spoke to Peter about the avalanche hazard at the time of the accident, he said, “The day that we got into trouble was a two. I based a lot of decisions on that number. I’ve done twos. Tons of them.” Every day throughout the winter, NWAC publishes a current avalanche forecast on nwac.us. The forecast includes a numerical rating of the anticipated avalanche hazard. The number 2 refers to “moderate” hazard on the North American Public Avalanche Danger Scale. The scale ranges from 1 to 5, or low to extreme. Each hazard level is defined by the probability of an avalanche occurring, as well as the size and distribution of expected avalanches. The hazard rating provides a lot of information, but doesn’t give a complete picture.

You must also know which avalanche problems are present.

Fortunately, avalanche forecasters will list out all the different types of problems along with the hazard rating. Different avalanche problems can occur in different places in terrain, and need to be managed very differently. As backcountry travelers, we don’t build experience with avalanche hazard

BACKCOUNTRY BULLFIGHTING My conversations with Peter got me thinking about operational decision-making in avalanche terrain. I own Mt. Baker Mountain Guides with my wife Jenni, and we cater to many clients who come to Mt. Baker to backcountry ski and snowboard, or take one of our avalanche courses. We put a lot of people into avalanche terrain all winter long, year after year.

Our decision-making process begins before entering the field. At Mt. Baker Mountain Guides, we have deTracks enter slide path signed a proprietary morning form & traverse that serves as a pre-trip checklist.

The purpose of our morning form is to get our guides thinking critically about hazard, and assist them in identifying concerns that may or may not be included in the NWAC avalanche forecast. On the day of Mark and Peter’s accident, NWAC didn’t list glide avalanches as a problem. However, careful assessment of the conditions both before and during the event could have indicated a glide avalanche concern in terrain such as the Widow Maker.

The whole point of completing a morning form is to relate avalanche hazard to terrain, and identify areas Gully where victims were to avoid. Another tool that we use caught & carried is a run list. Run lists include maps, photos, satellite imagery and other resources used to identify avalanche terrain. Common runs are drawn in and named. Before a leased naturally above them. Glide avalanches occur when day of touring, we sit down and rate each run as either open water lubricates the snow-ground interface and the entire or closed based on the avalanche forecast and our morning snowpack releases suddenly. The glide avalanche in the Widform. Open runs can be considered as options once we’re in ow Maker was most likely an isolated avalanche problem, the field, but can also be closed at the discretion of the guide. which suggests that it didn’t exist throughout the terrain.

Closed runs can never be opened. All runs must be rated, Isolated avalanche problems are difficult, but not impossible, and ratings are to be respected. Those are the rules and we to predict. follow them religiously.

It’s important to note that Mark and Peter did not trigger Run lists are just one technique we use to limit emotion in the glide avalanche, but they were in the wrong place at the the decision-making process. Practically any decisions that wrong time.

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we make in the field will have an emotional component, so we make as many as we can before we put our skins on.

The problem with emotions is that they can get us into serious trouble. The avalanche phenomenon is mind boggling in its complexity. As humans, we work best when we break complex problems down into manageable pieces and deal with each individually. If we fail to do so, our brains will shortcut the process for us, sometimes with tragic consequences. These shortcuts are known as heuristics, or human factors, and they’re wide-ranging. Here’s one example: “I’ve skied this run 20 times, and I’ve never seen it slide!” Human factors are very difficult to predict and common in nearly all avalanche accidents. We try to solve them with good communication, checklists, rules, and other decision-making frameworks, but we are still human. The best we can do is stack the deck in our favor.

The point is that if your decision-making is entirely premised on a number between one and five, you’re eventually going to get burned. There are simply too many factors to consider. Backcountry travel is a numbers game. If you plan on skiing or riding 1,000 days over the course of your life, and you’re wrong 1 percent of the time, you could die 10 times.

If you expect to play the game for any length of time, you must be willing to approach it with a professional mindset. In many ways, there is no such thing as a recreational backcountry skier or snowboarder. It’s like saying you’re a recreational bullfighter.

North American Public Avalanche Danger Scale

Avalanche danger is determined by the likelihood, size and distribution of avalanches.

Likelihood of Avalanches

Avalanche Size and Distribution

Avoid all avalanche terrain.

Natural and humantriggered avalanches certain.

Large to very large avalanches in many areas.

Very dangerous avalanche conditions.

Travel in avalanche terrain not recommended.

Natural avalanches likely; humantriggered avalanches very likely.

Large avalanches in many areas; or very large avalanches in specific areas.

Travel Advice

Danger Level 4 5

5 Extreme

4 5

4 High 3 Considerable

3

Dangerous avalanche conditions. Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making essential.

Natural avalanches possible; humantriggered avalanches likely.

Small avalanches in many areas; or large avalanches in specific areas; or very large avalanches in isolated areas.

2 Moderate

2

Heightened avalanche conditions on specific terrain Natural avalanches features. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully; identify unlikely; humanfeatures of concern. triggered avalanches possible.

Small avalanches in specific areas; or large avalanches in isolated areas.

1 Low

1

Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features.

Natural and humantriggered avalanches unlikely.

Small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain.

Safe backcountry travel requires training and experience. You control your own risk by choosing where, when and how you travel.

CREATING TOMORROW In the time I spent with Peter, he talked a little about staying positive and moving forward. “My wife got an internship at the hospital that I was at,” he said. “I keep looking for those silver linings.”

Peter plans to continue his avalanche education with an AIARE Level 3 avalanche course. When he initially asked my opinion regarding the AIARE Level 3, I told him that it was an operational decision-making course designed for professionals. Peter has plans to make a full return to skiing and his passion

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for the backcountry is palpable. The AIARE Level 3 may be exactly what he needs.

All backcountry skiers and snowboarders can benefit from continuing education.

However, there is much you can do outside of the classroom. If you don’t have any avalanche education, take a course.

If you do, practice what you learned. Buy an AIARE field book, and use the pre-trip checklist and other provided tools to assess avalanche hazard. Write it down. Relate the hazard to terrain. Fall Line Publishing has produced a Mt. Baker Backcountry Ski

Map that doubles as a run list. Run lists are great because they don’t pigeonhole you into a specific objective, but they help you avoid dangerous terrain and control your emotions.

Most importantly, find partners who value your approach and want to learn with you. These are people who you are literally trusting with your life, and it’s been proven that small group decision-making is superior. You’ll most likely plan better tours and ski better snow, but the best part is coming home at the end of the day.

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D

THE ENDANGERED TELEMARK SKIER The last of the breed pushes on in pursuit of a low, surfy turn

BY OLIVER LAZENBY

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uring telemark skiing’s last growth spurt in the 1990s, many picked it up to ski the backcountry; telemark bindings were the most popular and lightest tool for skiing uphill. They allow skiers to lift their heels and walk, and on the way down they require a drop-knee telemark turn where one ski slides in front of the other.

European companies were already making alpine touring bindings, which have a walk mode but can also lock the boot to the ski like a standard downhill binding. But they were not yet popular in North America. They are now. “In the past being a backcountry skier meant you were a telemark skier,” said Jason Hummel, who started telemarking 33 years ago after his dad bought the family five pairs of skinny skis for $50 at a garage sale. “I’ve seen backcountry skiers in Washington increase 100-fold and I rarely see another tele-skier.”

The sport’s on a long downhill trajectory. Someday soon, seeing a telemarker in the wild could be as rare as sighting sasquatch.

For now, the sport’s disciples continue to practice the turn – a low, rhythmic lunge that puts them closer to the snow.

There are a number of reasons for the sport’s slow demise. The turn is more physically demanding, since it requires skiers to bend lower, putting more strain on one leg or the other.

“I can come home from a half day of tele and just be wrecked on the couch, basically unable to do anything else for the rest of the day,” said Chris Gerston, who owns Backcountry Essentials and prefers his telemark skis in almost all situations. “I could go for a full day of alpine skiing, go home and feel like I could go on a run.”

In the 1990s and early 2000s, alpine touring bindings and especially the lightweight bindings made by Dynafit, propelled a transformation in backcountry skiing. Telemark bindings were no longer the lightest way into the world beyond the resort boundaries.

Resort skiers ski touring for the first time rarely choose to do it on telemark gear, since alpine touring gear allowed them to ski the way they’re used to – with their heel locked firmly in place.“You can spend two years getting your bell rung on a daily basis to learn tele, or you can step out into the backcountry now on alpine touring (AT) gear and your first day out there you’re feeling like a rockstar,” Gerston said. “If you want to get into the backcountry faster and you’re already an alpine skier, AT is your ticket. Why bother with something that’s harder to learn?”

Beyond that, alpine touring gear continues to get lighter, while telemark gear doesn’t – a big deal for backcountry skiers, who spend most of their time going uphill. The industry is in what Gerston called a “negative feedback loop.” Companies are hesitant to put money into developing lighter telemark gear because there’s not much of a market. That market’s shrinking as the remaining free-heelers ditch their telemark gear for lighter alpine touring gear.

“I did the math a while ago and unfortunately my lightest telemark setup is 18 pounds,” Gerston said, referring to the cumulative weight of skis, boots and bindings. “My lightest AT setup is 12.5 pounds.

Knowing that and feeling the efficiency difference – it’s significant.”

But not everyone goes with what’s easy. Devotees put up with heavier gear and a more physical sport for the love of making telemark turns, especially when the snow’s deep enough to spray off their ski tips in fluffy white curtains. To find out more, we asked three local telemark skiers.

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JASON HUMMEL, ski mountaineer and photographer started telemarking 33 years ago. He’s made his mark on Northwest ski mountaineering with numerous first descents and ambitious multiday traverses through the more remote sections of the Cascade and Olympic ranges – pursuits in which many would choose lighter gear. But Hummel carries along 15 or 20 pounds of camera equipment and sticks with his telemark skis.

CHRIS GERSTON, owner of Backcountry Essentials, is teaching his kids, 8 and 10, to telemark. His 10-year-old daughter argued in a persuasive essay for school that telemark skiing is better because it’s a challenge, it’s a family tradition and one of her best friends also does it.

JOHN ADAMS, co-owner of Glacier Ski Shop, will ride anything that slides, but he started telemarking full time in 1996 because he found it easier on his knee, which had no ACL. He still rides other gear, but more often than not he rides his telemark skis.

“Is it more fun? Oh, absolutely. I love it. I’ll always be a tele-skier. I’m just really stubborn. I know there are diehards out there and people who want to give it a try. But people who do it their whole lives, people like me, we’re a dying breed.

“When it’s really good I just love the flow and using the terrain. You’re on your toes and you have to be really careful and read all the terrain.

With AT gear it’s easier to turn your brain off. Tele is something you will never master. You’ve got to watch every little change in the terrain and have your balance in the exact right place to take advantage of it and not head plant.

“When it all comes together, it’s a magical experience.”

“The feeling is like flying. It’s surfing the mountain. It’s flow, and alpine skiing is very mechanical to me. Tele-skiing in powder is a wonderful feeling. I have this sensation where with each turn I feel like I’m leaping out of the snow as high as I can. It’s really a great sensation.

“Being a short telemark skier, by the way, is also awesome. Face shots are much more readily available. It’s heavier on the way up and that can grind on you, but I go up to enjoy the down. I really do think it’s like surfing the mountain.”

“I grew up around Lake Tahoe and we lived in a remote area. My brother and I would spend a lot of time on cross-country skis and would ski downhill on them trying telemark turns. So I guess that would be the start of my tele training.

“I think of telemark as having the advantage of skis on the up and a fluid snowboard turn on the down. It’s challenging, efficient, cheap and great exercise – the reasons that I ski.”

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19

The Zen of spinning both ways

T

BY LUCA WILLIAMS

o be honest, I don’t get people’s love for spins, grabs and flips. But my kid does and I love my kid so I try to pay attention to his world of skiing, even though when he launches through the air at the speed of light I’m sitting there wondering about our insurance policy and how many broken bones it will cover.

Yes, I nag him to be careful. Yes, I begged him for years to quit trying to backflip off of every “perfect” rock or cliff. But I know passion when I see it, so now I just listen when people comment on how big he goes, even though I really want to stick my fingers in my ears and pretend it’s not my son that they’re talking about.

I have two skiing lectures for him: Your body is your temple, and you only have one, so take care of it.

He ignores this one because he is 17 and 17-year-old boys know everything and they are invincible. The second lecture he listens to … sort of: If you are going to twist one way all the time, remember to twist the other way too.

When my son started to pay attention to me he noticed that he can spin to the left two-and-a-half times around but he can “only” spin to the right one-and-a-half times. He obviously favors spinning left. So the muscles of his shoulders, back and abdominals that help him spin left are becoming quite strong while the muscles on the right side of his back are over stretching with every left spin he engages in. Hearing that he spins so much easier to the left tells me that he is setting himself up for back pain in the future.

Repetitive twisting can begin to hurt whether you do it in the air or at a desk. Which way is easier for you to spin? Stand with your feet hip-width apart and twist to your right and left. Twist around to look at something behind you. Don’t force it! Notice your eyes, head, neck, shoulders, ribs, arms and your upper spine as you twist. Feel how your feet, knees and legs are also engaged in the act of twisting.

Just by doing that simple, small movement with awareness, your brain got curious. When we introduce movement with awareness, our brain gets excited and begins to make new connections. Having

KC Deane takes flight on the Mt. Baker road gap.

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a habit of twisting one way more than the other is not bad. But it can get bad if it gets so ingrained that we become severely limited in twisting the other way. So here is a simple exercise to test and expand your twisting fitness that requires no force and 100 percent curiosity!

1. Standing with your feet hip-width apart, side bend to the right and to the left, allowing your fingers to slide along your leg. Which way is easier? Your fingers will get closer to your knees on the easier side. Side bend 10-15 times on each side.

2. This time when you side bend to the right allow your hips to shift left keeping your feet flat on the floor. Notice how you can side bend farther to the right when you allow your hips to shift left. Switch sides. Now side bend to the left, shifting your hips to the right. Side bend about 15 times on each side.

3. After you have finished side bending, take a moment to just stand there and sense the weight on your feet. Check in to how you feel. You may notice that you are more alert, your rib cage or feet may have more sensation, or you may even feel tired. Regardless, go back to twisting right and left and check how far you can twist. Is it easier? Can you feel how your turning angle has increased on both sides?

After many months or years, repetitive twisting in one direction will cause your back to start to hurt in some way. If you don’t want to take up these exercises for that reason, at least learn to go both ways to make yourself a more well-rounded trickster.

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PARKSCRIPTION could your next doctor appointment yield a prescription to play outside?

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here’s a pill for that.

Maybe “that” refers to heart disease, ADHD, depression, obesity or a galaxy of other ailments. But there’s also something else for that: exercising outside and spending time in a natural environment.

Exposure to nature is associated with lower blood pressure, reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol and better blood sugar control for diabetics. Neuroscience studies have shown improved cognitive development in children who spend more time in nature, as well as less anxiety and negative thinking for adults.

So why don’t doctors prescribe time outside? It turns out some do.

Bellingham nonprofit Recreation Northwest is launching a program called Parkscriptions that aims to make it easier for doctors to prescribe nature. Family Care Network, a group of local primary care doctors, has signed on to help pilot the program and the City of Bellingham and the Whatcom County Health Department are also working on the program.

The heart of the program will be a database with information about parks and green spaces throughout Whatcom County. A doctor could punch in a patient’s address and find the closest parks, as well as information about the amenities, trails, hours and other details.

The program will also have a public education component, but doctors are key to making it work, said Michelle Anderson, who is communications and project manager for Family Care Network.

“A patient is more willing to take that advice when it’s prescribed by a doctor,” she said. “The idea is if you give a specific recommendation, the patient can take action.”

Perhaps a doctor would prescribe going to a specific park near a patient’s house and walking a flat loop four times a week. That’s easier to follow then a more general recommendation such as getting 20 minutes of exercise four times a week, Anderson said.

“It’s not easy to figure out what qualifies and what counts as exercise,” she said. “On top of that, people don’t know where to go to do it.”

The database will be geared toward doctors but will be usable by anyone, said April Claxton, Recreation Northwest’s program director.

“A public database and mobile platform is the basis for the program and for getting people outside. That database will allows health practitioners to have very custom conversations with patients,” Claxton said. “Hopefully over time those patients will access it directly.”

Claxton heard from health care providers that, if the program is to work, it needs to make getting outside as easy as taking a pill.

Finding information about particular parks can require looking at multiple government websites, and knowing which agency manages the park. The database would remove that barrier.

“There are people in our community who are challenged when it comes to getting outside,” she said. “For a lot of people there’s just not a basic comfort level with being in a park or being outside.” Recreation Northwest has identified contractors to build and manage the database and website, doctors willing to pilot the program and populations most in need of outdoor play. Now, they need money to build it. Claxton said Recreation Northwest plans to seek funds through grants and individual donations.

“Our hope is to start working with a web development company next spring and have a light but functional version to pilot soon after,” she said.

Similar programs have popped up across the U.S. and Canada. Claxton said she was most inspired by one in Washington D.C. called Parks RX. That program started in 2013 and one participating health care group made 720 prescriptions in the first couple of years.

The program is a big new step in Recreation Northwest’s evolution. The organization started by hosting an adventure race, and then expanded to parks advocacy, stewardship and education. Claxton sees health care connected to what it has been doing all along.

“I really think if we can get more people outside, connecting with these places – even if it’s one park in their neighborhood they connect with – over time we will have more people who understand the benefit of parks and become stewards,” she said.

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Above: Hikers on Sahale Arm at sunset / Audra Mercille photo.

Below: Steel wool sparks on a winter night / Audra Mercille photo.

WINTER 2017 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

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Top: Dave Page downclimbing into a couloir in the North Cascades on his way to Mount Torment / Jason Hummel photo. Bottom: Matt Hoffmeyer enjoying the view from a ridge in the Chuckanuts / Paul Kelly photo.

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2017

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GALLERY

Clockwise from top left: Adventure vehicles at Copper Mountain / Jason Hummel photo. Kyle Miller scores some lemonade after splitboarding from Snoqualmie Pass to Stevens Pass / Jason Hummel photo.

Got pow? Looking for it somewhere in the west / Jason Hummel photo. Blair Habenicht dropping in near Revelstoke / Darcy Bacha photo.

WINTER 2017 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2017

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A skier traverses a ridge near Table Mountain / Jason Hummel photo.

WINTER 2017 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

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Clockwise from top: Adam Roberts touring in the Mt. Baker backcountry / Jason Hummel photo. Adam Roberts launching a massive cornice near Table Mountain / Jason Hummel photo.

Chris Bowlin takes flight over the Mt. Baker road gap / Brad Andrew photo.

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2017

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

Clockwise from top left: Ryan Brooks about to drop in on Hemispheres at Mt. Baker Ski Area / Audra Mercille photo. Byron Bagwell rides a backcountry wave in the North Cascades / Justin Kious photo. Adam Ü in the trees at Revelstoke / Grant Gunderson photo.

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MOUNTAIN TIME WITH ADAM ROBERTS

PHOTOS AND WORDS BY COREY WARREN

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2017

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ADAM ROBERTS IS A WELL-TRAVELED OUTDOORSMAN AND SKIER WHO CALLS THE CASCADE CORRIDOR HOME.

I

’ve been friends with Adam Roberts since 2009, shortly after I opened the INNATE storefront in Bellingham, where he’d come in with his infectious smile, bottomless enthusiasm and usually a T-shirt idea or two. We’d find each other at music shows downtown or up at the ski hill between runs, caught in the highs of our favorite indulgences. Over the years we’ve shared a strong rapport based on a similar philosophy of keeping it simple, finding balance and cultivating sustainable joy.

Time in the mountains allows Adam opportunity to reflect on what’s important in life: staying true to his heart, cultivating purpose through work and play and paying attention to the details that make life so special. His lifestyle is influenced by a love for the mountains and a desire to be amongst them. But skiing doesn’t define Adam; it’s just a small sliver on the spectrum of his passions and pursuits.

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Mauri Pelto’s research team coming down from a day of taking measurements on the Easton Glacier.

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STORY AND PHOTOS BY OLIVER LAZENBY

I

nvestigate the terminus of the Easton Glacier on the south side of Mt. Baker and you might notice a ridge a few feet high of piled volcanic rubble about 25 meters from the edge of the glacier. That ridge, sculpted by a mass of ice and rock, is where the glacier ended last summer.

A similar distance downslope is another subtle ridge of dark, loose rock arcing across the slope – the glacier’s terminus from two summers ago. Beyond that, and even fainter, is another.

In August, when glaciologist Mauri Pelto arrived to study the Easton Glacier, its insulating snow cover was gone. Next summer, there will be another short ridge of pulverized dust and rock. The glacier’s snout will be a little higher up the mountain.

Pelto, a researcher from Nichols College in Dudley, Massachusetts, has returned to the North Cascades every summer for 33 years. He studies about 10 glaciers in depth and tracks about 45. For all but a handful of those years, the glaciers he studies have lost mass.

Pelto made headlines around the U.S. last year when he called 2015 a disastrous year for glaciers in the North Cascades. A terrible winter for skiers, followed by a warmer-than-usual spring melted more ice than any other year in Pelto’s study. By Pelto’s measurements, most glaciers lost about 5 percent of their total mass that year.

Summer 2016 was closer to a normal winter and spring, which, if you’re a glacier, is still bad. At the Easton Glacier, Pelto assessed the situation.

“It’s not a good year if you have this much blue ice already and you still have six good

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

weeks of melt left,” Pelto said. “But it’s not going to be a terrible year.”

After the season wrapped up, Pelto found that on average, the glaciers he studies lost 1 or 2 percent of their total mass. During the time he’s studied North Cascade glaciers, the average yearly loss of mass has been about 0.5 percent yearly.

Pelto started the project in 1984, but didn’t start studying the Easton Glacier until 1990.

That year, he pitched his tent at the bottom of the glacier. Now, the time it takes to walk to camp from the glacier’s melting snout takes minutes.

On his way back to camp after a day of research on the glacier – spent mostly probing and measuring snow cover – Pelto passed a familiar boulder. It’s where a 28-year-old Pelto strapped on his crampons in 1990 before crunching off up the Styrofoam ice of the glacier’s terminus. Now, on a foggy day, the glacier is hardly visible from that rock.

“I can see the glacier, but barely,” Pelto said. “It’s a big change.”

His tent doesn’t even appear to be in the same drainage as the Easton – the lobe of ice he pitched it below on that first year no longer exists.

Pelto’s research in the North Cascades is notable for its thoroughness. There are now similar projects elsewhere in North America – Pelto’s son Ben has measured glaciers in the Selkirk Mountains of interior British Columbia. But Pelto’s the only one who has returned to the same glaciers for 33 years, and he plans to continue another 17.

Since then, he’s seen a handful of glaciers effectively disappear, including the North White Chuck, the Spider and the Lewis glaciers.

“I anticipated that it would be good to watch some of these smaller ones and they might disappear, I just didn’t think it would happen as fast as it did,” he said.

The 50-year commitment comes with challenges, Pelto said. Each summer he spends a couple of weeks in spectacular campsites in the North Cascades, but also slogging around on glaciers in the rain, taking measurements before retreating to a tent. On the Easton, his group of researchers climb 3,000 vertical feet in a day to get measurements at higher elevations on the mountain.

“You can’t just pop out here, particularly in your 50s, and hike up and down a mountain for 50 days in a row. So I start training right after ski season,” he said.

High enough on the Easton and other glaciers on Mt. Baker, Pelto takes measurements of ice that isn’t shrinking. At about 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) the change is minor, even in years like 2015. That means that the glacier could reach a new “equilibrium point” higher up the mountain and eventually stop retreating. Where or when? It’s hard to say while the amount of heat-trapping gases pouring out of tailpipes across the planet continues to grow.

Pelto loves snow and has an emotional response to shrinking glaciers. It’s not clear why, but he shows some optimism in a blog post summarizing the 2016 season.

“We anticipate that this winter will be cooler and next summer the glaciers happier,” he wrote on his blog.

Whatever happens, he’ll be there to measure it.

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Members of Citizens for Forest Roads.

From left, Mark Ablondi, Doug Huddle, Ed Degraaf and Roger Nichols.

MEET THE VOLUNTEERS WHO KEEP FOREST ROADS DRIVABLE STORY AND PHOTOS BY OLIVER LAZENBY

O

n the first frosty morning of fall, two men in safety vests jumped out of a Honda Ridgeline on a U.S. Forest Service road, grabbed buckets from the back of the truck and shoveled a mix of crushed limestone into a pothole.

It’s a temporary fix, but it should last a year or so. The men in the truck know how to fix a road to Forest Service standards, but they’re volunteers. The group of mostly retirees, called the Citizens for Forest Roads, works weekly, in their free time, all year. A day of work could include patching holes, cutting brush and cleaning out ditches. It’s hard work, but they do it to ensure that people can get to the places they love.

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legal in the national forest the opportunity to do so,” said Doug Huddle, the group’s organizer and a former fisheries scientist with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“We need this road because we want to be able to come up here to hunt, pick blueberries, come up and enjoy wildflowers, see Mt. Baker – to come up and just get away from the madding crowd.”

The group formed seven years ago and with the Forest Service’s road maintenance budget declining, the work they do is increasingly necessary to keep the roads open. The volunteers work closely with the Forest Service.

Driving up Glacier Creek Road in his Ford Explorer, which smells faintly of gasoline from the weed whacker in the back, Huddle points out a cracking patch of asphalt. His car is full of buckets and tools from stocking lakes in the Chuckanuts with fish, a volunteer project from the day before.

Huddle used to climb, hunt, fish and hike, but volunteering outdoors is replacing those things in his life.

“I’ve gotten to the point where those things are no longer quite as important to me,” he said.

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“I’ve kind of adopted this as my forest experience – coming out and working on roads. It’s just as meaningful to me now as coming up here 40 years ago to hike up Grouse Ridge was.”

Between swerving around holes he has patched and holes he’ll patch later, Huddle made frequent stops to explain a feature or disturbance in the roadbed, or just to better use his hands to get a point across, the open window blowing wind across the wispy ends of his foot-long beard.

Glacier Creek Road is a main focus for the group and one of the most popular roads in the ranger district. By early October, they’d spent nearly 1,000 hours on it this year, trimming brush, clearing ditches, patching holes and anything else they can do with hand tools. This regular brush trimming and ditch clearing can add up to huge cost savings for the Forest Service and a reduction in washouts and serious road damage.

Roads don’t require much money to keep up, as long as an investment is made in terms of maintenance, said Roger Nichols, a retired U.S. Forest Service geologist and member of Citizens for Forest Roads.

Over time, debris builds up in ditches until there’s enough detritus to block water from flowing. When that water saturates the roadbed, chunks of road can creep downhill or slide away all together. “In this environment, it’s water vs. the road,” Huddle said.

Citizens for Forest Roads also inventories necessary road repairs for the Forest Service, making it easier for the agency to write work orders to contractors for bigger projects.

“They’re very important. They’re our eyes on the ground,” said Santino Pascua, roads manager for the Forest Service district. “I think in the Glacier area, people know that those guys are really dedicated.”

The kind of work the volunteers do – regular surveying and maintenance – is shrinking along with the Forest Service’s budget, which is strained by factors including declining timber revenue and growing wildfire fighting costs. Its local districts are especially short on staff. The cost of living in the Northwest compared to other areas where Forest Service personnel can work makes hiring difficult for the agency, Pascua said.

“With our reduced staff – we’re actually short half our staff right now – we have to get to the biggest fire,” he said. “Things like

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brushing a road, they usually get pushed to the side. We’ll get to those things when we can.”

On the way to the group’s work site that frosty fall day, Huddle slowed to point out a divot left in the road from a 39-inch-diameter silver fir that fell from the slope above earlier in the year. The group cleared it from the road, but a 45-foot section of trunk was still resting in the uphill ditch. Huddle, who tries to make friends with everyone he sees, convinced some friends in Glacier to come cut it up and deal with it.

“I’m told by several people who are interested in firewood that they’re going to come up and get the rest of this,” he said. “That’s what we’re into – trying to manage for efficient, reliable, common sense solutions.”

A little past the downed tree, Huddle steered around a mini-fridgesized boulder that fell from a talus slope above into the ditch. The boulder weighs something like 3,500 pounds – too big for the volunteers to deal with. Or at least, they can’t get to it all at once.

“Every time I come up here I bring my 16-pound sledge hammer and I beat it and I encourage it to disassemble itself,” Huddle said. “We will gradually reduce it to a size where we can lasso it with a chain and drag it up the road and use pry bars and get it off the road.”

Incrementally is how the group does much of its work. Nichols rarely passes by a rock in the road without stopping to move it, Huddle said.

Also in increments, the group is building trust with the Forest Service. They don’t do anything beyond what the agency allows and they do all their work to Forest Service standards, which Nichols is familiar with from his long career in the local ranger district.

Santino trusts and appreciates the group, he said, and it helps that Nichols is a part of it. Huddle thinks the agency was uncomfortable with the volunteers when they started in 2009 since the agency didn’t previously need help with maintenance.

This fall, however, the district ranger has requested that the group investigate roads after windstorms, and there could be more collaboration to come.

To get involved with the Citizens for Forest Roads, email Doug Huddle at douglas.huddle@gmail.com.

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AN EVOLVING DREAM

Patrick McCarthy’s journey from pro snowboarder to team manager STORY AND PHOTOS BY BRAD ANDREW

I

nside a small home office just outside Bellingham, a man gazes out a window in sheer awe at the dance of heavy rain cascading down and dancing off the concrete patio below. Momentarily his eyes switch focus to the lawn just a few feet away and he watches as the grass absorbs the rain like a sponge.

This man is Patrick McCarthy, team manager for 686 Technical Apparel, a company known for its snowboard outerwear. Today, McCarthy is working from his home office, where he spends countless hours every summer and fall in video conferences with designers and marketers, formulating the strategy for marketing the brand’s upcoming line.

Each winter, McCarthy puts that framework into action, producing photo shoots and procuring the stunning photos and video necessary to market the brand. As team manager he’s a valuable asset to 686, but just a few years ago McCarthy was at the other end of the camera – a professional athlete for 686 spinning over cliffs and cornices – and a big name in snowboarding. But then, he suddenly stepped away at what seemed like the zenith of his career.

“You can sit back and wonder, could I have kept it going? But that’s just not my style. I like to do things to the best of my ability and when I think that I am not able to anymore, it’s time to evolve and move on,” McCarthy said. “It was a tough decision but a natural one for me at the time.”

McCarthy’s evolution has allowed him to continue chasing his love for snowboarding, something he’s been doing for nearly 30 years.

McCarthy’s obsession with snowboarding started on the slopes of Stevens Pass when he was 9 years old. From then on, snowboarding consumed his life and became his gateway to freedom and expression. In the fall of 1998, fresh out

38

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2017

ads and interviews in magazines became commonplace. He had a pro model snowboard through his board sponsor, Option, and pro model gear through 686 and the list went on.

McCarthy was front and center in the snowboard world and was being paid somewhat handsomely to do what he loved.

He spent winters chasing the best snow on the planet and working with the industry’s most talented videographers and photographers.

Inevitably, all dreams come to an end. Professional snowboarding is notorious for athletes who are fearful of letting go and for failing to come to grasps with the fact that their ship has long since sailed. McCarthy knew the Mike Yoshida photo career wouldn’t last forever. After all, snowboarding isn’t a desk job and it takes a toll both mentally and physically.

“When you hit your early 30s, your body doesn’t bounce back quite as fast,” McCarthy said.

From day one, McCarthy viewed his career as an opportunity to better himself and invest in his future.

“During my snowboarding career I wanted to make some investments in my future, so I was not left with a hangover and two bad knees,” McCarthy said. “I bought a condo the first year I turned pro. I moved in with my friends [who helped pay the mortgage] and used my earnings to remodel it. Then I saved again and bought a cabin with my family in Glacier. Next I leveraged the equity from my first house and purchased another one while I ance a meager travel budget and please sponsors while pushrented out the others.” ing himself as a snowboarder.

That’s how McCarthy’s mind works – always thinking and McCarthy excelled at it. His list of sponsors grew and so planning. He was never into the profession of snowboarding did his travel budget, until the days of ramen noodles, gas for the fame or the money. He was into it purely for the love station burritos and couch surfing were over. Snowboarders of snowboarding. The career and financial success that came all over the planet knew his name. Mainstream video parts, along with it was merely a windfall that allowed him to keep of high school, McCarthy moved north to Bellingham to attend Western Washington University and, more importantly to him, to continue pursuing his passion for snowboarding.

Mt. Baker, transcendent in snowboarding lore, seemed to McCarthy to be the ideal place to continue his evolution as a snowboarder.

At Baker, the years of blood, sweat and tears McCarthy poured into his passion began to interest the snowboarding community and in 2002 he signed his first pro contract.

Being a professional snowboarder meant fighting to bal-

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

snowboarding – he knew that if he played his cards right he would have something left to show for it when the ride ended, something other than the bad knees.

And so it was at what seemed to be the pinnacle of McCarthy’s career that he quit professional snowboarding. He still had a few good years left in his body but McCarthy had made up his mind. He could feel himself slowing down and knew it was time for a change.

At the time, quitting the dream seemed odd to people who didn’t know McCarthy personally. He was stepping away from getting paid to do what he loved, in exchange for what? Brent Sandor, 686’s current vp of marketing, thinks McCarthy knew what he was doing all along.

“McCarthy is a super intelligent and driven human and he knew that snowboarding careers don’t last forever, so I can only imagine he was scheming on how to snowboard forever and still get paid for it,” Sandor said.

Back in 2010, McCarthy had already slid his foot into a crack in another door and was just waiting for the moment to open it up to a world of new opportunities. That winter, he persuaded 686 CEO and founder Mike West and then-vp of marketing Kristin Cusic to let him start leading team photo shoots.

“The first winter I hired the photographers, videographers, rented the place and picked who would come. I put it all together. When Mike and Kristin got the assets back they were happy,” McCarthy said.

He was now poised and ready to take the next step whether they knew it or not.

The next winter McCarthy again pulled double duty for 686 as a team rider and an interim team manager. In spring 2012, he kicked open the door to

the next stage in his life and began his transition from pro snowboarder to team manager.

“They started bringing me down to Los Angeles and teaching me about marketing and team management,” McCarthy said. “They knew during the winter I could do the team trips and make them productive.

They believed in me so it helped me believe in myself.

I knew that it would be the toughest in the early years of the transition but I read some books about making transitions and I could not be happier looking back now about the decision that 686 helped me make.”

Four years removed from his career as a pro snowboarder, McCarthy has become a key part in the success of the company that means so much to him.

“Pat’s positive attitude and work ethic are intoxicating. He has become a vital part in the reinvigoration of the brand over the past few years,” Sandor said. “He keeps his boots on the snow and makes sure everything is progressing each winter. He is our number one flag flyer, a family member to us all and a mentor to the team. Possibly most importantly, he continues to make us all laugh and remember why we do this: because we love the mountains and outdoors.”

For McCarthy it has always been about just that: love – love for the mountains and for snowboarding, and it has now come full circle and his purpose has been realized.

“Giving back to the youth, working with kids and making things authentic gives me a lot of purpose.”

McCarthy said. “Just like I had the amazing opportunity when I turned pro at 20, I want to allow the next generation to have the opportunity as well. My goal is to inspire people to get into the mountains, turn away from their phones and be out in nature living fully in the moment.”

x

WINTER 2017 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

39

Where to ACME/VAN ZANDT 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.

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 every day, and breakfast on weekends. Enjoy a beautiful view of the Twin Sisters.

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.

BELLINGHAM BELLEWOOD ACRES

6140 Guide Meridian, Lynden 360/318-7720 bellewoodfarms.com Visit the distillery, farm, country store and bistro for artisan food products and Northwest gifts.

Visit the website for a full list of entertainment and family activities.

KEENAN’S AT THE PIER INSIDE THE CHRYSALIS INN & SPA

804 10th Street 360/392-5510 thechrysalisinn.com Featuring a seasonal menu, full bar and terrace bar open for happy hour every day, 3–6 p.m. Enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner daily with a view of Bellingham Bay and the San Juan Islands from every table.

KULSHAN BREWING CO.

2238 James Street 360/389-5348 kulshanbrewing.com Enjoy great beer in a comfortable taproom with a view of the brewery.

Bring your own food or order from on-site food trucks at this neighborhood gem.

EAT

Since 1915. Serving a locally inspired menu.

Gourmet sandwiches, soups and salads, pizza, 100 percent grass fed burgers. Daily specials. Espresso, ice cream cones, fresh baked goods. Beer, wine and cider.

WESTSIDE PIZZA

7260 Cordata Parkway, Suite 107 360/756-5055 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 SKAGIT’S OWN FISH MARKET

18042 Hwy 20 360/707-2722 skagitfish.com Offering the highest quality in local seafood. Daily lunch specials freshly prepared. Local jams, jellies, salsas, honey and sauces. Visit them on Facebook.

CONCRETE 5B’S BAKERY

45597 Main Street 360/853-8700 5bsbakery.com Skagit County’s premier bakeshop serving home-style breads as well as a full array of fresh baked goods and classic American desserts.

Dedicated gluten free. Great food for everyone. Open 7 a.m.–5 p.m.

Closed Tuesdays.

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.

DEMING RIFUGIO’S COUNTRY ITALIAN CUISINE

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.

THE NORTH FORK BREWERY AND BEER SHRINE

1538 Kentucky Street 360/389-5348 kulshanbrewing.com Enjoy great beer in a comfortable taproom with a view of the brewery.

Bring your own food or order from on-site food trucks at this neighborhood gem.

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

Our pizzeria, brewery, wedding chapel and beer museum is your place! Open to all. Monday–Friday: dinner; Saturday–Sunday: lunch and dinner.

THE HISTORIC ROME GROCERY STORE

WELCOME GROCERY

K2

2908 Mt. Baker Highway 360/592-5841 romegrocery.com

40

5565 Mount Baker Highway 360/922-7294 Brand new! Eat in or take out.

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2017

Where to

STAY

Fresh-made, homestyle breakfast, lunch and dinner. Pastries, deli sandwiches, rotisserie chicken and more. Largest bottle shop in region.

BELLINGHAM

EVERSON

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.

HERB NIEMANN’S STEAK HOUSE RESTAURANT

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.

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.

Try the “Canuck’s Deluxe” pizza, a staff favorite. Open for lunch and dinner. Dine in or take out. Check music events on Facebook.

GRAHAM’S RESTAURANT

9989 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-9883 Grab a stool at the legendary bar and enjoy rotating selections of fine craft beers, ciders and wine.

New menu specials – appetizers, sandwiches and dinner. Breakfast weekends.

MILANO’S RESTAURANT

9990 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2863 For 25 years Milano’s has been a landmark of the Mt Baker foothills. Now you get our improved traditional Italian recipes plus daily specials to make you remember us.

A feast for all senses.

WAKE ‘N BAKERY

6903 Bourne Street 360/599-9378 getsconed.com Open daily 7:30 a.m. to 5ish p.m.

Serving breakfast burritos, quiche, soup, lunch wraps and freshly baked goods. Savory and sweet glutenfree options. Organic espresso and coffee. Indoor and outdoor seating.

Dine in or take out.

MOUNT VERNON THIRD STREET CAFE

309 South Third Street 360/542-5022 thirdstreetcafe.coop Located in historic downtown Mount Vernon, the Third Street Cafe is the newest project from the Skagit Valley Food Co-op.

Utilizing the bounty of local and seasonal products, we provide fresh perspectives on Northwest flavor.

SPRINGHILL SUITES BELLINGHAM

THE CHRYSALIS INN & SPA

804 10th Street 360/756-1005 thechrysalisinn.com Each guest room overlooks a spectacular Northwest seascape.

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

CONCRETE MAIN STREET GUEST HOUSE

45501 Main Street 360/927-3671 airbnb.com Cozy and quiet short-term rental just one block from 5b’s Bakery. Near the Baker and Skagit rivers, Baker Lake and North Cascades National Park, it’s a perfect base for rest, recreation or business.

GLACIER A CHALET AT MT. BAKER

7087 Bluet Pass 360/367-0963 chaletatmtbaker.com Cozy cabin for rent. Come experience Mt. Baker this season. Our warm and cozy cabin is fully furnished. Includes a wood-burning stove, outdoor hot tub and fire pit. See it at vrbo.com/779920.

Email chaletatmtbaker@gmail.com.

BLUE T LODGE

10459 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-9944 bluetlodge.com Conveniently located behind Chair 9 Woodstone Pizza and Bar, this sixroom inn is ideal for families or groups.

Clean rooms have queen-sized beds, a full bathroom and private small patios as well as access to a meeting space.

LUXURY GETAWAYS

9989 Mt. Baker Highway 360/398-9590 or 877/90-BAKER stayatmtbaker.com From mountain chalets to waterfront lodges, Luxury Getaways offers overnight accommodations in newly built vacation homes located in the heart of the Mt. Baker Recreational Area. Perfect for hitting the slopes and relaxing.

THE FIRS MT. BAKER CHALET

Mile marker 54 Mt. Baker Highway 800/765-3477 firschalet.org A lofty summit setting for juniors through adults, just 54 miles east of Bellingham, State Route 542. It is only 3/10 of a mile from the Mt. Baker Ski Area, and Mt. Shuksan sits at the back door.

HOPE, B.C. MANNING PARK RESORT

7500 Hwy 3 800/330-3321 manningpark.com Only 1.5 hours from the Sumas, WA, border. Manning Park Resort offers lodging with all the comforts of home.

The resort provides accommodation for 450-plus with a variety of rooming and budget options.

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.

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. Walkin reservations and one-night stays available.

MOUNT VERNON BEST WESTERN PLUS SKAGIT VALLEY INN

2300 Market Street, Mount Vernon, I-5 Exit 227 360/428-5678 bwskagitvalleyinn.com Located conveniently off I-5 Exit 227, our oversized clean and quiet rooms include free WiFi, kitchenettes with refrigerator and microwave. Breakfast buffet and access to Riverside Health Club provided. Come stay and play with us.

WINTHROP CHEWUCH INN

223 White Avenue 800/747-3107 chewuchinn.com 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 an abundance of outdoor adventures in the surrounding wilderness areas.

SNOWATER RESORT AND CONDOMINIUMS

10500 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2724 snowater.org One and two-bedroom rentals available. Recreation centers with indoor pools and sauna. Indoor/ outdoor racquetball courts.

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

EVENTS

NOVEMBER

TURKEY DAY 10K November 24, Bell-

ingham. A fun and fast 10K on Thanksgiving morning before all the day’s festivities! The 10K race begins and ends at the Lost Lake Parking on the East side of Chuckanut Drive. More info: Bellinghamtrail.com

HOLIDAY FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS Al-

lied Arts, November 18 to December 24, Bellingham. Celebrate the Season with work from over 100 local artists. Seven days a week 10-7, holidays excluded.

More info: alliedarts.org

DECEMBER

FAIRHAVEN 5K AND 10K, December 3, Fairhaven. The Greater Bellingham Running Club hosts this race on roads and hard pack trails. More info: grbc.net

GUNNAR SHAW MEMORIAL CROSS COUNTRY: December 3, Vancouver BC.

5k and 10k trail runs in memory of Gunnar Shaw. More info: lgrr.com

JINGLE TRAIL 5K RUN AND WALK:

December 3, Coupeville. Go at your own pace through scenic Camp Casey trails and Fort Casey State Park. More info: jingletrailrun.com

JINGLE BELL RUN: December 3, Bur-

lington. 5k run/walk to raise money for arthritis. More info: kintera.org

- find more events and submit your own at mountbakerexperience.com

AVALANCHE AWARENESS AT REI:

NEW YEAR’S DAY 50K: January 1,

TWO FOR THE ROAD 5K: February 11, Bellingham. Run through the trails of beautiful Whatcom Falls Park, either solo or with a partner. This race is all about fun, with a wide range of categories and lots of prizes. More info: grbc.net

December 14, Bellingham REI. This practical class will help you figure out what to put in your first aid kit and what to do with it. More info: rei.com

RESOLUTION RUN: January 1, White

BIRCH BAY INTERNATIONAL MARATHON: February 12, Birch Bay State

MT. BAKER SANTA PHOTOS: December

DEEP WINTER PHOTO CHALLENGE 10TH ANNIVERSARY: January 9, Whis-

December 13, Bellingham REI. Learn to use avalanche bulletins and forecasts, and recognize basic signs of danger. More info: rei.com

FIRST AID ESSENTIALS AT REI:

10-11, Mt. Baker Ski Area. Get the best holiday photo ever, on the ski slopes with Santa and Mrs. Claus. More info: mtbaker.us

BAKER BEACON RALLY: December 17, Mt. Baker Ski Area. Bring your shovel, probe and beacon for a free avalanche rescue workshop. More info: mtbaker.us ISLAND ICE: December 27-31, Oak

Harbor. Ice skating is coming to Oak Harbor’s Windjammer Park between Christmas and New Year’s Day. More info: oakharborchamber.com

Vancouver. Vancouver’s resolution 50K is a great way to start the new year, and so are the shorter options. All races feature beautiful scenery on trails and bikepaths.

More info: clubfatass.com

Rock BC. 4k and 8k trail runs to ring in the New Year. More info: raceonline.ca/ events/details/?id=1044

tler, BC. The best winter sports photographers from around the world brave the elements to capture the essence of winter at Whistler and compile the winning slideshow for the voting public. More info: deepwinterphoto.com

MLK LOCAL’S RACE: January 16, Mt.

Baker Ski Area. Local snowboarders can race to qualify for the Legendary Banked Slalom. More info: mtbaker.us

ingham REI. Kiss the old year goodbye with deals at REI. More info: rei.com

THE BLACKWALL BASH: January 22, Manning Park. The Blackwall Bash is a challenging new race to the top of Manning Park’s Blackwall nordic trail, with skate ski or classic options. More info: email nordic@manningpark.com

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

REI GARAGE SALE: December 31, Bell-

POLAR BEAR PLUNGE: January 1, Birch

Bay. Start the New Year off right and take a cold dip in the Salish Sea. More info: bakerbirchbay.com

CASCADE CUP LOPPET: February 4, Manning Park. This classic cross country ski event starts at 10 a.m. at Lightning Lake in Manning Park Resort and includes lunch and an award ceremony.

Race options range from 2k to 30k. More info: manningpark.com MT. BAKER LEGENDARY BANKED SLALOM: February 10, 11 and 12, Mt.

Baker Ski Area. Join the best snowboarders from around the world to watch the legendary race. More info: mt.baker.us

Park. Birch Bay’s 49th annual marathon boasts stunning views of Birch Bay, White Rock, the Gulf Islands and Cascades, plus a pint for finishers. More info: birchbaymarathon.com

VALENTINE DINNER: February 14, Mt. Baker Ski Area. Enjoy a romantic fireside dinner at the Raven Hut Lodge after a day of skiing or riding the snowy slopes.

More info: mtbaker.us OUTDOOR RECREATION SUMMIT AND EXPO: February 24 and 25, Bellingham.

Recreation Northwest’s annual summit is back with a whole weekend of fun and education featuring industry speakers, professionals, networking and an expo and art show open to the public. More info: recreationnorthwest.org

MARCH

SEATTLE BIKE SHOW: March 4-5, Seattle. Join the biggest bike expo in the Northwest at CenturyLink Field Event Center. More info: seattlebikeshow.com IFSA JUNIOR REGIONAL FREERIDE:

March 11-12, Mt. Baker Ski Area. The best junior freeskiers show their skills on Mt. Baker’s legendary terrain. More info: mtbaker.us

APRIL

GOLDEN EGG HUNT: April 15, 2017, Mt. Baker Ski Area. Find the golden egg to win a season’s pass to Mt. Baker next winter. More info: mtbaker.us

COUPEVILLE CHOCOLATE WALK:

THANKS GIVEN’ER: December 10-11, Oak Harbor. Two days of cyclocross races, including a kids course. Also features food and beer vendors. More info: cascadecross.com

February 11. Coupeville. Coupeville’s chocolate walk is back for 2017 thanks to the Coupeville Chamber of Commerce.

More info: coupevillechamber.com

TWO EVENTS EVENTS TWO ONE ONE TICKET TICKET March 2017 March 4-5, 5-6, 2016 March 5-6, 2016 SeattleBikeShow.com

CE NT ER

CenturyLink Field CenturyLink Field Event Event Center Center

TrailToAdventure.com

T

EN V E

17 17 & Under FREE

Travel • Adventure • Gear

CE N

D

WINTER 2017 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

41

PHOTO BY ROBYN BARKER

POWDER ROAD

Skiing the Pow on Manning Park’s Chair 3.

Well within a day’s drive of Vancouver lies some of the best powder experiences in North America. Time to hit the road.

E

veryone knows about Whistler Blackcomb, the mega-resort 90 minutes north of Vancouver. Huge advertising budgets and vast media coverage has ensured top of mind awareness for snow buffs for years now. The 2010 Winter Olympics and this year’s $1.06 billion purchase of the resort by Vail Resorts has only solidified its status as perhaps the top ski destination in North America.

There’s no question there is a certain appeal in visiting a slick ski town with all the latest lift technology and the fancy restaurants and shops. But if you’re looking for an authentic experience, you’re going to be headed for the smaller ski towns whose only focus is to provide the best skiing or snowboarding possible. Exhibit A? The B.C. interior.

Once you leave the coast and head inland, you’ll find mountains and facilities that more than rival Whistler Blackcomb for their terrain and snow conditions. The Interior Mountains are known for their champagne powder, conditions rarely encountered close to the coast. You’ll find friendly locals, casual cafes and accommodations that don’t require a loan from the World Bank. Whether you drive or fly, you can reach any of these ski areas within a day. Best plan of all? Make it an epic road trip and hit as many of them as you can!

x

RESORT (nearest airport)

Distance

V. Drop

(k/m/drive time)

Lifts

(m/f)

Area

Terrain

Annual Snowfall

Runs

(m/f)

Elevation (m/f)

(Acres)

(Beg/Int/Adv)

Red Mtn (Castlegar)

616/383 7h

890/2919

7

4200

18/31/51

8/25

2075/6807

110

Revelstoke (Revelstoke)

564/351 6h

1730/5620

5

3121

7/46/47

9/60

2225/7300

69

Kimberley (Calgary)

875/544 10h

751/2465

5

1800

20/42/38

4/13

1982/6500

68

Whitewater (Cranbrook)

661/411 7h+

623/2044

3

1184

10/32/58

12/40

2045/6710

81

Kicking Horse (Calgary)

712/443 7h+

1271/4133

5

2800

20/20/60

6.5/21

2450/8033

120

Fernie (Cranbrook)

936/582 10h+

1082/3550

10

2500

30/40/30

9/30

2134/7000

142

Big White (Kelowna)

450/280 5h

777/2550

15

7355

18/54/28

8/25

2319/7606

118

Manning Park (n/a)

217/135 2h+

432/1417

4

140

30/40/30

6/18

1789/5868

34

Silver Star (Kelowna)

463/288 5h

760/2500

11

3282

15/40/45

7/23

1915/6283

132

Sun Peaks (Kamloops)

411/256 4h

882/2894

12

4270

10/58/32

6/20

2152/7060

135

42

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2017

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

THE “ULTIMATE CHEAP FOR THE DEEP” DEAL John at Glacier Ski Shop is offering a great package – 122 mm wide Fischer Big Stix skis with WTR 16 Salomon bindings for just $499. Also, on the boot side, the shop is offering custom boot fitting by Master Fit University certified staff.

glacierskishop.com

DE

YES 20/20 POWDERHALL Jeff at Mt. Baker Snowboard Shop is big on Yes’s 20/20 Powderhall that works well in the powder as well as on the groomers. $699

WINTER GEAR GUI

mtbakersnowboardshop.com

Premium Merino wool exterior with superior insulating and wicking properties. Non-itch, flatlock stitching. $100

hellyhansen.com

COVERT HT GLOVE Goat skin leather with Touch capable thumb and index finger, waterproof and breathable insert and anti-pilling polyester micro fleece interior. $140

TAP HT TRIGGER This lobster claw style glove features premium water repellent goat skin leather for durability, nylon shell and anti-pilling polyester micro fleece interior for warmth. $120

hellyhansen.com

SMITH RIOT WOMEN’S GOGGLES smith.com

Constructed of molded carbonic-x for optimum scratch and impact resistance with hydrophillic Fog-X technology on the inner lens to prevent fogging. Helmet compatible.

(MSRP $80-100 depending on lens)

smithoptics.com

ELEVATION SHELL JACKET The Elevation Shell Jacket uses a new ultra-breathable Helly Tech Professional fabric with an innovative temperature regulation design that improves comfort and keeps you dry, warm or cool depending on the conditions and intensity. Includes a ski pass pocket, a jacket-pant compatible powder skirt, goggle shammy, and Recco® advanced rescue system. $650 Pairs with Sogn Cargo Pant ($160) hellyhansen.com

BY PAT GRUBB

WARM FREEZE WOMEN’S ½ ZIP

ADVENTURE READY

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COME VISIT US TODAY!

MT. BAKER SNOWBOARD SHOP LIVES ON New owner, same heritage at the shop that grew with the Northwest

BY OLIVER LAZENBY PHOTOS BY LOUISE MUGAR

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CHECK OUT OUR HUGE SELECTION of NEW Chevy, Cadillac, Buick & GMC Models. PLUS our amazing selection of pre-owned vehicles!

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Xavier Cortes, Owner, Northwest Chevrolet of Bellingham

3891 Northwest Avenue • Bellingham • I-5 Exit 257 360-733-7997 www.nwBellinghamChevy.com

WANTED We need vacation homes!

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.

Mt. Baker Lodging offers a full-service “turn-key” program that combines extensive marketing with reservation procurement and professional housekeeping services, providing you with hassle-free rental income that assists in reducing the debt service associated with owning and maintaining a second home.

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!

Contact us today to learn more about this exciting opportunity!

Call 360-599-2453 x113

John E Tack Construction General Contractor New Construction • Additions Remodels • Repairs

(360) 410-6235

www.johnetackconstruction.com LIC# JOHNEET925KL

Proudly Serving Whatcom County for over 69 Years

“Traditional Service Meeting Modern Needs.”

Mt. Baker Lodging, Inc. 7463 Mt. Baker Highway Maple Falls WA 98266-2002 www.mtbakerlodging.com reservations @ mtbakerlodging.com 44

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2017

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

Right, Jeff Lemen; far right, bottom, Tex Devenport.

W

hen word spread that the Mt. Baker Snowboard Shop in Glacier was for sale, it sparked fears that it would close for good and snowboarding would lose a patch of hallowed ground. Those fears weren’t unfounded. The “shop that grew with the Northwest” also grew with snowboarding, and snowboarding hasn’t been growing at all in the last five years.

But the shop will endure. Jeff Lemen took a risk based on the idea that there’s still room for a snowboard-specific store – especially one that so many snowboard legends have made a home away from home – and bought the shop last spring. It’s now open for the winter, seven days a week.

“Keeping the heritage intact is very important. There are not many snowboard-specific shops that have been around this long,” Lemen said. “This is like the holy grail of snowboarding.”

Lemen grew up in Oak Harbor, learned to snowboard at Mt. Baker and bought his first snowboard at the shop in 1990, a year after it opened. Walking into the shop back then gave him a feeling that a friend recently described as a “sense of aloha.”

To Lemen, it still has that feeling and he aims to maintain it.

“What made it was that special thing where you could walk in and it had a feeling to it, like a clubhouse,” he said. “Whether you are buying anything or not, it’s OK to be here. That’s the message I want to put out.”

Like always, a trip to the Mt. Baker Snowboard Shop still comes with the chance of running into a traveling pro or local legend. But now, the odds of the latter happening are stacked; snowboard godfather Tex Devenport tunes snowboards at the shop.

“Over the last month we kind of hung out and he sees my vision for it and he’s on board 100 percent,” Lemen said. “He’s also someone I looked up to as a kid, so it’s surreal.”

Lemen, who’s in his early 40s, spent time working in the snowboard industry as a sales rep for multiple snowboard brands,

but quit for other work in 2009. Most recently, he was selling vacation homes in the Southeast and taking off in the winters to travel, which included excursions to Mt. Baker.

He looked into starting a shop of his own in another location before talking with the Mt. Baker Snowboard Shop’s previous owner, Marcella Dobis, last winter. The opportunity to buy the shop where he bought his first snowboard was too good to pass up.

“This was one of my dreams growing up,” he said. “It’s strictly passion. I took off the suit and tie to do this.”

x

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Lessons from an

ALASKAN GRIZZLY ATTACK

BY MAYA HUNGER Illustration by Doug De Visser

F

The bear charged Michael.

“I sprayed and sprayed and sprayed until the bear knocked me over and the bear spray fell out of my hand,” Michael said.

“I didn’t really know what to expect at that point, the bear wasn’t stopping. But I guess the spray worked because after biting me, the bear left rather than tearing me apart.”

Michael assessed himself quickly and then turned his attention to Marika. He immediately pulled out his first aid kit – which, up to this point in the season had only been used as a glorified carrier for moleskin and band-aids – and dumped its contents onto the ground to sort through. He was using his Wilderness First Responder training for the first time, his Coban wrap had gone bad, his resources were limited and Marika was in critical condition.

Fortunately, he was able to call back to the first mate on the UnCruise ship to let the Coast Guard know they needed an evacuation. With the help of a nurse and doctor who happened to be in the group, Michael tended to Marika’s injuries and eventually Marika was flown to Seattle.

I spoke with Michael a month later while he was in the San Juan Islands with his wife. I had been following his story because as a guide myself, I wanted to know how he was mentally recovering. The media often focuses only on the blood, guts and physical recovery, leaving out the emotional trauma and the chance to educate the general public about how to prevent similar incidents.

This is a sentiment Michael shares following the attack.

“The facts are important, the people are important, there’s more to the event than just blood and guts,” Michael said.

“Being in the outdoors has definite risks involved; risk saturates the outdoor lifestyle, but I think that’s why people like it. Getting out of your comfort zone is my definition of taking risk, but there’s a right and a wrong way to do it.”

Michael believes this incident could’ve happened to anyone, and he said he has heard from quite a few other people who’ve ended up in similar situations in southeast Alaska.

resh salmon carcasses and bear scat lined the shore of an icy stream next to a narrow trail. A group of 22 hikers led by UnCruise Adventures guiding service walked the Alaskan trail, winding between trees and over roots, skirting brush and dense forest. As is typical guiding practice, one guide, Michael Justa, took sweep and his more experienced co-guide, Marika,* took the lead position.

The group left the UnCruise ship in the morning via skiff and planned to hike 4.4 miles to Sitkoh Lake and return to the ship in time for dinner. The group was the biggest (and therefore slowest) that UnCruise had led in the 2016 season and as lunchtime approached, it became apparent to the guides that they would have to rush to make it back to the skiffs in time for their scheduled pick-up.

The group made frequent “Hey bear, woah, bear” calls, but Justa suspects the stream made too much ambient noise for a mother and cub to hear their approach. Neither of the guides had seen a bear yet that season. Now, it was August 18 and while the focus on safety remained, the perception of danger had diminished and the group was rushing around blind corners.

“I heard a roar and initially thought it was a chainsaw.

Eventually, it registered that it was a bear,” Michael said.

“Then everyone started moving back and someone told me the bear had Marika.”

Michael pulled his bear spray off his belt and walked forward. Reaching the front of the group he was met with the sight of a full-size female grizzly and Marika on the ground.

*Though Marika’s full name has been published elsewhere, she has not yet talked to the press following this event and it’s our understanding that she would like to remain anonymous during her recovery. With that in mind we have opted to only include her middle name, which she commonly goes by.

“I think the cub was just doing cub things and the mom was trying to wrangle him in but he wasn’t listening, that’s my personal theory,” Michael said. “I would still hike in this area again, even at that time of year, but I would do some things differently.”

I had been impressed by Michael’s ability to return to guiding just two weeks after the incident without requesting additional mental health time. Yet as I talked to him, I realized he simply sees this incident as something that is apt to happen in southeast Alaska given a certain set of conditions.

Michael has not internalized the danger he found himself in, he never hinted at any kind of victimization for himself, and he doesn’t feel he should be painted as a hero for standing up to the mother grizzly attacking his coworker. His reflections on the incident center around what he could do differently in the future and how to equip a first aid kit for dealing with trauma and not just cuts and scrapes. He’s now obsessive about his first aid kit, he said.

“I am much more cautious about the human factor,” Michael said. “If we hadn’t hyped up the lake itself we wouldn’t have been rushing so much and we could’ve looked around the corners of the trail better. It’s a good reminder to set reasonable expectations for managing big groups in the backcountry.”

“Do you wish you had been carrying a gun?” I asked Michael. “No,” he responded quickly. “I don’t think a gun would’ve changed the situation. From what I hear, it takes a few rounds to take down a bear, and I only had a few seconds. Also, then you’ve got a dead or injured bear and if it’s a mom, now you’ve got orphaned cubs.”

As of October, Michael is in full physical health despite the menacing bite-mark scar around one of his knees. Information about Marika’s physical and mental condition has not been released. Her attack was much more vicious and destructive and I am told that her road to recovery is likely to be longer than Michael’s.

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PARTING SHOT Byron Bagwell floating through pillows in the North Cascades / Justin Kious photo

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Andrew Grubb dropping a cornice on Mt. Herman.

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