Get introduced to Pacific Northwest mountaineering on the North Cascades’ crowning volcanic summit!
Towering over the Puget Sound a mere 30 miles inland from the ocean, Mount Baker–known to many locals by its native name “Komo Kulshan” is one of the most recognizable peaks in the Cascades, perhaps second only to Mount Rainier, the range’s highest summit. The mountain is visible from vantage points in all directions, even from downtown Vancouver and Seattle on a clear day. The mountain has a special place in the collective imagination of the Pacific Northwest, from the mountaineers who scale its flanks to the constellation of native people who have lived beneath the peak for millennia.
Being one of the snowiest and glacier-covered areas in all of the Cascades, climbers flock to all sides of the mountain to hone their skill sets in preparation for chasing bigger mountain objectives the world over. It possesses routes of all difficulties for all different types of mountaineer–from those looking to learn the ins and outs of glacier rope team travel to those on their first alpine ice climb and even to those brave few looking for steep, complex mixed routes on the mountain’s nearby volcanic buttes!
If you have been looking for the perfect mountain on which to start your mountaineering adventures, Mount Baker might just be the objective for you!
Trip Stats
Duration: 3 days
Cost: $1095
Guide–Guest Ratio: 1:1, 2:1, 3:1
Difficulty: up to 40-45 degree glacier travel
Skill Level: Beginner
Fitness Requirement: 3.5/5
Itinerary
Day 1: Depart from Park Butte Trailhead on the south side of Mount Baker. Approach basecamp (~3000 vertical feet over 3.75 miles)
Day 2: Glacier mountaineering skills clinic including basic knots, footwork technique, crampon use, ice axe use, elf-arrest, glacier rope team travel, and snow protection gear
Day 3: ~2:00-3:00am departure from camp for summit bid via the Squak Glacier; descend the route (avg. 7-10 hours round trip); pack up camp; descend to the cars; victory beverages at the trailhead!
What skills do you need?
Knowledge of basic climbing knots
Hiking and scrambling experience helpful
Experience backcountry camping and Leave No Trace Ethics
Cardio fitness to handle 4400 vertical feet of gain in a single day
Other Trip Info
What’s included in the trip?
Professional guiding and instruction services for the duration of the trip.
Access permits
Group climbing equipment
Group camping equipment
What’s NOT included in the trip?
Lunches and snacks to eat while on the mountain.
Guest’s individual climbing, cooking and camping gear.
Transportation. However, carpooling can be arranged, if necessary.
Gear
Guests are responsible for providing their own climbing equipment for this style of alpine trip.
For camping, personal tents are encouraged, but they are not required. Ask for more details.
For a complete list of the gear you will need, download the packing list here.
Meals
Dinner and breakfasts are provided. Lunches and snacks are the responsibility of the guests. Reasonable accommodations can be made for those with food allergies.