Mount Baker is a 10,781-foot (3,286-meter) glaciated volcano about three hours north of Seattle. Its Indigenous name is Komo Kulshan. It’s big enough to teach everything a first glacier climb needs, and close enough that you don’t spend half the trip getting there.
We meet in Burlington, Washington, for dinner and a gear check. The next day we hike up to four miles and 3,000 feet (900 m) to base camp carrying 40 to 50 pounds. Day 3 is all skills: walking in crampons, ice axe self-arrest, roping up, crevasse rescue. Days 4 and 5 give us two chances at the summit by the Easton or Squak Glacier, with a light pack and an early start. Whichever day the weather doesn’t suit becomes more skills practice.
Women guide the course, and the climber-to-guide ratio is kept low. You don’t need mountaineering experience, but you need hiking experience and the fitness to go six to eight hours with a heavy pack.
We run Baker mid-week in July. The snowpack has usually settled by then, and rockfall is lower than in August.
Is this trip for you?
- No climbing experience needed.
- Hiking experience, and the fitness for six to eight hours with a 40-pound pack, 12 to 15 miles with a 45-pound pack, or a trail half marathon.
- 40 to 50 pounds on your back for the hike to base camp.
- You want to learn the skills properly, summit or not.
Not sure? Ask us. We'll tell you honestly whether it's the right next step, and what would get you ready.
