Among the many legendary peaks in Washington’s North Cascades, Mount Baker stands out for its sheer mass of ice and snow. At 10,781 ft (3286 m), this heavily glaciated and active stratovolcano is the highest point in the North Cascades. This, coupled with its easy accessibility, makes it the perfect venue for upgrading your mountaineering skills and one of the best spots for skiing in Washington. The ascent is moderate but very engaging, and the complex terrain with modest elevation creates the ideal environment for acclimating to the mountain. Camps along the steep Coleman Glacier route are a breathtaking introduction to high-altitude camping, providing some of the most outstanding alpine vistas in the United States. Using your newfound skills to conquer the summit is an experience that’s guaranteed to make you fall in love with mountaineering.
Spend the night at one of the most scenic campsites in North America
Master the fundamentals of mountaineering in the magnificent Cascades
Test your newly-learned skills with a summit attempt on the stunning Mount Baker
Build up your mountaineering skills on Washington’s incredible Mount Baker with this Mountaineering Seminar! Join seasoned mountaineering instructors as they teach you the knowledge and practical skills necessary to ascend climbs such as Denali and Mount Everest. Wrap up your course and demonstrate your new skills with a majestic summit attempt on Mount Baker!
Have dinner with your instructors and fellow participants. Your guides will double-check that you have all the right gear for the trip and help you minimize weight, decide on the perfect clothing, and choose how much food and water to bring.
Approach Hogsback or Coleman Glacier Camp. Get an early start, get to camp, and scout the approach to the base of the route. Head to bed early to be fresh for the alpine start and summit attempt.
Time for a summit attempt of the Mount Baker stratovolcano! It’s a great chance to put the skills you’ve covered to use, and the ideal first serious climb of your career.
Break down the camp with your instructors and return home.
During this course, you’ll learn the mountaineering skills necessary to tackle big mountain objectives the world over. You’ll cover:
57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.
We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, their guides, and the communities they’re traveling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Mount Baker, Washington, please refer to the Washington State Department of Health’s COVID-19 travel guidelines.
Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!
What you get in this adventure:
What’s not included:
In order to take part in this mountaineering seminar, you will need to have a high level of cardiovascular fitness. You will be on your feet for 3 full days, learning athletic movements that involve your entire body. While there is terrain for all skill levels in Mount Baker, you will need to manage controlled descents in variable conditions. All participants should feel comfortable on challenging blue or black-level resort runs and be able to carry a loaded daypack while skinning up variable degrees of terrain.
This program is an introductory course designed to provide an understanding of the techniques and tools used in classic mountaineering. As such, there are no prerequisite skills. If you’ve never mountaineered before, this course is your best bet. They’ll take care of the planning, introduce you to the basics, like skinning uphill, and teach you how to manage the terrain. They also have the experience and avalanche training to keep you safe.
For technical mountaineering gear, you will need to bring:
For clothing, we recommend bringing:
For food & camping equipment, you will need to bring:
Finally, here’s a list of other personal items we recommend bringing:
Mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. You can rent with Glacier Ski Shop in Glacier, WA, or with Ascent Outdoors in Seattle, WA. Rentals should be picked up the night prior to your outing. If you need to rent great, let us know and we can help make arrangements.
Group sizes and pricing:
The mountaineering seminar on Mount Baker can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
If your group has mountaineers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
To get to Glacier, WA, the starting point of this tour, most people fly into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport 2,5 hours away. From there, you can rent a car, or take a bus or train.
Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, your guide will suggest the best place to meet, whether that’s at the guide shop in Glacier or a predetermined location. From there, you’ll head to your tour. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ski ability of the group.
