4/15/2023 Marissa was in town – so we had to get out on a fun adventure. Unfortunately, the weather for the weekend was not cooperating. Our original plans for a longer ski tour didn’t seem like they were in the cards, so we opted for a more conservative plan that we thought we could fit into our narrow weather window. Herman Saddle is a classic ski tour, and it provides access to a lot of terrain in a beautiful area in the Baker Backcountry. The views of Shuksan and Baker a

2/11/2023 Katie and I found ourselves in the land of sunshine, lava rocks, and volcanoes – aka Bend Oregon for the weekend. We had a perfect, cloudless day so ski touring to the top of Mount Bachelor with our friend Patrick was on the menu for the day. After a great “alpine” start that included 10 am brunch in town (shoutout to Sparrow Bakery!) we made the short drive up to the Mount Bachelor parking lot. Among the many great things about Bend is the quick access to outdoor

Somehow, I had never been to the Crystal Backcountry, and with the new year that had to change. The goal for these two trips was to check out Bullion Basin and the supposed wealth of backcountry skiing options that radiate out from the basin. 1/1/2023 Katie and I got a late start, so only had time for a quick tour. We started up from the C lot at Crystal and began touring up the Blue Bell Loop, a nice, groomed trail, which took us up to the start of the Bullion Basin Trail sy

12/3/2022 The Cascades had just received their first big snowfall of the year, and it was time to go play in the snow. Katie and I chose to go down to Paradise because of its open skiable terrain and beautiful scenery. It has also become something of an early season tradition to head down that way to knock the rust off before winter begins in earnest. The road from Longmire to Paradise wasn’t set to open until after 10 am, so we had a leisurely morning and were in no rush to

2/13/2022 Katie, Marissa, and I made the long drive down from Seattle on Saturday evening with nervous anticipation for what was bound to be a fun but challenging adventure the following day. I always seem to forget how far south you need to drive to get to the St. Helen’s climbing routes. We eventually pulled into the Marble Mountain Sno-Park at around 10 pm. The road was perfectly dry and clear all the way to the lot (FYI you need a Sno-Parks Permit to park here in the win

1/22/2022 - 1/23/2022 So, we wanted to go snow camping, and didn't really know where to start. This was the first time either Katie or I had attempted to snow camp in the winter. We were excited but also a touch nervous because winter camping can be much higher consequence than a casual summer backpack. Artist Point seemed like a good choice because it has amazing scenery but is also easy to access and close to the parking lot should something go wrong and the need to bail ar

6/1/2019 - 6/2/2019 What better place to try out a new splitboard than the summit of a stratovolcano? Baker is one of the most recognizable and striking summits in Washington, towering above its surroundings in the northwestern part of the state – only about 30 miles due east of the city of Bellingham. It is home to many glaciers, and the Mount Baker Ski area holds the world record for snowfall in a year at 1,140 inches! Needless to say, this one had to be climbed. Fern and