Mt Baker Ski Area to Resume Operations Saturday Feb 7

Featured Image: Courtesy of Mt. Baker Ski Area

It's been a troubling winter for the Pacific Northwest, and the iconic Mt. Baker has not been spared. Located in western Washington, the ski area has seen troublingly low snow totals and immense rain over the last two months, with parts of the access road, Highway 542, being washed away in December of 2025.

Repairs are estimated to cost $40 million in total, and it won't all happen overnight. Taking advantage of clear skies, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is beginning road work this week, February 2-6. This has closed down Mt. Baker, with the ski area remaining closed through the of the construction.

"While there is never a good time for the highway to be shut down during the season, we appreciate WSDOT and their contractor working with us and scheduling this necessary work during a time that will be least impactful to our operations and public access," Mt. Baker said in a press release.

The report continued, "We would like to thank all our partners at WSDOT for their hard work and responsiveness as they have coordinated with us throughout this project. Without them and the work they do for the traveling public, we could not operate the Ski Area!"

Per an update on February 5, WSDOT plans to reopen the highway by Friday evening at the latest, with Mt. Baker planning on spinning lifts this Saturday, February 7. And the reopening couldn't have better timing. Temperatures are currently hovering around 45° at the ski area, but hope will be restored in the coming days, as a cold front moves in and winter will make its return by all accounts.

No skier in North America deserves a glorious cold refresh more than those at Baker. Rain is not uncommon during the winter months in this coastal region, but this year has been especially brutal. Hopefully, our friends in the PNW will be back enjoying the cold smoke in the near future.