Mount Baker Experience Winter 2014/15 by Point Roberts Press

ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

WINTER 2015

The

AVY AWARENESS Issue

THE WATSON TRAVERSE BAKER BOYS IN JAPAN MOUNTAIN BIKE HORTICULTURE MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

SPECIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NORTHERN LIGHT

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WINTER 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

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This avy course could save your life! Mt. Baker & Bellingham 3-day programs • Weekends Dec-Feb

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t. Baker pro patroller Peter “PJ” Moran measures the crown height of an avalanche that occurred on Hemispheres March 24, 2012. In honor of Liz Daley and every other friend we’ve lost in the mountains, the theme of this issue is avalanche awareness. Let’s all use it every time we go to the mountains, and let’s all have a great winter. - MBE

PHOTO\GRANT GUNDERSON

Rider: Brad Andrew Photo: Brandon Franulovic

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WINTER 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

WINTER 2015 in this issue

PHOTO\JOHN MINIER

PHOTO\RE WIKSTROM

PHOTO\SUZANNE ROTHMEYER

PHOTO\ GRANT GUNDERSON

22 JAPANUARY: A photo essay 47

THE WATSON TRAVERSE

CATCHING UP WITH ZACK GIFFIN

MODERN DAY EXPLORERS

A close call on Mt. Baker’s Park Headwall

Baker’s hometown pro – turned tiny house TV star

Sail to ski with Krüger Escapes

DAYS OF MY YOUTH

Thanks for supporting NWAC and HRT

26 PHOTO GALLERY

32 UNCONVENTIONAL TIPS

12 SLACKLINING FOR SNOW

14 SKI COOKIES RECIPE

20 REMEMBERING LIZ DALEY

A fun way to improve balance

Images of shred

For a safe day in the backcountry

34 SKEVIK SKIS

High energy treats for the slopes

A tribute by Jason Martin

PHOTO\SPENCER PAXSON

Handcrafted Canadian powder slayers

36 GET IN SHAPE FOR SNOWSPORTS

46 A BATTERY FOR GLACIER

And other news from Glacier and Maple Falls

48 THE LAST VIEW

30 MT. BAKER PRO PATROL A day in the life

Exercises to prevent injury

38 GOING FOR GOLD

A midwinter vacation in Mexico

40 LOCAL EVENTS

All the parties you don’t want to miss

41 BAKER BEACON RALLY

16 6

HORTICYCLING

A mountain bike racing approach

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2015

There will be bacon

42 WHERE TO STAY & EAT

Dining and lodging guide

44 GOOD STUFF GUIDE

The latest winter gear

PHOTO\GRANT GUNDERSON

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE PUBLISHERS Patrick Grubb and Louise Mugar EDITOR Ian Ferguson

STAFF WRITERS Steven Guntli • Kara Furr PUBLICATION DESIGN Doug De Visser

ADVERTISING DESIGN Ruth Lauman • Doug De Visser ADVERTISING SALES Catherine Darkenwald • Janet McCall Molly Ernst • Judy Fjellman SALES & EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Kara Furr OFFICE MANAGER Amy Weaver

CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS ISSUE: Carson Artac, Molly Baker, Lynn Beck, Steve Christie, Rene Crawshaw, Marty Grabijas, Grunt Gunderson, Dylan Hart, Jason Hummel, Justin Kious, Jason Martin, John Minier, Amanda Nayfield, Spencer Paxson, Richard Riquelme, Suzanne Rothmeyer, Rylan Schoen, and Re Wikstrom. EMAIL: info@mountbakerexperience.com WEB: www.mountbakerexperience.com FACEBOOK: facebook.com/mtbakerexperience TWITTER: twitter.com/MB_Experience iNSTAGRAM: instagram.com/mtbakerexp If you can see Mt. Baker, you’re part of the experience. Mount Baker Experience is an outdoor recreation guide for and about the Mt. Baker region, distributed from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C. and published by Point Roberts Press, Inc. Locally owned, the company also publishes The Northern Light, All Point Bulletin, Pacific Coast Weddings, Waterside and area maps. Vol. XXVIII, No. 4. Printed in Canada. ©2014 POINT ROBERTS PRESS 225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230 TEL: 360/332-1777 NEXT ISSUE Spring 2015 • Out mid-February Ski • Snowboard • Climb • Bike Ad reservation deadine: Jan. 22

ON THE COVER Adam Roberts slashes a turn high on the Shuksan Arm as the sun sets over Mt. Baker. Photo by Jason Hummel. Check out more of Hummel’s work at alpinestateofmind.com

ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

WINTER 2015

The

AVY

AWARENESS Issue

THE WATSON TRAVERSE BAKER BOYS IN JAPAN

CONTRIBUTORS CONTRIBUTORS MBE Winter 2015

CarsonARTAC

Carson was born and raised in the Midwest, although now he calls the Pacific Northwest home. His goal is to capture the beauty that binds us to our natural world, leaving the viewer with a sense of balance.

JustinKIOUS

Born and raised in the Pacific N.W. Constantly trying to capture fresh lines.

MollyBAKER

JasonMARTIN

LynnBECK

JohnMINIER

SteveCHRISTIE

AmandaNAYFIELD

Molly Baker is a skier by trade, writer by heart, dancing freak, and pastry aficionado. She subscribes to the advice of Ernest Hemingway: “A writer’s only obligation is to live an interesting life and then write about it.”

Lynn Beck is a nationally certified personal trainer with 30 years of experience in the fitness industry. She spends part of the year living and training people in The Place Where Life Is Perfect – Glacier.

Steve Christie is the sales manager for Backcountry Access and K2 Backside and loves to ski at Mt. Baker. He’s based in Seattle.

Jason is a professional mountain guide, the general manager at the American Alpine Institute and a widely published outdoor writer. He lives in Bellingham with his wife and two young children.

John is the owner and lead guide of Mt. Baker Mountain Guides. Originally from Alaska, he has a deep appreciation and respect for wild and mountainous places. He currently resides in Bellingham.

Amanda received her doctorate of physical therapy in Montana before moving to Bellingham. When she’s not working at Corephysio Physical Therapy, you can find her climbing, hiking, skiing and running in the mountains.

ReneCRAWSHAW

SpencerPAXSON

MartyGRABIJAS

RichardRIQUELME

Rene is a ski ambassador for Outdoor Research and a member of the Lib Tech NAS team. When he’s not chasing down the next adventure, he’s running around with his wife Jean and six-year-old daughter, Winter.

Marty Grabijas is a product developer in the outdoor industry and a PSIA ski instructor who spends a disproportionate amount of time pushing his envelope outdoors, and seeking ways to speed recovery from those endeavors.

GrantGUNDERSON One of the ski industry’s pre-eminent photographers, Grant has shot for every major snow sports and outdoor publication worldwide. His images define the culture of action sports.

DylanHART

For Dylan, taking still and moving pictures has given him purpose and direction, sent him to unexpected places, kept him up when others were asleep, and given him experiences he could never have predicted or planned.

JasonHUMMEL

Jason Hummel is a Pacific Northwest born and bred photographer and storyteller. If you run into him it will be on a mountain, snow, water, trail or sea with a camera blocking his face, but not the incredible views being captured.

Spencer Paxson is a Pacific Northwest native who seeks out the white pow in the winter and the brown pow in the summer. Spencer rides professionally for The Kona Bicycle Company, and loves exploring trails far and wide.

Guiding since 1993, Richard has climbed and skied all over the Americas and Europe. He is manager of Equipment Services for the American Alpine Institute, an expert avalanche educator and a certified rope rescue technician.

SuzanneROTHMEYER Suzanne is a wedding, boudoir and commercial photographer living in view of Mt. Baker and loving it. When she’s not working, she’s out camping!

RylanSCHOEN A fortune cookie once told Rylan: “This is a good time for you to enjoy the outdoors.” He has always trusted that cookie.

ReWIKSTROM

Photographer Re Wikstrom counts fresh air and sunshine among her basic needs, and jumps at any chance to trade laughs around a campfire.

MOUNTAIN BIKE HORTICULTURE MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

SPECIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NORTHERN LIGHT

WINTER 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

Welcome to Mount Baker Experience’s winter 2015 issue! Inside you’ll find photography and stories by the Pacific Northwest’s most passionate outdoor adventurers – we hope you enjoy it. Take a minute afterwards and visit mountbakerBY PAT GRUBB experience.com to tell us what you’d like to see in future issues. Check out the rest of the site while you’re at it. If you haven’t looked at it lately then you’ve been missing some pretty compelling and useful content. I’m not the only one who thinks that – our site was awarded second place for Best Website in the 2014 Washington Newspaper Publishers Association’s Better Newspaper Contest. (We would have won first place except that was given to Pacific Coast Weddings, another one of our publications.) Plus, the print version won second place in the Lifestyle and Culture division. Going through this issue, you’ll find articles on how to enjoy the outdoors safely. That’s been on our minds ever since we heard the tragic news about Liz Daly, JP Auclair and Carl Andreas Fransson in September. Most of us aren’t pros, but it still behooves us to be knowledgeable and conAward W siderate of the dangers inherent in the outdoors. i n ner LIFES TYLE If you’ve taken an avalanche awareness course, / PUBL CULTURE you’ll remember the instructor telling you the I Washin CATION gto purpose of the course is making sure you are Publish n Newspaper ers Ass ociation never, ever caught in an avalanche. If you are going out of bounds and you haven’t taken an avy course, you are an accident waiting to happen. And, yet, often it is the most experienced skiers who are caught in avalanches. Why is that? Partly it’s because they are r e going into the backcountry more, but often they have become Winn d r a over-confident in their abilities. Read the accident reports on Aw WEBSITE T E S the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center website and C E B PLA er 2NDgton Newspatipon find out for yourself. in Wash ers Associa h Don’t delude yourself that the danger only lies outside the s li b u P rope. Everyone knows to avoid tree wells and to ride with a buddy, right? Even so, we still ski through the trees and take PHOTO\LOUISE MUGAR

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

2014

another run while our buddies head in to the lodge. Being in bounds doesn’t mean you’re perfectly safe. Case in point… After much urging, Steve, a friend from back east, came out last March to ski Mt. Baker. This is someone who had been skiing all of his life in Colorado and the east coast. Which means he was at home on champagne powder and boilerplate. Baker crud? Not so much. His trip coincided with a few days of a powder dump – pretty light snow by Baker standards. I took him down Chair 8 over to where the old terrain park used to be. To the left of the groomed track, there’s usually a nice roller of untracked snow. I knew Steve wasn’t feeling comfortable with the snow, but this roller is pretty beginner terrain and I led him to it. After I skied down, I stopped to watch him. I could see, as the slope flattened out, that he was leaning more and more forward. I was mentally urging him to lean back when the inevitable happened – one of his skis released and he did a header into the snow. He didn’t pop up and I stood there thinking, “Man, I bet he is ticked with me.” It wasn’t until his wife slid down and frantically started to dig him out that I realized there was a problem. I herringboned up the slope and helped uncover his head, which was a foot deep in the snow. We could hear his muffled yelling telling us to get him out. The way he fell, his arms and poles were trapped underneath him and he was unable to self-rescue. I was right – he was definitely ticked off at me (something about not being able to breathe seemed to be the issue). I have skied that slope by myself an untold number of times and I would never have thought anything serious could have happened there. This innocuous incident could have had a serious outcome except for the fact that there was a buddy close at hand. Something to think about…

Don’t let pain keep you off the

mountain

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2015

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

PhySicAl TherAPy SPeciAliSTS

faster, stronger, better:

let’s help you reach your true potential. Because peak performance is no accident.

DAYS of my YOUTH

We premiered the ski movie Days of My Youth by MSP and Red Bull Media House at Aslan Brewing Co. November 7, and it went off with a packed crowd and an excellent show. Through raffle ticket sales, merchandise sales and donations, we raised $2,567 for Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center (NWAC) and Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team (HRT). Thanks for coming out and making the event a huge success! - MBE

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Follow MBE on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and share your experience with #mtbakerexp.

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When all else

FAILS

Avalanche companion rescue skills BY AMERICAN ALPINE INSTITUTE GUIDES RICHARD RIQUELME AND JASON D. MARTIN

We see it every day. Backcountry skiers come into our shop and ask to rent shovels, avalanche probes and beacons. They purchase ava-lungs or balloon packs and they take avalanche courses. And then they think they’re ready to get after it in the most extreme conditions, because now they know they can ski or shred the sickest, sketchiest line and get rescued if something goes wrong. This is an incredibly unhealthy perspective. Avalanche companion rescue skills should be reserved as a last resort. The primary line of defense is to simply avoid getting caught in an avalanche in the first place. There are many ways to mitigate the inherent risk of traveling in backcountry winter conditions. Among the most common are avoiding unstable avalanche terrain, effective communication in your team, paying attention to signs of instability and making educated guesses about the behavior of other teams traveling nearby. The American Alpine Institute teaches curriculum provided by the American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE), which offers three levels of training. AIARE Level I, the first program, was designed specifically with the recreationalist in mind. It provides students with a decision-making framework for how to stay out of an avalanche, but it also gives them the baseline tools for companion rescue. Although situations that require the use of this knowledge should be avoided at all costs, companion rescue is what we’ll be covering here, because it’s a process with which every backcountry user should be intimately familiar. What do you do when your friend gets caught and buried in an avalanche? The following is a quick reference guide. This list might seem obvious to the climb-

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2015

er or skier sitting in the coffee shop and reading this, but when there’s an emergency, it’s easy to forget these steps. Rehearse your response. Practice with your beacon and with your buddies. And finally, cut this list out and keep it safely hidden away in your first aid kit for reference. Avalanche terrain might make for great skiing, but it is also very dangerous. People die in the mountains every year doing what they love the most. The best way to avoid this is to first honestly evaluate your personal skills. If you haven’t taken an avalanche course, take one. Second, be aware of your surroundings and constantly assess the consequences of your actions. And third, practice your companion rescue skills until you can do them in your sleep.

Editor’s Note: Although the authors said it, we can’t stress it enough: companion rescue is a last resort that should never be necessary. Knowing how to read avalanche reports, profile the snowpack, recognize signs of avalanche activity, make good terrain choices and communicate with your group; these are the skills that will keep you from being caught in an avalanche, and you can’t learn them from a book or magazine. Furthermore, this article is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for knowledge gained from a class. You are responsible for your own actions. Bottom line: Take an avalanche class and learn how to keep yourself and your companions out of danger. Find a list of class dates through AAI on the facing page (alpineinstitute.com). Classes are also available through Mt. Baker Mountain Guides (mtbakerguides.com) and Mt. Baker Ski Area’s Mountain Education Center. (mtbaker.us/mtn-safety).

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

AMERICAN ALPINE INSTITUTE

PHOTO\RICHARD RIQUELME

Mt. Baker Avalanche Level I Course dates:

STEP-BY-STEP QUICK REFERENCE: AVALANCHE COMPANION RESCUE 1. Stop, take a deep breath and stay calm. 2. Assess safety and assure no further hazard. Is there a risk of triggering a second avalanche from above? 3. Take charge or assign a leader. 4. Take a head count. How many are missing? 5. Call 911 using a cell phone, radio or emergency locator. Assign someone to do this while others move ahead with the rescue process. Tell the dispatcher your name, location, nature of the emergency, number of involvements, number of missing people and known injuries. 6. Switch avalanche transceivers to search mode. Physically check to make sure everyone nearby is in search mode. A transmitting signal from a non-victim can seriously delay rescue efforts. 7. Determine point last seen and look for a flow line below to determine the area to search. Consider terrain traps where victims are likely to be deposited. 8. Search for signal and visual clues. Enter debris safely from the side of the path or toe of debris field. Determine an escape route. Spread searchers out in an effective pattern. Search strips a maximum of 30 meters (approximately 30-40 strides) apart. Search to the edges of avalanche debris. 9. Yell to others when you find a clue or receive a signal. If you find a clue such as a piece of clothing or equipment, pull it out of the snow and leave it on the surface for others to see. 10. Follow the transceiver signal to the target area. When possible, two searchers should work together. Move slowly and precisely within 10 meters (33 feet). Hold the transceiver near the snow’s surface on the final approach, while the second searcher assembles the probe and shovel. 11. Target the burial site with transceiver and probe. The second searcher probes the likely burial site in front of the first searcher’s trajectory when the transceiver signals 3 meters (10 feet) to the target. Moving the transceiver slowly over the surface of the snow, mark the points where the signal fades ahead, behind and to the sides of the target area. At the center of the transceiver searcher’s marks, pinpoint using the probe. Ensure the path of the probe is parallel on every attempt. Use a circular pattern from the center of the target outwards. Probe strike = burial location. Do not remove the probe! 12. Shovel quickly and efficiently. Consider burial depth and therefore the size of the hole. Start with a large step downhill and away from the probe. Dig toward the probe and throw snow far away. Shovel in teams if rescuers are available. Be careful shoveling as you reach your buried companion. 13. Patient care. Keep them dry and warm (insulate from snow) and manage any injuries. Move to safe terrain, consider options for evacuation and communicate the victim’s condition to arriving rescuers. 14. If a helicopter comes to your aid, secure loose items so they do not blow away. Wait for the rescuer to come to you. 15. Stay calm.

2014 Dates • November 28–30 • December 5–7 • December 12–14 • December 27–29 2015 Dates • January 2–4 • January 9–11 • January 17–19 • January 23–25 • January 31–February 1 • February 6–8 • February 14–16 • February 20–22 • February 27–March 1 • March 6–8 • March 13–15 More info: alpineinstitute.com

Check the weather and avalanche forecast at

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ou see them while you are assessing a run a bit beyond your comfort level. They move like silk in the wind and send, with grace and elegance, the run you’re just hoping to survive. These athletes make difficult runs look easy, but they didn’t get there overnight. To become proficient at the craft of snow sliding one has to execute a few things well. Fundamental to that proficiency is the ability to be balanced on one’s skis or snowboard. In the pursuit of better balance no activity may be more beneficial than slacklining. As a bonus, no balance drill may be as fun as slacklining. Slacklining started in the glory days of Yosemite Valley’s Camp IV as a drill for big-wall climbers to hone their balance. Early practitioners used climbing rope or one-inch tubular webbing material. The narrow width and stretchy nature of the materials kept slacklining in the domain of the athletically gifted. In 2007, slacklines went mainstream as ratchet systems to tension lines were introduced and webbing materials and weaves were tailored to specific uses. As skiers and snowboarders we tend to concentrate on muscular strength and endurance in the offseason. However, if you’re not balance training you are missing a huge opportunity to take your snow sliding to the next level. When you hit the gym for a weight-lifting workout, your goal is not to lift more weight – it’s to get stronger. The increased weight is simply a measure of strength gained. Similarly, the goal of slacklining is not to walk on the slackline, but to improve balance. Walking the slackline is an end result that tells you your balance has improved. To get started you first need a slackline and a way to set it at the correct height. Videos on YouTube are a great resource for this. Note that when properly tensioned, a slackline can exert over two tons of force on the object that it is attached to. Give this some thought before attaching your slackline to the deck posts on your house and ripping your deck down. For snow sliders, the most fundamental drill in slacklining may be the most beneficial – the ability to balance on one foot. Start by standing next to your slackline and focus on a point well down it – maybe even beyond it. Bring one foot up on top of the slackline, and with your arms over your head (this might seem counterintuitive, but it helps with balance) and stand up. That first attempt might not last more than an instant, but by the end of your first session you should be able to hold a stance for a count of several seconds. Practice equally on each foot and aim for a count of 25 controlled seconds on one foot at a time. If you attain eight seconds on your left foot, keep trying on your left foot until you reach 25 seconds without falling. Then step to the other side of the slackline and practice stepping up and standing on the other foot. This will help build muscle memory. Once you attain a count of 25 with control, it is time to transition to the other foot while on the slackline and begin walking. Remember that control is the key, and not controlled chaos. Your steps on the slackline should be like your turns on snow, flowing smoothly from one transition to the other – not an exercise in survival. In the last several years slacklining has been widely embraced by elite athletes. Sochi Olympic gold medalist freestyle skier David Wise used slacklining as an integral part of his Olympic prep, and it is also part of American World Cup alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn’s quiver of drills. For those of us with aspirations that stop closer to a great day outdoors, slacklining can help us unlock more pure pleasure from those days.

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Rec

PHOTO\LYNN BECK

BY LYNN BECK

n active person’s diet definitely has a place for energy-packed treats. Loaded with complex carbs, protein and just the right amount of delicious (and good for you) dark chocolate, these cookies are my husband’s favorite go-to fuel for a full day of skiing. Recipe: 1/4 cup organic butter or softened coconut oil 1/4 cup natural applesauce 1/4 cup stevia 1/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons molasses or 1/8 cup brown sugar 2 cups natural peanut butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 eggs 1 cup vanilla whey protein powder (with no sugar or fat) 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 cup dark chocolate chips 4-5 cups whole oats (regular old-fashioned oats) 3-6 tablespoons water (as needed for easier stirring) To bake: Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Cream first eight ingredients together (butter through eggs) with mixer on high until smooth. With mixer on low,

Chocolate chip peanut butter high-protein snacks

incorporate the protein powder and baking soda. Stir in chips and oatmeal by hand (add water, if needed). Form cookie dough into a ball approximately the size of a tangerine. Chocoholics may add more chips at this juncture. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly brown. We make a double batch, bake and freeze them. Then they’re always ready to go in our ski packs. Two cookies will fit into a sandwich-sized zip-lock bag.

Lynn Beck is a fitness trainer with 30 years’ experience who spends part of her year in “The Place where Life is Perfect” – Glacier, Washington.

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GROWING the garden A POLYCULTURAL APPROACH TO MOUNTAIN BIKE RACING STORY AND PHOTOS BY SPENCER PAXSON

aintaining a career in today’s world of off-road cycling might benefit from an understanding of what it takes to keep a bountiful garden. I know a thing or two about racing careers, but virtually nothing about horticulture. Regardless, I’ve borrowed from the concepts of

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crop rotation and polyculture to come up with a methodology that has helped me in racing and life in general. Thus: “Horticycling: The practice of participating in a series of dissimilar types of cycling events/disciplines within a given period of time in sequential or random order. Horticycling gives various benefits to the rider, including the replenishment of stoke/motivation/fun through the use of different forms of riding. Horticycling also mitigates the build-up of cultural myopia that often occurs when one form of riding is contin-

uously repeated without variation, and can also improve happiness and skill by alternating disciplines, geography and bikes.” Seriously, call it whatever you like; my point is, for me at least, variety is a key component of a fulfilling off-road cycling career. There is no single “garden variety” approach. As of this December, I’ll have cultivated my way into my 18th year of racing bikes, my fifth year riding for The Kona Bicycle Company and, at present, my fallow period. The last 12 months have seen plenty of flourishing and sprouting, with (fortunately)

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minimal wilting and withering. Through this latest season of adventures far and wide, I’ve competed in many different kinds of events aboard many different types of bicycles, and wondered to myself, “How does one implement their own system of ‘horticycling’ to stay relevant and keep a cycling career fertile, given the many options out there today?” I mean, “career” in the professional sense, and “fertile” as yielding both happiness and livelihood. After all, the simple activity of riding as a hobby can stay fertile forever, without any concern but the next day’s ride. The answer is easy: to stay relevant, first win and be the best. Then don’t be a jerk, tell a good story, be an ambassador and motivate more people to ride bikes. Ultimately, be happy. Always achieving the first item means you might get away with doing relatively less of the succeeding items. But if you can’t always achieve the first item, then perhaps having enough variety in your repertoire makes it possible to achieve all the other things, especially the last one. Looking back, I’ve always maintained variety in my approach to cycling. Once I realized there were all these things to do – cross-country, cyclocross, short-track, downhill, eliminator, super-D, enduro, freeride, dirt jump, trials, flatland, street, road, crits, clunkers, fatbikes – and how they all complement one another, I realized I was apt to enjoy any of them, but not just one. My skills favored some disciplines more than others, but variety was a big reason I developed a love for cycling in the first place. It’s still hard to pick favorites. Every year I feel like I draw upon that attraction to variety, even if I’m heavily focused on training for a single discipline. For me the variety is always in reach, whether I need it or not, and it can always recharge me. Having the many provides me the balance to focus on the one.

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Weekends 8am-noon “The one” for me has traditionally been cross-country (XC) racing. Paradoxically, the same variety that has provided for so much of my growth as a racer has also posed a challenge to maintaining a relevant career. It’s not news; XC racing isn’t the standalone game it used to be. Other plants have been blooming in the garden for a long time. The irony is that there are still so many ways to be relevant today, but the world of off-road cycling in general has fragmented into many unique islands. It’s unclear whether having lots of real estate on one island is better than having a few acres on multiple islands. The struggle for survival is different depending on the discipline. In the gravity world, for example, the price to attain or maintain relevance continues to soar to life-threatening heights. At least in XC the price you pay is still how fast you can pedal up and down hills to get to the finish line. The gravity world is progressing so fast you need to produce more and more tricks, videos and stories than ever before. In XC, the sport doesn’t really progress, so each win just holds less value unless you are simply winning everything. Once upon a time a single big achievement – a big win at nationals, a winning run at Rampage or chronicling an adventure to an untapped realm of the planet in 1080p –would have put you on the “marketable island” for a few seasons. Now those things might only earn you marketability for a few weeks or months. The seeds that once sowed success are still as fruitful as ever; now it just seems like it takes more of them to keep a garden growing. At the end of the day, it’s a struggle for survival that’s fun as hell; that can bring you to amazing parts of the world and introduce you to incredible people along the way. I’m happy about my situation, thankful for my health, my supportive community of family and friends, and my sponsors. I’m excited about what’s in store for the 2015 season and beyond. In the meantime, I’ll be thinking about my strategy for growing a bountiful garden.

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A snow bridge

TOO FAR

A CLOSE CALL ON THE WATSON TRAVERSE STORY AND PHOTOS BY JOHN MINIER

carefully eased my skis over the roll and onto the face. “Easy does it,” I said to myself. “This is no place to blow it.” The slope was steep – real steep. Five hundred feet below I could make out the faint silhouette of the first bergschrund. Last week’s storm appeared to have filled everything in nicely, but the bridge seemed superficial at best. Under the skim of fresh powder lurked a massive chasm. Farther down the face, the second bergschrund glared up at me not so subtly. I worked my skis down into the snow as far as I could. Gusts were still exploding over the ridge on occasion, but the wind slab didn’t seem to be too extensive. “Manageable,” I thought. “You’ve done this before. Just pretend you’re somewhere else. Somewhere other than the summit of Baker.” I took a couple of steps downhill, side-slipped into a good position and prepared to make my first turn. Suddenly the slope released.

EARLIER THAT DAY…

We backed the sled off the trailer and left it running on the side of the road to warm up. Snowmobiles annoy me, even when I’m happy to have them. With the amount of time that it takes to unload, start and rig the machine, we could have been halfway up the Glacier Creek Road. Maybe it’s the noise and the fumes I don’t like. Whatever it is, it wasn’t bad enough to convince me to skin up the road to the trailhead. The temperature was unseasonably cold for March. The wind stung our faces as we flew up the road. We parked the sled at the Heliotrope Ridge trailhead and killed the engine. Silence at last. Twilight was still hours away, and the night sky was filled with stars. I tossed on an extra jacket, clicked into my skis, and followed Lee and Jenni into the woods. Dawn broke as we ascended steep slopes above Grouse Creek. The conditions were phenomenal. The cold air dried out the recent storm snow and left us with perfect boot-top powder. We reached the top of Heliotrope Ridge by early morning, and half considered a 2,800-foot hot lap back into the basin. Alas, we decided to press on. We had a goal, and today was the day. We took turns cutting a skin track into the perfect canvas of the Coleman Glacier. It almost seemed shameful to disturb the billion-crystal blanket of snow that Mother Nature had worked so hard to create. We took extra care to round out our corners and work with the contours of the terrain, so our track – our signature upon an immaculate landscape – looked as if it belonged. We crested the Coleman-Deming saddle and continued up the Roman wall. Eventually the powder gave way to hardpack, blasted away by fierce southwest winds coming off the Pacific Ocean. We shouldered our skis and continued the last few hundred feet to the summit.

THE WATSON TRAVERSE: A BRIEF HISTORY

Seventy-five years ago, Dwight Watson pioneered the ski traverse that now bears his name. Starting from the Kulshan Cabin, he and his compatriots skied and climbed to the summit of Mt. Baker via the Coleman-Deming route. They descended the Park Glacier and continued skiing northeast

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2015

towards Heather Meadows. The traverse was a landmark accomplishment due to the difficulty of the skiing and the speedy itinerary. Watson’s traverse, along with his other accomplishments, helped to launch an era of skiing in the Cascades. Today, the Watson Traverse is a popular single-day objective given the appropriate snow and avalanche conditions. I like to think of it as a “skier’s traverse” because of the respectable skiing-to-walking ratio. The highlight of the route is undoubtedly skiing the Park Glacier, and if you’re lucky, the Park headwall. Visible from the ski area, the Park Glacier and headwall sing a seductive siren’s song, and it sounds like “4,000 feet of fresh powder.”

untracked, knee-deep powder. I hung out for a few minutes and watched them arc beautiful turns down the best part of the best line on Mt. Baker. “This is one of those days,” I thought. “Sometimes you just nail it.” Jenni and Lee found an easy crossing of the lower bergschrund and pulled off to wait for me. I released my ski edges and dropped the tips downhill. The snow felt good:

As I laid into the turn, the crossing failed catastrophically below me, and the massive bridge disappeared into the bowels of the mountain. But like any good siren, it holds a trap. The Park Glacier is separated from the headwall by two of the mountain’s largest bergschrunds. Big doesn’t begin to describe them; you can easily pick them out on Google Earth, which means you can see them from space. One can only imagine the depths to which such fractures dive. They are Mt. Baker’s Mines of Moria, haunting our dreams. You don’t have to ski the headwall. The Watson Traverse can be accomplished by descending moderate terrain via the Coxcomb ridge, but what fun would that be?

BACK ON THE HEADWALL

My heart leapt into my throat as the slope pulled away from me. “There it goes!” I yelled. The windslab broke at my feet, the crown line arcing across the face for a hundred yards. I took a deep breath and watched it run the length of the face below and cross the first bergschrund. Easing into the slope seemed to be the appropriate technique for the situation. Still, the headwall loomed huge before me. I contemplated the rope coiled neatly in the bottom of my pack. I opened the throttle a little and began making jump turns in excellent snow. The avalanche left a perfect surface for ski edges, and I milked it as best I could without getting too excited. I was still a long way up. After a few hundred feet I pulled off below a rock band, and gave the others a rebel yell. Jenni and Lee followed, both styling the headwall in their own way. We grouped up under the rocks and looked down upon the bergschrund. The bridge below us seemed OK, but it’s often difficult to tell. Lee dropped first. With the bergschrund rapidly approaching, he straightened out and hit the accelerator. The bridge held and he continued down into easier terrain. As the angle eased the snow got deeper and the skiing improved dramatically. We could tell from his whoops and yells. Jenni followed, and they both made excellent use of 1,000 feet of

soft and supportive. I laid into my first turn, lifted the skis up, and headed for my second. The bergschrund loomed. It was now or never. Either point it and shoot the bridge, or hit the brakes and call it off. The bridge had held two passings, but something in me twinged. I hit the brakes. As I laid into the turn, the crossing failed catastrophically below me, and the massive bridge disappeared into the bowels of the mountain. I sunk my edges. The pit reached up and pulled the slab of snow under my skis off the slope, swallowing it with its black jaws. I clung to the icy bed surface 50 feet above the abyss. My mouth opened, and expletives emerged. A minute passed. I caught my breath and leaned into the soft snow above my skis. My options were limited. The best bridge on the face had just failed. Jumping the hole was not an option. I worked my skis up off the bed surface and back into the powder. The fall-line descent was done. I cut a traverse to the far north side of the face and happily skied around the end of the crack.

LATER…

Jenni and I ran the sled shuttle back up Glacier Creek Road well past dark. The snow had melted several hundred yards up the road during the day. Spring was coming, and it made the ride back down turbulent. We were both exhausted by the time we got the machines loaded on the trailer. Later I would connect with a photographer who happened to snap a great photo of our descent. Looking at it, it’s easy to understand what draws us to such places. Our tracks are obvious and seem as though they belong on the mountain, except for my set headed way right. If adventure is what you seek, adventure is what you will find. Looking back on the Watson Traverse, it’s hard to derive any practical lessons. Why did the bridge fail? Should I have stopped? There are no answers. The Park Glacier simply lived up to its reputation.

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2015

merican Alpine Institute (AAI) guide and professional snowboarder Elizabeth “Liz” Daley was tragically killed in an avalanche in Patagonia in late September. Liz was well known in the skiing and guiding world. She was a sponsored athlete with Patagonia, Jones Snowboards, Julbo, Arcade Belt, Petzl, Karakoram and Eddie Bauer. She was known for completing high-end descents in the Alps and in the Andes, but while she spent a lot of time in Chamonix, France over the last few years, her home range was here in the North Cascades and in the Mt. Baker backcountry. Her high-end local descents included the first female splitboard descent of the Coleman Headwall on Mt. Baker, the northwest couloir on Mt. Shuksan, the north face of the Northwest Ridge on Mt. Adams, and the Kautz Headwall on Mt. Rainier. I first met Liz in the spring of 2012, when she came to AAI to begin a career in guiding. The first thing I noticed – and the first thing anyone noticed about her – was her smile. She was always smiling, because she was extremely happy with her lifestyle, who she was and her place in the world. The second thing I noticed – and the second thing anyone noticed about her – was that she wasn’t just always happy, she was always stoked. The weather didn’t matter. The conditions didn’t matter. Her client’s or partner’s abilities didn’t matter. She was “perma-stoked.” Liz’s exceptional attitude earned her a massive following. She regularly posted trip reports on Teton Gravity Research, made films for Epic TV, and had a huge fan base. She had countless friends including people from all walks of life on multiple continents. Her clients – those she led on splitboard and ski trips, as well as those she led on rock and mountaineering trips – adored her. In an interview with Snow Bunny Magazine, Liz was quoted as saying, “I love the feeling of accomplishment that climbing a mountain and shredding down gives me. It doesn’t get much better than bonding with friends in the mountains, having great conversations, telling jokes, sharing the experience and challenge with your homies and having beers at the end of the day. I think the mountains bring out the best in me and make me feel empowered in all other aspects of my life.” During one of AAI’s internal guide trainings, I had the opportunity to watch Liz splitboard. Her movement down a 40-plus-degree slope was so clean that watching from a distance, one might think the slope was no harder than a groomed in-bounds blue run.

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

She was a good climber, an excellent teacher and a great guide, but she was born to ride. The ability to shred a steep line was as central to her existence as breathing. People say they are skiers, or snowboarders, or climbers, but for most, skiing, snowboarding or climbing is just something they do; it’s not truly who they are. Without splitboarding, the Liz we knew wouldn’t exist. Her deep mountain experience, her athleticism and her identity as a splitboarder were at the core of her being. Late this summer, Liz came bounding into the AAI office, that signature smile painted permanently on her face. “My boyfriend finally asked me to marry him!” Understandably, she wanted to go back to Chamonix, France where he lived to be with him and to – I assume – start planning a wedding. She only had a short window to visit her fiancé before she was slated to do a photo shoot in Patagonia. So I said congratulations and goodbye, expecting to see her in late fall when she returned to the Northwest. The details of the accident that took Liz’s life are still scarce, but we do know she was descending Cerro Vespignani, a peak near the Argentinean town of El Chalten. Her longtime friends, skier Drew Tabke and snowboarder Chris Coulter accompanied her. The trip also included mountain guide Kent McBride, photographer Chris Figenshau, and filmmaker Nick Kalisz. It has been reported that the avalanche was skier triggered and Liz was washed into a crevasse. None of the other team members were injured. Two other professional skiers were killed in an unrelated avalanche on the same day that Liz died. Canadian JP Auclair and Swede Andreas Fransson died on a peak in the same range, but some miles away from Cerro Vespignani. The fact that two avalanches happened on the same day in the same region with so many mountain professionals involved indicates that something very unusual was going on in the snowpack. If there were indicators that something was wrong, nobody recognized them. As climbers and skiers we all know we are at risk whenever we are in the mountains. And we tell ourselves that it’s worth it; that the mountains make us who we are. Liz was an exceptional person with a huge heart, and the mountains were so much a part of her that she certainly wouldn’t have been who she was without them. But it’s not just the mountains and the risk that make the mountain athlete; it’s the relationships that are made there. Every person who ever shared a chairlift, a slope or a rope with Liz is better for having known her. She was a bright shining star, and we all miss her. We all miss her terribly.

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WINTER 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

JAPAN:

the cure for powder panic*

BY IAN FERGUSON PHOTOS BY GRANT GUNDERSON AND RENE CRAWSHAW

1 *Powder Panic (pou-der pan-ik): A feeling of anxiety among skiers and snowboarders brought on by the knowledge that their favorite runs and stashes will be tracked out by noon.

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2015

f you want to ski through powder up to your armpits every run, every day for a month straight, spend your next January in the mountains of Japan. That’s the conclusion of longtime Mt. Baker locals Grant Gunderson, Adam Ü and Rene Crawshaw. The term “Japanuary” was popularized in North American ski culture largely thanks to the imagery and reports of Gunderson, Ü and KC Deane, who have been going to Japan every January since 2007. Crawshaw was invited to join their annual trip last winter. “It was New Year’s Day and I got an email from Adam [Ü],” Crawshaw said. “I yelled across the room to my wife, ‘I’m going to Japan!’ and booked my ticket.” A week later, Crawshaw was exploring the mountains near Sapporo with four other guys, living out of a retrofitted Airstream owned by K2 Japan. For 25 days, Japanese mogul skier Tatsuya Tayagaki was their personal Japow guide. Now, Crawshaw is trying to make it possible to go back every year. Gunderson said addiction might be the one downside to taking a ski vacation in Japan. “The problem is, once you go, you’ll have to go back every year,” Gunderson said. Ü is hooked as well. “I hope to keep going back to Japan as much as possible for as long as possible,” he said. Here’s a look at Japanuary from their perspective.

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

2 1. “It’s the perfect tree skiing – all deciduous trees so you don’t have to worry about tree wells. Beautifully spaced, with nice canopies,” Crawshaw said. “The only thing you have to worry about is hitting the trees, because you can’t see anything when you’re in the white room all day.” 2. “Surprisingly few skiers go out of bounds in Japan,” Gunderson said. “They stick to the groomers, so there’s no rush to get the good snow before it gets tracked out.” 3. “The snow piles up along trees and creates pillows and ramps. It’s like a natural terrain park,” Crawshaw said. 4. “Word has gotten out about how good the skiing around Myoko and Hakuba is, and it’s partially our fault, but that’s what the locals wanted. We sat down with the tour-

ism boards when we first went there and explained that if we start talking about this there’s no stopping it. They were all for it,” Ü said.

5. “You don’t get a lot of temperature gradient layering in the snowpack, which makes it more stable,” Crawshaw said. “It’s also light and it settles quickly. We got three days of sunshine in 25 days, so in the backcountry we’d dig our pits and everything was really solid, settled down, and yeah, it was great.” 6. “Cold air masses come down from Siberia, pick up moisture over the Sea of Japan, and dump that moisture in Japan’s mountains,” Gunderson explained. “The best way to describe the snow is Utah quality, with better-than-northwest quantity. It’s the best of both worlds.” Photos: Grant Gunderson

3 4

WINTER 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

12 8

7. “Onsens, or natural hot springs, are everywhere. You ski down, take off your gear and you’re in.” Crawshaw said. A local macaque enjoys a good soak in the onsen. Gunderson photo. 8. “You would think five guys in an RV skiing everyday would start to smell, but man, when you’ve got hot springs every night, everybody smells like roses,” Crawshaw said. Rene Crawshaw photo. 9. “Some days it’s so deep and fluffy you don’t want to push on your edges or you’ll just bury yourself,” Crawshaw said. Gunderson photo. 10. “You go to the ski towns, and they party hard every night. Then boom, they’re all in bed at midnight, up at seven the next morning and ready to do it again. It took some getting used to,” Crawshaw said. Crawshaw photo.

11. “When we first went over there we got set up in the town of Myoko, which happened to be basically a Japanese version of Mt. Baker,” Gunderson said. “It doesn’t really have the quality of terrain that we have, but it probably gets double the snowfall, no question.” Gunderson photo. 12. “Near Sapporo, there’s no shortage of runs about the pitch of Gabl’s or Canuck’s Deluxe – 35 degrees with perfectly spaced trees,” Crawshaw said. “This was an easy tour to get to a 3,000 foot run right back to the RV.” Crawshaw photo. 13. “These avalanche barriers make the perfect man-made pillows. It’s popular to hit them now because of ski movies, so a lot of them say no skiing or snowboarding, but there are different highways where you can still hit them,” Crawshaw said. Gunderson photo. 14. “You’ll definitely be a fish out of water when you first step off the plane in Japan. Pro tip: If you just stand there and look completely lost, an English-speaking person will come up to you and help you find where you need to go,” Ü said. Gunderson photo. 15. KC Deane backflips off a pillow near Myoko. “A Baker skier would be right at home there,” Ü said. Gunderson photo.

WINTER 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2015

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2015

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PREVIOUS PAGE: Adam Roberts chases the sunset in the Mt. Baker backcountry, photo by Jason Hummel. CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER LEFT: Byron Bagwell keeps this spot secret with a mute grab through the trees, photo by Dylan Hart. The Twin Sisters Range viewed from a helicopter, photo by Carson Artac. Adam Roberts airs off a cornice in the North Cascades, photo by Rylan Schoen. Markus Eder gets dropped off by Chugach Powder Guides near Seward, Alaska, photo by Grant Gunderson. John Wells and Adam Roberts pause high on the Shuksan Arm to enjoy a sunset over Mt. Baker, photo by Jason Hummel. Nate Lind leaves his mark with a snowmobile on Grouse Ridge, photo by Pat Kennedy. WINTER 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

MOUNTAIN masters

A day in the life of the Baker Pro Patrol BY IAN FERGUSON PHOTO BY GRANT GUNDERSON

hen I wake up early on a powder day, the only thing that gets me out of bed before sunrise is the thought of lap upon lap of fresh snow. That and strong coffee get me rolling out the door, but from now on, this thought might help ease the pain of early mornings: by the time I leave Bellingham, the Mt. Baker Pro Patrol has already been at work for two hours. Here’s a typical day for the guys who make the ski area safe. 4:30 A.M. Andy Sahlfeld checks the weather bulletins and instruments and takes a look at the snowfall outside the pro patrol’s A-frame building near the Heather Meadows lodge at Mt. Baker Ski Area. The patrol A-frame (not to be confused with the medical A-frame) is where he and two other patrollers sleep weeknights, and where the crew meets and stores its gear. A foot of fresh snow has fallen since Sahlfeld went to sleep, and it was unseasonably cold overnight. He calls the main ski area office in Bellingham to relay his observations. He determines the plan for the day – the ski area will be open for mid-week shredders, and he and the crew need to prepare the mountain. Sahlfeld runs patrol operations midweek, and his counterpart Sam Llobet takes charge on weekends. Sahlfeld calls up the rest of the crew, most of whom live in Glacier and Maple Falls, and tells them when to be in the A-Frame for the morning meeting. The start time varies in accordance with the changing sunrise. “We try to get going up the chairlift just before dawn breaks, so we can start working trails as soon as there’s enough light,” Sahlfeld said. “We typically do our first runs with headlamps.” As he and the other two patrollers living in the A-frame wait for the crew to arrive and eat breakfast, they assemble and prepare the gear for the day. 6:15 A.M. Once the crew has eaten breakfast and gathered in the A-frame, Sahlfeld begins the morning meeting. He tells them what happened overnight, and brings everyone up to speed with the recent history of weather and snowpack in the area. Other patrollers share their observations. They check radios, don ski gear and shoulder their packs before heading out to the chairlift in darkness. 7 A.M. The last of the patrollers disembark Chair 1 as the sky begins to lighten, but the sun won’t rise over the shoulder of Mt. Shuksan for at least another hour. On this day, eight patrollers will cover the whole ski area. They split up to tackle the two sides of the hill – the Panorama Dome side and the Mt. Shuksan side. Run by run in teams of two, the patrollers mitigate avalanche danger with ski cuts, runs and other techniques to knock the snow down the mountain. The pop and rumble of snow slides wakes up some first-chair hopefuls sleeping in their vehicles in the Heather Meadows parking lot. While mitigating avalanche danger, the patrollers are also checking each run for other problems such as wind slab cornices and downed trees. They’re assessing tree-well hazards, setting up rope lines and generally getting the mountain in shape for the paying public. If patrol workers can’t create a slide on the edges of Gunner’s Bowl and the canyon, they

won’t open that terrain because they can’t be certain a slide won’t happen. The canyon is a massive terrain trap that would be seriously deadly in the event of an avalanche, Sahlfeld said. The run also takes a long time to fill in, so it tends to remain closed until later in the season. In addition to dealing with what goes on inside the ski area boundaries, Baker’s pro patrol has to consider certain backcountry zones with slide paths that could enter the ski area. Those areas include the Shuksan Arm and Hemispheres, both of which are outside the ski area’s permitted portion of the Mt. Baker - Snoqualmie National Forest. Once a week, patrollers profile the snow in those areas to see if they pose a significant threat. If they do, they coordinate with the U.S. Forest Service to do control work. 9 A.M. Everything has gone smoothly, and patrol was able to check and ski every run by the target time of 9 a.m., when the ski area is supposed to open. That isn’t always the case. “A lot of times, factors beyond our control will set us back,” Sahlfeld said. “A chair could have trouble starting or be frozen in place if it rained overnight and then got very cold. A snowcat could get stuck and need to be dug out. Any number of malfunctions could disrupt our routine.” Once the avalanche control work has been done for the day, Sahlfeld calls Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center to tell them the crew’s observations. Was there significant slab formation or gradient layering? Any natural avalanches on nearby slopes? Data from ski areas is extremely helpful for avalanche forecasting services. The first couple hours of operation is when most patrollers get in a few runs for themselves, and perhaps a second breakfast. It isn’t long before skiers and snowboarders start getting into trouble. 10:30 A.M. The first calls for help start coming in. “On busy days, we could be responding to accidents all day,” Sahlfeld said. Missing person reports are the most time consuming, and can be scary on a snowy day. “It could be as simple as a friend who went in to the lodge without telling anyone, or it could be someone stuck in a tree well,” Sahlfeld said. “It’s real nice when people answer their cell phones.” Pro patrollers also act as first responders for accidents that happen out of bounds - from backcountry avalanche burials to cars going off the road near White Salmon lodge. While increased backcountry use has increased the pro patrol’s workload in some respects, Sahlfeld said he’s noticed the benefits of a more educated backcountry user group in recent years. “They help lost people get back to the ski area from time to time,” Sahlfeld said. 3 P.M. Volunteer patrol members begin their intermittent yells of “Ski area’s closing!” and pro patrollers make the final sweeps. At the end of the day, patrollers gather in the A-frame to share their aid reports and maybe a few beers. Those who live in Glacier and Maple Falls eventually head home, but Andy and two other patrollers man the fort and get ready for another snowy day on skis. The storm cycle continues.

AT HOME with Zack Giffin

s a professional skier, Zack Giffin is known for an extensive knowledge of Mt. Baker’s backcountry skiing and pillow zones. Splitting time between the Mt. Baker parking lot, Glacier and his family’s home on Lummi Island, he bleeds Cascadian spirit, especially for a guy from Colorado. After three years of living and traveling around the Pacific Northwest in the Outdoor Research tiny house (which he built) he recently launched a career as a television co-host and starring carpenter for the FYI Network’s “Tiny House Nation.” Featured everywhere from The New York Times to Good Morning America, the world has now been introduced to a new Zack Giffin: the enthusiastic pro skier who handles a knowledge of carpentry and tiny dwellings just as well as his powder-caked skis.

PRO SKIER, CARPENTER AND STAR OF FYI NETWORK’S TINY HOUSE NATION STORY BY MOLLY BAKER PHOTOS BY RE WIKSTROM

competitive edge. MOLLY: Why tiny houses? ZACK: The tiny house movement revolves around environmentalism on many levels. As a culture we tend to focus on transportation when it comes to sustainability, but the reality is our living situations are just as much of an issue from the building, heating, cooling and endless filling of our big homes. These are the reasons why my involvement in tiny houses is worthwhile. I’ll definitely be skiing a lot less this season because of the show, but the sacrifice is worth it because of the rarity of a mainstream media outlet that provides coverage of environmental issues. It starts a conversation about limiting excess. It might not be skiing at Mt. Baker, but it’s exactly what I like to do, which is plugging away on cre-

MOLLY: What will you miss most about being based in the Bellingham area? ZACK: Ask me in the middle of the winter when it’s snowing – I’ll definitely only be able to think about skiing. But overall, what I’ll miss the most is living out of my own tiny house and having that feeling of place and people. And the mountain biking too; whenever I get back I always visit with my family and then either ski or mountain bike. The mountains are why I live here. MOLLY: Do you have any plans for your own tiny home to permanently reside in Washington? ZACK: Yes. Anyone have the perfect piece of land for sale in Glacier?

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transitions from the world of skiing to working as a co-host on “Tiny House Nation”? ZACK: There are many parallels between the two worlds, like constant travel, waking up early and not having a consistent home life. Now, I am just waking up early to build tiny houses and work with a television crew instead of for powder turns. Being a skier is much like the life of an entrepreneur, with the business side of things, like negotiating contracts, and most of your work being largely self-motivated. Having pushed myself in the mountains, I know what a long, hard day feels like and I can bring those lessons to television work. I understand that if I want to flourish I have to make a similar effort to what I would put into a pre-sunrise to post-sundown day in the mountains. The training from my life in the mountains has definitely given me a

ative projects. MOLLY: Do you think living near the Cascades and within that community provides unique opportunities and ideas for lifestyle changes? ZACK: You can’t help but be a nature lover here. The level of beauty is just so inspiring. People in this area are aware of the amazing landscape around them and consequently how they want to protect those places. It’s easy to see what you would lose without conservation because it’s right there in your everyday life. When we talk about glaciers melting, people at Mt. Baker can see that. This has led to a conservation culture that harbors strong values in sustainability. Being sensitive to how you contribute to the detriment of the Earth isn’t a fringe value in the Northwest, it’s a mainstream attitude. That’s unique in the U.S. and it’s what I love about the place so much.

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t’s early October as I write this, and in the last two weeks there have been five skiers and boarders killed in avalanches in South America and the Himalaya. I’ve been working in the avalanche world on and off for 20 years, and when someone dies in an avalanche we stand up and take note. When multiple people die in several avalanches over a short time period we lose sleep at night. We try to figure out what went wrong and how to improve. In this recent thought process I decided to come up with some not-so-standard avalanche and backcountry safety tips for those who hit the backcountry near Mt. Baker Ski Area. You have heard some of these and others you have not. Hopefully you’ll find some value in them.

1. EXPERT SKIERS AND BOARDERS ARE OFTEN NOT EXPERT AVALANCHE RESCUERS. Do the math. How much time have you spent riding on

snow versus practicing with your rescue equipment? For someone who’s in the backcountry 20 days a year it’s about one hour of practice at best. Annually. But here’s the deal: no avalanche rescue is ever the same. You can’t practice enough with your safety equipment, and you’ll learn something new every time you practice.

2. TRY TO HAVE SOMEONE IN YOUR GROUP WHO HAS SOUND BACKCOUNTRY EXPERIENCE and who will be confident and firm in giving orders

and commands. This is someone who will save lives if something goes wrong. It can be tough to pinpoint this person and even tougher to volunteer to be this person without seeming like a dork. Just do it. 3. SMOKING POT. Nobody wants to talk about this, but here’s what I suggest: if you’re a backcountry burner you need to have a conversation with yourself and ask, “Will this hinder or enhance my performance in an avalanche rescue and/or in my ability to make good decisions?” 4. STAY WITH YOUR PARTNERS on the up track even if they are slower than you. If they can’t see you and you can’t see them, how do you help each other if something goes wrong? How will you communicate? Space out appropriately for the terrain, of course. If you don’t know about that then it’s probably a good

idea to take an avalanche class. Actually, it’s always a good idea to take an avalanche awareness course. 5. PICK YOUR PARTNERS WISELY. Are they skilled in choosing appropriate terrain for the current conditions? Are they skilled at using their rescue equipment? 6. KNOW WHERE THE KEYS TO THE CAR ARE, especially if you didn’t drive. For those who use snowmobiles and tow others or ride double to access ski terrain, it’s important that everyone knows how to start a sled, ride it and get out of the terrain. 7. CHECK IN WITH EACH OTHER while traveling in the backcountry. A simple “How you guys feeling?” goes a long way. Never assume everyone is comfortable. Maybe some super rad backcountry woman brought her not-sosuper-rad boyfriend from Brooklyn along and the dude is scared to death and would rather be playing Xbox in the city. 8. IF YOU SENSE SOMETHING IS WRONG, SPEAK UP. If you’re uncomfortable with the terrain or the decisions being made in your group, say something. This can be difficult to pull off and I’ve never understood why. Become a master of your instinct and verbalize if necessary. 9. BE AWARE OF GROUPS TRAVELING ABOVE AND BELOW YOU. It’s always a bummer when you’re at the top of something and ready to drop when a group is still traveling below you. The best technique I’ve come up with is yelling, “Hey! Are you guys cool if I ski?” But you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t at that point. The solution as far as I can tell is to travel a little farther than the popular shots and then this becomes less of a problem. It’s amazing what a little more effort can bring. 10. DON’T BE AFRAID TO TURN AROUND or go somewhere safer. Always trust yourself. 11. IF YOU THINK YOU NEED TO LEARN MORE about the backcountry terrain near Mt. Baker and how to stay safe, check out this link and sign up for a course: mtbaker.us/mtn-safety/. The American Alpine Institute also offers avalanche courses.

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ased in Vernon, B.C., Skevik has been handcrafting insanely nice skis since 2008, when brothers Glenn and Gregg Anderson launched the business out of their parents’ garage with help from the Faculty of Engineering at University of Victoria. It’s still a young company with only three employees, but Skevik is already light years ahead of many of its competitors in terms of ski design. A handmade approach, top-tier materials and the powder-skiing credibility that comes from growing up on the slopes of Silver Star Mountain in the Okanagan gives them a definite edge. All of Skevik’s cores are maple, a durable, rugged hardwood that is both abundant in and a symbol of Canada. The uncovered sidewalls are coated with a linseed oil/mineral spirit mixture, which the Andersons borrowed from a surfboard builder. The finish leaves the grain of the maple cores exposed. It’s a decidedly old school approach that makes the skis unique, and it’s still holding up nicely on six-yearold models. “We wanted to keep it simple and maintain a beautiful look. It definitely stands out in the lift lines. Our customers have been happy with the durability, so we’ve stuck with it,” Glenn Anderson said. The sidewalls may be old school, but Skevik doesn’t shy away from modern materials and construction. Their skis incorporate triaxial fiberglass, premium chip-resistant nylon topsheets and carbon stringers, all of which adds up to light, strong skis. “A lot of companies will use flimsy carbon stringers just to say they use carbon in their skis. We’re using a hefty carbon that definitely adds to the stiffness while keeping the weight down,” Anderson said. Last year, Skevik introduced the Loken, a stable ski with long, mellow early rise and flat tails for ripping big lines, in 116 and 106 models. That ski has been getting rave reviews from testers such as Catskiing.ca, but Glenn said his favorite model is still the first one they built – the Anton. “It’s wider, a little more playful and easier to slash around in the trees,” Anderson said. The Anton was originally a regular-camber powder ski, 122 mm underfoot. It has since evolved to gain early rise in the tip and tail. There are other skis in the lineup, all with graphics designed by local artists, and all made by hand in the Skevik shop. For more information, check out skevikskis.com.

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TRAINING for snow How to avoid season-ending injuries

he time has come to transition from hiking and biking to strapping boards on our feet and hitting the snowy slopes! Exciting as this time of year is, it also presents many opportunities for injuries. Proper training is a good way to minimize those risks. One of the main principles of training is specificity – if you ski, the best way for your body to adapt is by skiing. Unfortunately, you can’t ski or snowboard until the snow falls. Nonetheless, most of us hit the slopes hard as soon as the mountain is covered. When the time comes, it’s important to break our bodies in gradually and remember that we are applying stresses we have not experienced since last season. These simple training exercises are applicable to all hu-

STORY AND PHOTOS BY AMANDA NAYFIELD

man-powered snow sports, including Nordic skiing, telemark skiing and snowshoeing as well as snowboarding and alpine skiing. Here are some key concepts to understand when training for winter sports: 1. We must train for power (thigh-deep powder), stability (variable/bumpy terrain), and endurance (catching first and last chair), so varying the intensity and type of your workouts is important. 2. Doing the exercises precisely with control and ideal alignment is key. 3. Injuries are most likely to occur when your muscles are too tired to stabilize your joints/body. If you are getting tired, take a break and eat a snack. Staying hydrated is also extremely important for tissue health.

1. ENDURANCE DECLINE SQUATS Benefits: This exercise focuses on knee control and endurance. Motion: Squat while standing on a stable, sloped surface. Hinge at hips and slightly drop chest forward (like you are about to sit in a chair) to make sure your hips/glutes are engaged. Slowly lower down, keeping your knee in line with your middle toe and don’t let your knee go over your toes. Keep your bodyweight over your ankle. Duration: Three sets slowly and with good control until fatigue (fatigue means you are unable to continue with good form – this is usually around 15-20 reps). Progression: Start with double-leg decline squats and progress to single leg decline squats.

2. JUMP SQUATS Benefits: Jump squats build explosive power in your lower body. Motion: Again, think about sitting back in a chair when you lower down, then quickly jump as high as you can. Land softly with your knees slightly bent and your glutes active for shock absorption. Repeat rapidly while still maintaining excellent form and knee control. It can help to do this in front of a mirror to make sure your knee does not collapse to the inside. Make sure your glutes are driving the power instead of your quads. Duration: Two to three set of 20 reps. For lower impact, do air squats (fast squats with no jumping). Progression: Add weight by holding a medicine ball as your strength and power improve. Add height by jumping onto a stable platform.

3. SIDE HOPS Benefits: This exercise improves medial and lateral knee and hip stability. Motion: Jump sideways back and forth over tape or lines on the ground. This exercise focuses on stability in the lateral plane. Again, the focus should be on maintaining knee alignment over your middle toe and landing with “soft” knees every time. Duration: Four sets of 12 hops in each direction or three to four reps of 45-60 seconds. Progression: Increase the height of the obstacle you are jumping over as your strength and power improve. Start on two feet, and progress to jumping and landing on one foot.

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4. BACKWARD LUNGE WITH TRUNK ROTATION Benefits: This exercise works your glutes, quads and obliques while improving stability and muscle coordination. Motion: As you lunge backward, slowly rotate your trunk toward your forward leg, keeping your abdominal muscles drawn inward. You should feel the hip flexors of your back leg stretching and the glutes of your front leg working to stabilize your knee/hip. Engage your glutes to push yourself back into a standing position. Make sure your knee is aligned with the middle toe and does not move in front of your toes. Duration: Three sets of 12-15 reps. Progression: Hold a medicine ball or weights once you feel strong enough.

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5. PLANKS Benefits: The plank is a great full-body exercise. Front planks: Lie face-down on the floor, lift yourself up onto your forearms and toes and hold. Keep shoulders over elbows, pelvis in line with spine and abdominals engaged. Duration: Two reps of 60 seconds. Side planks: Lie on one side, keeping your legs straight. Raise yourself up on your elbow and forearm and lift your hips so your body forms a straight line. Keep shoulders over your elbow and pelvis stacked (don’t rotate forward or backward). Duration: Two reps of 30 seconds for each side. Do your best to prepare your body for the challenge and fun of skiing and snowboarding, but feel free to contact me at CorePhysio in Bellingham or another local physical therapist if you need more guidance on injury prevention or recovery. Happy skiing and snowboarding!

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Wheels • Alignments • Brakes • Shocks • Lube • Oil & Filter • Exhaust Tire Balancing & Rotation • Front End Parts & Service • Since 1954

Bailey’s Tire Service, Inc.

101 W. Main • Everson, WA • (360) 966-3161

2015 Ford Escape 4WD 4dr SE

Go where you want to go and have fun getting there!

What’s Important is You

2013

Office (360) 647-6432 Cell (360) 319-0695 Visit properties at JohnLScott.com/MartyK

Is Your Windshield Chipped or Cracked? Your safety is our concern.

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Lynden

Family Owned and Operated Since 1929!

Mt. Vernon

Windshield Replacement Rock Chip Repairs 1512 N. State St. • 360-734-3840 407 19th St. • 360-354-3232 1721 E. College Way • 360-424-9759 Side & Back Glass Replacement Family Owned and Operated Since 1929! Free Loaner Cars Free Pick up & Delivery

www.LouisAutoGlass.com Windshield Replacement Rock Chip Repairs Dinner on Us Side & Glass Replacement withBack every windshield purchased and installed. Cars Free Pick up & Delivery Bellingham Lynden Free Loaner Mt. Vernon 1512 N. State St.

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• Intercooled Turbo I-4 2.0 L/122 • 6-Speed Automatic w/OD • 4WD, Sport Utility 1820 James St. • Bellingham I-5 Exit 254

To Our Canadian Friends

2011 Large Business of the Year

Stock #5FT1057 VIN# 1FMCU9G99FUA18195

DIEHL 360-392-7000 • 800-628-9331 FOrD • LIncOLn

QuaLity saLes anD service to our customers since 1908

www.DiehlFord.com • www.DiehlLincoln.com WINTER 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

Going for

GOLD STORY AND PHOTOS BY PAT GRUBB

Take a mid-winter sun break.

e PNW’ers who play up in the mountains with the gods have a more heavenly view of the weather than our sea-level brethren who bitch and moan about the rain battering against the windows. We smile inwardly and think, “Yeah, but there’s it’s dumping on Canuck’s Deluxe and Hemispheres.” Still, if 89 straight days of gray winter monsoons get us down, we know what to do – head south to Mexico. Like Hernán Cortés and his murderous conquistador crew, we seek gold. Golden sunshine, that is. My wife and I find it in Sayulita, a small fishing and surfing village on the Pacific Ocean about 30 miles north of Puerto Vallarta. With its palm trees, cobblestone streets and consistent surf break, it’s the perfect place to chill out. Once we dry out, we dive into the warm waters and start playing again. Located 26 miles (38 kilometers) from the Puerto Vallarta (PV) airport, this little fishing and surfing town is reminiscent of the PV of 20 years ago. Street-side food stands, surf shops and art and craft stores dot the downtown area, but the beach remains the focal point for most visitors. Sayulita is a mecca for surfers looking for consistent waves, and you’ll see them on the water until nightfall. Typically, the waves are small enough that beginners can get up, but the occasional Pacific Ocean disturbance will bring waves much taller than normal heights. Surf lessons are available at your convenience at any number of surf shops. Sayulita is also a great place for family vacations. Not only is the town safe, there’s also a lot for kids to do and not much trouble to get into. Christmas and Easter are big holidays in Mexico, and families from Guadalajara and elsewhere flock to town to celebrate. During other times, norteamericano visitors are more common, but out-of-town nationals ensure Sayulita remains an authentic Mexican experience. As for the locals, on our last trip, two surfers from Colorado commented on how friendly the people were and compared it to a recent trip to Hawaii. “There’s no Aloha in Hawaii, anymore,” they said. Not interested in surfing? How about riding horses, hiking, standup paddle boarding, snorkeling or scuba diving, fishing, mountain biking, whale watching or touring a jungle canopy? Visitors have plenty of tour and rental places in town to choose from and prices are very

PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 43

Custom built Tiny Homes Because sometimes smaller is better 604.839.0517 tinylivinghomes@gmail.com www.tinylivinghomes.com

Family owned and operated

SINCE 1947

Lynden • Ferndale 360-354-4471

Proudly Serving Whatcom, Skagit, Island and Snohomish Counties

Mount Vernon 360-424-4471

John E Tack Construction General Contractor New Construction • Additions Remodels • Repairs

(360) 410-6235

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WANTED We need vacation homes!

Build your own home on beautiful property in Blaine.

Over 600 homes built through our Federal program. If you have limited income and can give 35 hours per week toward building your home in a group setting, please call us at

Glacier and Maple Falls homeowners: are you looking for ways to off-set the debt service on your 2nd home? Consider placing your vacation property in the Mt. Baker Lodging vacation rental program.

Mt. Baker Lodging offers a full-service “turn-key” program that combines extensive marketing with reservation procurement and professional housekeeping services, providing you with hassle-free rental income that assists in reducing the debt service associated with owning and maintaining a second home. Our Clients enjoy peace-of-mind while working with the Mt. Baker area’s oldest, largest and most established vacation rental agency. Mt. Baker Lodging provides friendly and knowledgeable personnel in a fully staffed local area office, utilizing a direct hands-on approach to managing the properties that we represent. Our Clients also have the flexibility of utilizing their homes for personal use between rental occasions. It’s a win/win!

Call 360-599-2453 x113

360-398-0223

Mt. Baker Lodging, Inc. 7463 Mt. Baker Highway Maple Falls WA 98266-2002

Whatcom Skagit Housing

www.mtbakerlodging.com reservations @ mtbakerlodging.com

or visit us at www.whatcomskagithousing.com

WINTER 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

Events - find more events and submit your own at mountbakerexperience.com NOVEMBER

tions you might have about backcountry skiing. More info: events.mec.ca

WARREN MILLER’S NO TURNING BACK:

MBC THANKSGIVING POTLUCK: No-

November 14, Bellingham. Don’t miss Warren Miller’s 65th ski film featuring elite athletes in remote locations around the world. Showing at Mount Baker Theatre. More info: mountbakertheatre.com

vember 22, Bellingham. Join the Mount Baker Club at WECU's Educational Center, 511 E. Holly Street. The Club will provide ham and/or turkey, and tea and coffee. Please bring a side dish to share and your own place settings. More info: mountbakerclub.org

MBC RAPTOR RIDGE HIKE: November

15, Chuckanut. A short, steep, winding climb through wetlands and craggy rock outcrops to a sweet view. More info: mountbakerclub.org 17, Bellingham. Learn how to take care of your skis/board to help you have a great time on the slopes. More info: rei.com/ stores/bellingham

18, Vancouver. Learn to wax Nordic skis with MEC. More info: events.mec.ca

MBC NORTH LAKE WHATCOM HIKE:

CHEESE AND GIFT FEST: November 22,

GUNNER SHAW MEMORIAL XC RACE:

JANUARY

Throughout December, Bellingham. A six-week festival of over 100 local artists, craftspeople and musicians. More info: alliedarts.org

troductory lecture hosted by the Alpine Club of Canada that explains some ques-

December 6, Vancouver. Classic Vancouver running race with a challenging course and warm after party. More info: lgrr.com/gshaw

HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE: December 7, Mountainside Gardens Gallery, Maple Falls. Locally crafted art and gifts, more than 80 artists and vendors. (6900 Mt. Baker Hwy., Mile Post 24.) More info: mountainsidegardens.com LUCAS HICKS: December 7, Il Caffe Ri-

EXPO

Recreation Northwest

Your #1 Resource for Local and Regional Recreation Opportunities to Enjoy a Fun and Healthy New Year! e Free Fre he t o to t bthe lic Pu Public

fugio, 5415 Mt. Baker Hwy, Deming. For more info: ilcafferifugio.com

XC SKI BASICS WITH REI: December 10, Bellingham. Free your heel and your mind will follow. Join REI as they share information and tips for getting into cross-country skiing. More info: rei.com/ stores/bellingham THE MCHUGH BOYS: December 12, Il

Caffe Rifugio, 5415 Mt. Baker Hwy, Deming. For more info: ilcafferifugio.com

PRETTY FACES: December 12 & 13, 7:30

Thursday, March 12th 4:00pm - 8:00pm

Featured Speakers @ 7:00pm Krissy Moehl/Life in Motion: TRAVEL. EXPLORE. RUN. EAT. LIVE. Christian Martin and William Dietrich/Authors: The North Cascades-Finding Beauty and Renewal in the Wild Nearby Meet Face to face with Health Professionals, Nutrition Experts, Local Gyms, Personal Trainers, Bike Shops, Running Stores, Gear Outfitters, Outdoor Media, Outdoor Activity Clubs, Stewardship Organizations and Local Race Organizers. See the full list at RecreationNorthwest.org Sign-up online or onsite to win great DOOR PRIZES! Our Sponsors & Partners Best Western Plus Lakeway Inn, Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism, Sustainable Connections, Mount Baker Experience, KISM, Adventures NW Magazine, Port of Bellingham, Village Books, Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce and Brownlie, Evans, Wolf and Lee. Recreation Northwest.org

Coupeville. Coupeville’s annual 5k run and walk through scenic Camp Casey and Fort Casey State Park. More info: jingletrailrun.com

NORDIC SKI WAXING 101: December

Chuckanut. Join Mount Baker Club on a 6.5 mile hike up Oyster Dome. More info: mountbakerclub.org.

HOLIDAY FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS:

BACKCOUNTRY SKI TRAINING WITH ACC: November 20, Vancouver. Free in-

5K: December 6,

MBC OYSTER DOME HIKE: December 6,

DECEMBER

November 19, Bellingham. Learn how to plan, stay warm, select winter appropriate gear and what to expect when winter camping. More info: rei.com/stores/Bellingham

TRAIL

vember 22, Oak Harbor. A new venue for the Cascade Cross series, at Fort Nugent Park on Whidbey Island. More info: cascadecross.com Van Zandt. Yummy tasting and more at Everybody’s Store. More info: everybodys.com

WINTER CAMPING BASICS WITH REI:

JINGLE

DECEPTION PASS DASH: December 14, Whidbey Island. Kayak and SUP paddle through the swirling current of Deception Pass. More info: outdooradventurecenter. com/adventure

December 20, Lake Whatcom. This 6.5 mile round trip, out and back trail along the eastern shore of Lake Whatcom is a great place to stretch your legs and escape the stresses of the holiday season. More info: mountbakerclub.org

THANKS GIVEN-ER CYCLOCROSS: No-

WAXING BASICS WITH REI: November

AVALANCHE SKILLS TRAINING PLUS:

December 4, Vancouver. MEC’s 2.5 day AST-1 PLUS Avalanche Skills course is one of the most comprehensive AST-1 courses available for skiers and snowboarders. More info: events.mec.ca

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2015

p.m, Chair9, Glacier. The story of a skier girl, a film by Lynsey Dyer. Tickets for Friday night through brownpapertickets. com. For more info: 360/599-2511

ZOMBIE XMAS CROSS: December 13,

Lake Samish. Cascade Cross’ annual holiday cyclocross race is now a costume race with the theme of Zombie Christmas. More info: cascadecross.com

PHOTOS WITH SANTA: December 13, 1-4 p.m. Acme General Store, Acme. PHOTOS WITH SANTA: December 13 & 14. Mt. Baker Ski Area.

BAKER BEACON RALLY: December 13,

Mt. Baker Ski Area. Mt. Baker Education Center and a sluff-load of avalanche educators invite you to a free Backcountry Education Day at Mt Baker. Will there be free bacon? More info: mtbaker.us/events

POLAR BEAR PLUNGE: January 1, Birch Bay. Ring in the new year with a frigid plunge into the Salish Sea. More info: birchbaychamber.com

ADVANCED AVALANCHE SAFETY: Janu-

ary 3, Vancouver. Four-day Level 2 course with highly experienced MEC instructors. More info: events.mec.ca

WOOLLEY

CROSS: January 10, Sedro-Woolley. Cyclocross race at Northern State Recreation Area. More info: cascadecross.com NORDIC SKI TRIP TO MANNING PARK:

January 16, Manning Park, B.C. Join Nooksack Nordic Ski Club on a three-day trip. More info: nooksack nordicskiclub. org

INTRO TO WEEKEND SKI TOURING:

January 17, Vancouver. This exciting weekend trip with MEC is an ideal introduction to overnight backcountry ski touring. More info: events.mec.ca

BANDIT CROSS: January 31, Bellingham. A cold, excellent cyclocross race. More info: cascadecross.com

FEBRUARY AVALANCHE SKILLS TRAINING – 1:

February 7, North Vancouver. Learn Level I avalanche safety for skiers and boarders over a two-day course at Mt. Seymour with MEC. More info: events.mec.ca

SNOW CAMPING AND IGLOO BUILDING: February 7, Vancouver. Fun introduction to winter snow camping with MEC. More info: events.mec.ca

LEGENDARY BANKED SLALOM: February 19, 20, 21, 22. Mt. Baker Ski Area. More info: lbs.mtbaker.us

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

DECEMBER 13: MT. BAKER SKI AREA: Join Mt. Baker Education Center and a sluff-load of avalanche educators for a free backcountry education day. Practice searching for buried avalanche beacons on a course just uphill from Heather Meadows Lodge, and race to win sweet prizes. There will be bacon. More info: mtbaker.us

PHOTO\PAT KENNEDY

2014 Baker BEACON RALLY

22nd Annual

Bridal Inspirations Wedding Expo January 4, 2015 Join us as you prepare for your wedding! • Over 50 wedding vendors • The area's largest fashion show at 4 pm • Sample wedding cake & hors d'oevres • Win fantastic prizes before the fashion show

Sunday, January 4, 2015 • 10–5 pm Best Western Lakeway Inn 714 Lakeway Drive, Bellingham, WA To register, purchase tickets or get more information, visit www.bridalinspirationsexpo.com or call 360-733-2563

DEC. 12 & 13 • GLACIER WA Chair9 - 7:30PM 10459 Mt. Baker Hwy.

Tickets for Friday night show at brownpapertickets.com

Sponsored by:

WINTER 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

Where to Eat ACME/VAN ZANDT ACME DINER

2045 Valley Highway (Hwy 9) 360/595-0150 acme-diner.com This ’50s-style diner’s friendly staff is ready to serve you great home-cooked food; fresh ground hamburgers, daily dinner specials, gluten free meals, pizza, espresso, homemade desserts and Acme ice cream. Open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

BLUE MOUNTAIN GRILL

974 Valley Highway (Hwy 9) 360/595-2200 bluemountaingrill.com Fresh, homemade fare, including baked bread and desserts made daily, steaks and burgers. Open for lunch and dinner everyday, and breakfast on weekends. Enjoy a beautiful view of the Twin Sisters.

ANACORTES 13MOONS AT SWINOMISH CASINO & LODGE

12885 Casino Drive 360/588-3600 swinomishcasinoandlodge.com 13moons captures the warmth of a lodge atmosphere combined with the unsurpassed flavors of hand-cut Alder wood grilled seafood, meats and the freshest flavors of the Northwest.

BELLINGHAM BELLEWOOD ACRES

6140 Guide Meridian, Lynden 360/318-7720 bellewoodfarms.com Visit the farm, country store, bistro and distillery for artisan food products and Northwest gifts. Fall begins with 20 varieties of apples, pears, fresh cider, pumpkins and more. Visit the website for a full list of family activities.

BELLINGHAM BAR & GRILL

1408 Cornwall Avenue 360/733-2579 bellinghambarandgrill.com Whatcom County’s oldest bar and grill, serving steaks, burgers, seafood and appetizers. Full bar. Happy hour 4–7 p.m. daily. Sports entertainment, two shuffleboard tables and seven pool tables. Monday night karaoke.

BOUNDARY BAY BREWERY & BISTRO

1107 Railroad Avenue 360/647-5593 bbaybrewery.com In business since 1995, catering to locals and out-of-towners alike. Ten house brews on tap paired with a menu of fresh Northwest locally sourced pub food. Family-friendly establishment with daily live entertainment. “Save the ales!”

CHUCKANUT BREWERY & KITCHEN

601 W. Holly Street 360/752-3377 chuckanutbreweryandkitchen.com Enjoy world-class European-style awardwinning lagers and ales, and a local-centric menu of fresh American cuisine including woodstone pizzas, burgers, seafood, salads and more. All ages welcome every day starting at 11:30 a.m.

KEENAN’S AT THE PIER INSIDE THE CHRYSALIS INN & SPA

2238 James Street 360/389-5348 kulshanbrewery.com Enjoy great beer in a comfortable taproom with a view of the brewery. Bring in your own food or order from onsite food trucks at this neighborhood gem.

LORENZO’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT

190 E. Bakerview Road 360/527-3181 lorenzosmexicanrestaurant.com Arouse your taste buds to the best Mexican food around. Offering a variety of house specialties, combination plates and classic Mexican favorites that are sure to excite your family. Locations in Bellingham, Mount Vernon and Sedro-Woolley.

THE LOBBY BAR

714 Lakeway Drive 360/671-1011 thelakewayinn.com Bellingham’s hidden gem located inside Best Western Plus Lakeway Inn. Home to Bellingham’s best breakfast for the crab benedict. Northwest specialties for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Expansive wine selection and water wall seating.

POPPES 360 NEIGHBORHOOD PUB

714 Lakeway Drive 360/671-1011 bellinghamrestaurant.com Voted home to Northwest’s Best Cocktail. Enjoy Northwest fare for lunch, dinner, appetizers and dessert. Happy Hour every day; 12 taps, specialty martinis, nightly entertainment. Year-round covered and heated patio with three fire pits.

WESTSIDE PIZZA

7260 Cordata Parkway, Suite 107 360/756-5055 Pizza made with only the best ingredients available, and dough made fresh every day. The perfect place to stop after a long, hungry day of adventuring.

BLAINE PACKERS OYSTER BAR AT SEMIAHMOO RESORT

9565 Semiahmoo Parkway 360/318-2000 semiahmoo.com/packers-oyster-bar Visit Packers for the ultimate in an indulgent dining experience. Your taste buds will be delighted by fresh farm-to-table cuisine. From light brunches to expertly crafted dinners. Come in, relax and let the culinary journey begin.

PIERSIDE KITCHEN AT SEMIAHMOO RESORT

trainwreck.com A fun, casual and inviting place to get a beer, wine, cocktail or quick and delicious meal. Serving customers ages 21 and over locally sourced products with a smile and gourmet flair.

CONCRETE 5B’S BAKERY

45597 Main Street 360/853-8700 5bsbakery.com Skagit County’s premier bakeshop serving home-style breads as well as a full array of fresh baked goods and classic American desserts. Dedicated gluten free. Great food for everyone. Open 7 a.m.–5 p.m. Closed Tuesdays.

ANNIE’S PIZZA STATION

44568 State Route 20 360/853-7227 anniespizzastation.com Family-owned pizza restaurant focusing on fresh, homemade, quality Italian fare. Friendly service, helpful information and great food combine for an unforgettable experience.

DEMING IL CAFFE RIFUGIO RESTORANTE

5415 Mt. Baker Highway 360/592-2888 ilcafferifugio.com Gourmet full-service menu, serving wine, beer and espresso at reasonable prices. 8 a.m.– 8 p.m. Thursday – Sunday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 15 minutes from Bellingham. New driveup bar. Live music and events. Last stop for WiFi.

THE NORTH FORK BREWERY AND BEER SHRINE

6186 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2337 northforkbrewery.com Looking for marriage or a pint of fresh ale and hand-tossed pizza? Our Pizzeria, Brewery, Wedding Chapel and Beer Museum is your place! Open to all. Monday-Friday: Dinner, Saturday– Sunday: Lunch and dinner.

EVERSON HERB NIEMANN’S STEAK HOUSE RESTAURANT

203 W. Main Street 360/966-2855 eversonsteakhouse.com Nestled in the middle of Everson, serving a mouth-watering array of steaks, Bavarian specialties, seafood and desserts to customers since 1993. Offers atmospheres for adults and families alike, including parties up to 50.

GLACIER CHAIR 9 WOODSTONE PIZZA AND BAR

10459 Mt Baker Highway 360/599-2511 chair9.com The perfect place to enjoy a great family meal or a brew after a day on the mountain. Bands play weekends, and the space offers plenty of dancing room. Try the “Canuck’s Deluxe” pizza, a staff favorite. Open for lunch and dinner. Dine in or take out.

GRAHAM’S RESTAURANT

9989 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-9883 Reopening soon! Grab a stool at the legendary bar and enjoy rotating selections of fine craft beers, ciders and wine. Weekend breakfasts. New menu specials – appetizers, sandwiches and dinner.

MILANO’S RESTAURANT

9990 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2863 milanosglacier.com Offering fresh pasta dishes with local seafood and produce, plus a diverse selection of desserts. Milano’s is a Northwest staple in its 24th year of operation.

MOUNTAIN ACRES

9935 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-9378 We are a food cart in Glacier offering delicious, from-scratch food. Our focus is to provide quality organic and local products served on our freshbaked bread.

WAKE-N-BAKERY

6903 Bourne Street 360/599-1658 getsconed.com Open daily 7:30 a.m. to 5ish p.m. Serving breakfast burritos, quiche, soup, lunch wraps and freshly baked goods. Savory and sweet gluten-free options. Organic espresso and coffee. Indoor and outdoor seating. Dine in or take out.

WHIDBEY ISLAND FLYERS RESTAURANT AND BREWERY

32295 State Route 20, Oak Harbor 360/675-5858 eatatflyers.com Voted the best of Whidbey 2014. Lunch and dinner daily, happy hour every day, 2–6 p.m. Family friendly, with patio seating. Specializing in steak, seafood, burgers and pub fare. Twelve craft brews on tap.

9565 Semiahmoo Parkway 360/318-2000 semiahmoo.com/pierside-kitchen Pierside Kitchen at Semiahmoo Resort is casual, sophisticated and approachable. Serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, featuring fresh, seasonally inspired cuisine. The menu emphasizes the local and regional bounty.

BURLINGTON SKAGIT’S OWN FISH MARKET

18042 Hwy 20, Burlington 360/707-2722 skagitfish.com Offering the highest quality in local seafood. Daily lunch specials freshly prepared. Local jams, jellies, salsas, honey and sauces. Visit them on Facebook.

TRAIN WRECK BAR & GRILL 427 E. Fairhaven Avenue 360/755-0582

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2015

PHOTO\CARSON ARTAC

804 10th Street, Bellingham thechrysalisinn.com 360/392-5510 Featuring a seasonal menu, full bar and terrace bar open for happy hour every day, 3–6 p.m. Enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner daily with a view from every table of Bellingham Bay and the San Juan Islands.

KULSHAN BREWING CO.

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

Going for

Where to Stay BELLINGHAM BEST WESTERN PLUS LAKEWAY INN

714 Lakeway Drive 360/671-1011 thelakewayinn.com Bellingham’s only full-service hotel with 132 spacious guest rooms and suites, two restaurants, lobby café, indoor pool and hot tub, fitness center, and 11,000 square feet of meeting space for weddings, banquets and corporate events.

THE CHRYSALIS INN & SPA

804 10th Street 360/756-1005 thechrysalisinn.com Each guest room overlooks a spectacular Northwest seascape. Spacious rooms feature fireplace, down comforters, luxury amenities and a two-person bath elegantly set in natural slate. Three distinctive room types offer increasing levels of luxury.

SPRINGHILL SUITES BELLINGHAM

Conveniently located behind Chair 9 Woodstone Pizza and Bar, this six-room inn is ideal for families or groups. Clean rooms have queen-sized beds, a full bathroom and private small patios as well as access to a meeting space.

KNOTTY LODGE

360/303-2887 vrbo.com/563675 Beautiful rustic luxury mountain retreat located in the Glacier Springs community. Includes all amenities. Built in 2013, has three bedrooms, two baths and sleeps eight. Pets considered on a caseby-case basis. Book online or call.

LUXURY GETAWAYS

9989 Mt. Baker Highway 360/398-9590, 877/90-BAKER stayatmtbaker.com From mountain chalets to waterfront lodges, Luxury Getaways offers overnight accommodations in newly built vacation homes located in the heart of the Mt. Baker Recreational Area. Perfect for hitting the slopes and relaxing.

4040 Northwest Avenue 360/714-9600 springhillbellingham.com Discover a hotel infused with smart and stylish design, offering a seamless blend of comfort and functionality. Enjoy our newly redesigned spaces to work, relax and connect and be completely in sync with the hotel experience you want.

6920 Central Avenue 360/599-2155 mtbakerviewguesthouse.com The Guest House in downtown Glacier sleeps six; two bedrooms, hot tub, kitchen and games. Airstream Sally is also available for rent. Never raise rates for holidays and no cleaning fees.

BLAINE

MAPLE FALLS

SEMIAHMOO RESORT

BAKER ACCOMMODATIONS

BURLINGTON FAIRFIELD INN BY MARRIOTT

9384 Old Highway 99, Exit 232 360/757-2717 marriott.com/otsfs Newly renovated. Free continental breakfast, including fresh-brewed coffee, waffles, pastries and fresh fruit. Indoor pool spa, exercise room and room service from Bob’s Burgers and Brew. Free wireless and wired internet throughout, including business center.

GLACIER BLUE T LODGE

10459 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-9944 bluetlodge.com

7425 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2999 or 888/695-7533 bakeraccomodations.com Baker Accommodations offers cabins and condos in the resort developments of Snowater, Snowline and Mt. Baker Rim, conveniently located just east of Glacier.

MT. BAKER LODGING

7463 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2453 or 800/709-7669 mtbakerlodging.com Mt. Baker Lodging offers cabins, condos, chalets and executive rental home accommodations. A number of selected units are pet friendly. Walk-in reservations and one-night stays available.

WINTHROP CHEWUCH INN

223 White Avenue 800/747-3107 chewuchinn.com Guest rooms for romantic getaways, seasonal travelers and outdoor enthusiasts. The relaxed atmosphere of a B&B with the privacy of a hotel. Centrally located for an abundance of outdoor adventures in the surrounding wilderness areas.

PHOTO\RENE CRAWSHAW

9565 Semiahmoo Parkway 360/318-2000 semiahmoo.com Semiahmoo Resort is a premier seaside destination overlooking Semiahmoo Bay. Also home to Loomis Trail Golf Club and Semiahmoo Golf and Country Club. The resort has a full health club and spa, as well as restaurants serving farm-to-table cuisine.

MT. BAKER VIEW GUEST HOUSE

GOLD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 38

competitive. Spas and yoga studios are easy to find and bars and restaurants are always available for your fish tacos or margarita fix. If you feel like a good hike, walk the beach north to San Francisco, the next town up the coast. It’s about two and a half miles, but you’ll want to check with a local before setting off. About halfway down the beach, there is a rock outcropping that you’ll need to bypass by going inland on a trail for a few hundred feet. Just before you reach San Francisco, you’ll find another outcropping with a villa that was formerly owned by a Mexican president. Again, you’ll avoid it by going inland by trail. Ask for directions for both of these diversions. Also inquire about rip tides during high wave days; this stretch of beach is uninhabited with no one around. If you do get caught in a rip tide, don’t fight it. Instead, swim parallel to the beach until you’re out of it and then swim to shore. Pretty much a must-do is a boat trip to Las Marietas, a group of uninhabited islands that were declared a national park in the late 1960s. Though this is a popular daytrip, visitors are forbidden to step foot on shore with the exception of one small beach; consequently, the islands and waters surrounding them contain an amazing variety of avian and underwater life. That beach is reached by swimming and/or snorkeling through a short cave; it’s a great experience. Boats leave from the marina in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, another fishing village about 20 minutes south of Sayulita. Many of the boats going out are booze cruises, meaning lots of people drinking lots of free alcohol. They’re fun, but if you want a more refined option, try Red Dolphin Charters, which takes groups of 12 or fewer to the islands or on whale-watching trips on a 45-foot sailboat (reddolphincruises@gmail.com). Accommodations in Sayulita range from beachside camping to hostels to villas to boutique hotels. Numerous villas owned by Mexicans and norteamericanos ranging from basic to super deluxe are available for rent. A good starting point for accommodation is sayulitalife.com, which lists most, if not all, of the available housing options. Words of advice: villas closest to the village center are noisier than those farther away. The hills in town are steep and strenuous – if you don’t have transportation, you’ll have a workout climbing the hill home. Many of the villas have at least a plunge pool, which is a definite plus. Wi-Fi and purified water are also things to look out for when booking your accommodations. La Cruz de Huanacaxtle As mentioned, another fishing village located between PV and Sayulita is La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, called La Cruz, for short.

There’s no surfing here but you’ll still find plenty to do. A recently constructed marina has boats ready to take you out for cruises, whale watching, fishing, diving or snorkeling. Popular with expatriates, La Cruz retains a small town Mexican feel. The town has numerous restaurants to choose from: Taco in the Street offers ribeye tacos, while Philos offers nightly live music featuring local and gringo musicians. On Sundays, the boardwalk is filled with vendors of all kinds for the Sunday farmers market. Oso’s Oyster Bar at the marina is good for drinks, and authentic Mexican lunches and dinner. For accommodations, a terrific place to stay is Villa Amor del Mar, a small boutique inn located right on the sandy shores of Bahia de Banderas, just a few steps from the marina. Rated number 1 in La Cruz by TripAdvisor, Villa Amor del Mar (villaamordelmar.com) is owned by Canadian expatriates Chris and Cindy Bouchard, who have summered at their cabin in Birch Bay for years. The couple is insanely intent on providing the best experience possible for their guests and no detail has been overlooked in doing so. By the time you leave, you’ll have two new friends who have introduced you to half the town and made sure you’ve gotten all there is out of La Cruz. For more information and other options, visit insidelacruz.com. Getting there: Flights from the Northwest are easy to find. Alaska, United, Delta and Westjet, to name just a few, have frequent flights to Puerto Vallarta, and you have a number of options for getting to Sayulita or La Cruz from there. Car rentals, buses, taxis and car services are all available at the airport. We have had good luck with a car service provided by Lalo Ramirez, who is reliable and on time (olaazulsayulita@hotmail.com). Expect to pay around $100 U.S. for a round trip to and from the airport. Unless you take the bus, you can stop on your way at the Wal-Mart or Megastore to pick up groceries and whatever else you might need. I recommend doing this, as both towns have only small shops for food buying. Sayulita doesn’t have any banks, but it does have ATMs and money exchanges. The best exchange rates are at banks or at the airport when you arrive. Taxis typically congregate at the village square while frequent bus departures leave from the town entrance. Sure, it may still be raining when you return home but you’ll feel re-invigorated and ready to hit the slopes again. And your tan will look stunning against the white backdrop.

WINTER 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

BY PAT GRUBB

GOOD STUFF GUIDE

MSR BETA SNOW SCIENCE SAW The Beta is built for the backcountry kits of ski patrollers, guides and serious recreationalists. Durable, stainless steel blade has both ice- and wood-cutting teeth, and debris-removing voids. $49.95

msrgear.com

PANDA POLES Handcrafted in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, these sustainable poles are 100% solid bamboo. They possess higher tensile strength than aluminum, and a higher strength-to-weight ratio than graphite, according to the manufacturer. They are lovingly assembled by freeskiers, snow ninjas, and mountain mystics – people who really care about what goes into the products that are used in the mountains. Starting at $85

pandapoles.com

APEX MC-X The MC-X boot has a more customized fit for high performance skiing, along with an upgraded Vibram sole. The boot is designed for the most aggressive all mountain skier and includes a heat moldable inner liner, and micro adjustable buckles for optimal customization. The MC-X offers the comfort and warmth of a snowboard boot without sacrificing performance. The inner boot can be worn separately for snowboarding as well. Great for dual sport athletes. $895

apexskiboots.com

BACKCOUNTRY ACCESS TRACKER 3 AVI TRANSCEIVER The Tracker3 has the same intuitive user interface and real-time display as BCA’s Tracker2 avalanche beacon but it’s 20 percent smaller and lighter, not much bigger than a smartphone. It has Signal Suppression and Big Picture modes, for multiple-victim avalanche rescues. Tracker3 is the world’s first “pocket-friendly” avalanche beacon, meaning it’s thin and small enough to be carried in your pants pocket instead of in its chest harness. $335

Backcountryaccess.com

WINTER GEAR

SMITH OPTICS SPHERICAL SERIES This series provides a medium fit, spherical, carbonic-x lens with bags of lens, frames and strap choices. Helmet compatible, the strap is silicone backed. Includes microfiber goggle bag. $120

smithoptics.com

MSR REVO EXPLORE MSR’s Revo Explore snowshoes combine perimeter steel traction walls with the durability and torsional flex of plastic. Revo Explore snowshoes MSR’s new HyperLink™ bindings, able to tackle all-day explorations. A fast two-strap ratchet system makes for easy getting in and out for lunch stops and made-on-the-fly adjustments. Add-on flotation tails available. $199.95

msrgear.com

HELLY HANSEN DUFFLE BAG 2 SKEVIK SKIS – LOKEN Skevik got its start making skis by hand in a garage in Vernon, home of Silver Star and champagne powder. The Loken is designed for fast skiers on big mountain terrain. A flattened out tail provides high-speed stability and a long, gradual early rise tip offers large edge contact when needed while still making those deep turns effortless. The 106mm width can be the one-ski quiver while the 116mm is a bigslope charger. All orders are built to order. Currently three weeks to ship. $749

A sporty duffel built with waterproof but still soft fabric. A durable 90-liter duffle bag easily converts into a travel backpack with adjustable padded shoulder straps. Easy access to external and internal zipper side pockets for organised storage. $140

hellyhansen.com

skevikskis.com/products/loken

BE LOCAL, BUY LOCAL. We encourage you to support your local retailers. These winter items can be found at American Alpine Institute, Backcountry Essentials, Comor Sports, Fairhaven Bike & Ski, Glacier Ski Shop, Hidden Wave Boardshop, LFS Marine & Outdoor, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Mt. Baker Snowboard Shop, Northshore Ski & Board, REI, Skiis & Biikes, Valhalla Pure Sports, West Coast Sports, WWS Boardshop, Yeager’s Sporting Goods and other quality retailers in Washington and British Columbia.

BY STEVE GUNTLI

he community of Glacier may be one of the first cities in Washington to test a new battery-powered backup system, potentially paving the way for other microgrid systems in isolated regions around the state. The town, nestled in the Mt. Baker foothills, has been plagued with extended power outages throughout the last few years. Its remote location makes restoring power a bit of a challenge, and some outages have lasted for more than 30 hours. In other cities facing similar situations, the power company would engage in some extensive tree-trimming to run additional power lines to the city, but Glacier’s location along the scenic Mt. Baker Highway makes this an unattractive, and expensive, prospect. With the installation of the new backup battery array, the town will have a cushion to fall back on in case of power failure without sacrificing the natural beauty of the area. The large lithium ion phosphate batteries will be housed in four shipping containers and stored at the power substation already in place in Glacier at 9967 Vaughn Avenue. The batteries would be capable of producing up to 2 megawatts of power, which would be enough to power 150 homes for around a day. The system would have an estimated 20-year lifespan. It could also be used to boost power efficiency during peak operation hours.

Patrick Leslie, emerging technologies project manager for Puget Sound Energy (PSE), said that the project will be one of the first of its kind in the state. “I don’t believe that there are any other completed projects like this in Washington,” Leslie said. “There are many places where smaller battery banks are used for backup power for cell phone towers, computer networks and servers, and for other critical commercial and industrial equipment.” Glacier is home to approximately 300 full time residents, with the population growing to around 1,000 in the busy winter ski season. The project is funded in part by a $3.8 million Smart Grid Grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, with the rest of the estimated $5.8 million to come from PSE. The Smart Grid Grant comes from the Washington State Clean Energy Fund, which awards $14 million dollars in grant for projects that demonstrate more efficient and reliable power systems. Avista Utilities and Snohomish PUD are also working on similar projects using money from Smart Grid Grants. If project leads can get all of their permits in place in time, the battery system could be installed by October 2015, Leslie said. For more information on the project, visit pse.com/inyourcommunity.

MORE NEWS FROM GLACIER AND MAPLE FALLS...

PHOTO\LOUISE MUGAR

INTERNET COMES TO GLACIER: Frontier has brought high-speed internet to Glacier. One of the first businesses to take advantage is Glacier Ski Shop, with their new electronic check-in system and online store. “It’s simple, efficient and it gets people to the hill faster,” said owner John Adams.

GREEN STOP OPENS IN MAPLE FALLS: Green Stop opened in September, (the first recreation marijuana business to open on Mt. Baker Highway.) 7466 SR542 in Maple Falls.

Modern Day

EXPLORERS

Sail-to-ski adventures with the Krüger tribe

he inland oceans of Washington offer beautiful sailing destinations, but as you move north up the coast, the mountains get bigger, the scenes get wilder and the opportunities for adventure become limitless. Secret surf breaks known only to locals, remote white sand beaches that rarely see footprints and gigantic mountain faces plunging into the depths of sheltered coves pepper the complex waterways of the B.C. coast. As you approach southwestern Alaska, the mountains become snowcapped, then snow covered and glaciated right down to the water. You could, in theory, charter a sailboat to the west side of Admiralty Island outside of Juneau, head up the mountains on skis, and ski a 3,000-foot powder run to a fjord on the east side to be picked up again. That’s the type of adventure that inspired Karl and Jess Krüger to form their sail charter business Krüger Escapes. Based out of Orcas Island, Karl, Jess and their 7-year-old daughter Dagny are up for any adventure their clients can dream up. Between the three of them, the Krügers have an impressive sailing resume. With Norwegian and Algonquian heritage, Karl grew up sailing in upstate New York and went on to race sailboats and teach others how to sail. He also worked as a rock-climbing and skiing guide in New Hampshire and Alaska before moving to Bellingham in the mid ‘90s. “I moved to Bellingham because it seemed to be the only place in the U.S.

where I could ski 20 inches of fresh powder in the morning and go sailing on salt water in the afternoon,” Karl said. Jess grew up in Colorado and Illinois without sailing much, but shortly after moving to Washington she got a job crewing aboard the Lady Washington tall ship sailboat. By her second year she was an officer aboard the ship, teaching passengers maritime history and sailing as far as California. As for Dagny, she’s been sailing since she was 5 months old, when her parents took her on a trip to Ketchikan and back. Although only 7, Dagny is “starting to put it all together,” to become a good sailor, Karl said. The Krüger’s sole vessel until recently was Tomahawk, a 50-foot performance yacht designed for racing the southern oceans. Built for speed, the yacht fits 4-6 passengers in addition to Karl, Jess and Dagny in relative comfort. A recently acquired addition to the fleet is designed a little more comfortably, with more spaces to roam and lounge. The new boat is named Winkapew (wing-KAH-poe), an Algonquian word for a good friend from the same tribe. The name reflects how the Krügers see all their clients. “Everyone leaves as friends, but they almost feel like family. Dagny gets Christmas presents every year from some of our clients,” Jess said. Exploring the coast and talking to locals along the way has helped them find some amazing places not on any cruising guides.

“We met a salty old guy on a dock who told us about this island nearby. We went out there and it totally blew our minds – huge old growth fir trees, white sand beaches and a beautiful point break. We won’t tell you where it is, but we’ll take you there,” Karl said. While a majority of their trips so far have stayed relatively close to home, Karl and Jess dream of more adventurous excursions, including ski and snowboard touring and heli trips to remote locations. “There are a ton of places we want to go with great skiing, villages and hot springs,” Karl said. “Our trips can go in so many directions. We try to bring people to places they can go to shore, build a fire on the beach and explore.” In warmer months, exploring by paddleboard and surfboard makes for a fun trip, and fishing and crabbing often add to the day’s menu. Surf trips to the west side of Vancouver Island are an option as well. With so many places to explore, some clients get overwhelmed. Karl’s advice is to choose an area to explore, then keep it local. “If you spend a couple weeks in a 50-mile radius, you get to talk to people and find the really special places,” he said. That’s when the real exploration begins.

PHOTO\SUZANNE ROTHMEYER

BY IAN FERGUSON

To learn more about Krüger Escapes, visit krugerescapes.com

/flyersbrew

DECEMBER 6 EVENTS:

• Coupeville’s Annual Jingle Trail 5k Run and Walk through scenic Camp Casey and Fort Casey State Park. For more information go to www.jingletrailrun.com. • The Greening of Coupeville, Christmas Parade, Tree Lighting, Christmas Carolling, view Oak Harbor Yacht Clubs Christmas Boat Parade of Lights from historic Coupeville Wharf. Shops throughout our historic area will have late night shopping for those special gifts.

Restaurant & Brewery

32295 State Route 20 Oak Harbor, WA

Lunch & Dinner Daily Happy Hour Everyday 2 - 6 p.m.

360-675-5858

www.eatatflyers.com

/flyersbrew

WINTER 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

Last

VIEW

Adam Roberts tours in the North Cascades. Photo by Rylan Schoen 48

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2015

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

Resort Condominiums

Full and Fractional Condo Sales and Rentals Available

Come Experience Snowater Resort,

Gateway to the Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest and Ski Area

360-599-2724

Glacier, WA

www.snowater.org

mountain time, beach time, family time Connect with nature, connect with yourself as you hike, ski, climb, slide, and relax your way into memories you and your family will treasure for years to come.

bakerbirchbay.com | 360.599.1518 WINTER 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

CHAIR 9

Woodstone Pizza & Bar

Full Menu & Family dining

Happy Hour

Upstairs Game room Free WiFi

Mon-Fri 11am-4pm

Watch NFL & College games - 6 Big-screen TVs Live MUsic - check

for schedule

PriVATe rooM available for parties and events.

CATeriNG for all your party needs.

10459 Mt. Baker Hwy Glacier, WA

open 7 days a week during the winter season

360.599.2863

9990 Mt. Baker Highway www.milanosglacier.com

- fresh pasta - local seafood & produce - daily specials - espresso - catering - housemade desserts

facebook.com/milanosglacier

360/599-2511 www.Chair9.com

Glacier’s Only Hotel Located next to Chair 9 A great place to rest your head after your mountain adventure!

www.bluetlodge.com

360/599-9944

Ask about pet-friendly rooms

Alpine, Tele & Snowboard Waxes

WINTER Room RATEs:

99 mid-week $

129

Tunes, Repairs & Binding Mounts

weekends

s t e l a h C t s e The fin ! r e ff o o t s a h Mt. Baker

25+ Years Experience Scott Peterson Glacier, WA Open Thurs-Mon 7:30am-6pm (closed for ski break in middle of day)

Just because you’re in the Wilderness, doesn't mean you have to rough it Overnight Accommodations • Luxurious Amenities Fireplaces • Hot Tubs • Wifi Available

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | WINTER 2015

360-599-WAXX scottsskiservice.com

The Knotty Lodge - GLACIER, WA

www.vrbo.com/563675 or call 360.303.2887

View Pictures & Book online at

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

Glacier 360-599-1943

Great Food - Live Music Happy Hour speciaLs Weekend BreakFast

Glacier Ski Shop

G l ac i e r, Wa s h i n G to n

9966 Mt. Baker Hwy • Glacier • GlacierSkiShop.com Best Rates

R E N TA L S

Serving great food 7 days a week

9989 Mt Baker HWy • 360-599-9883

Downhill • Tele • X-C • AT • Snowboards • Snowshoes

Walk-in reservations and 1 night stays available!

Extended Hours! Fri. & Sat. 9AM-9PM

Mention ad #1350 for a special check-in gift!

OPEN DAILY • 9am - 5pm

VoTeD BeST

tune shop Binding Mounts • Hotwax • Ski & Board Tunes

Noww SSeeNrrvovin ing

Fresh Baked Goods BrB&earkfeasatkBufarritoss,t Strictly Organic Coffee & Espresso ASoupllL&uDQunaiccheyh Behind Milano’s Restaurant • Open everyday at 7:30 am Behind Milano’s Restaurant • Open everyday at 7:30 am

A 1968 Airstream trailer that has been artistically and meticulously redesigned to be a

Joelle - 360.599.2443 Located behind Milano’s Restaurant • www.mtbaker.com 360-599-2008 • 888-466-7392 • 9996 Forest St., Glacier, WA

at canyon creek Cozy Log Cabins

Mid Week Stay 2 nights, 3rd is FREE Special* the *excluding holidays

Fireplaces Kitchens

7577 Canyon View Dr. (Glacier Springs) Glacier, WA

360-599-2711

HOT SHOTS

www.thelogs.com

E STOR BIG SCOOPS

Espresso • Ice Cream • Groceries • Bagel Sandwiches • Videos • Local Crafts & More

Glacier, WA • 599-2665

9970 Mt. Baker Hwy. Glacier, WA Next door to Glacier Ski Shop

FULL SERVICE HAIR SALON. Designer Haircuts • Color • Perms Up-Do Styling • Waxing OPEN: Thurs. - Fri. Noon - 6 • Sat. 10 - 6

Mt. Baker View Guesthouse View • 2 Bedrooms • Full Kitchen Hot Tub • Sleeps 6

Airstream Sally

Sleeps 2 • Bathroom around the corner No Pets • Can be towed to your site.

Reservations 360-599-2155 www.mtbakerviewguesthouse.com

Satisfy your vacation rental needs.

Office 7425 Mt. Baker Hwy. • Maple Falls

BakerAccommodations.com • 1.888.695.7533 WINTER 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

The Shortest Distance to Far Away ®

The Shortest Distance to Far Away ® is closer than you think!

Just 70 short miles from the border!

Experience easy going islands, year round. Discover friendly towns, sandy beaches, intimate cafes, art galleries, stunning views, wineries, and impressive state parks. Just 70 miles from the Canadian border, you can drive onto either island, any time. That’s right, no ferry lines when you arrive from the north. Find fall and winter lodging specials on our website. Plan your getaway today!

Free maps, guides, lodging and event info at

WhidbeyCamanoIslands.com