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