Mountain Layout—Skiing

Newcomers sometimes have a tough time figuring how to get back to the Heather Meadows Base Area, because everywhere they go takes them farther away. With 1,000 acres to play with, that doesn't sound likely, but the ski area is laid out over two mountains, the Pan Dome side and the more popular Shuksan (pronounced SHUCK-sun) side. Shuksan has the heaviest-duty terrain for snowboarders under Chair 4.5 and the gentlest groomed slopes for beginners and intermediates. Here is a trail map.

Expert, Advanced: The Pan Dome side, served by Chairs 1, 2, 3 and 6, is for the mogul bashers and chute shooters. Hot skiers can play here endlessly, challenging the steep and deep. Every time experts take one run, they are sure to find another just as hairy. Shuksan has more wide-open, powder bowl type of terrain. Experts-only runs include Gabl's Run under chair 4.5 and The Chute. The Chute, a horrific, straight-down run under Chair 1, is where a staff writer once ended up in a tree well after a body slam with an unknown opposite-sex skier. The folks on the lift were well entertained and it took some creative maneuvers to extricate themselves. Make sure there's enough snow before you try this one. The out-of-bounds areas are extremely attractive at Mt. Baker and many pass the signs and do the hikes at the top of Chair 8. But avalanches are a problem out of bounds, and sometimes people die. In recent years, quite a few people have lost their lives when they left the ski area's boundaries and got caught in snow slides. If you ride a chairlift to go out of bounds, you must have an avalanche transceiver and know how to use it. You also must have a partner, a shovel, and knowledge of your route, the terrain, avalanche conditions and predictions. Search and rescue may cost you a lot of money. [TOP]

Intermediate: Nearly 70 percent of Mt. Baker's terrain is labeled blue or green. On soft snow days, intermediates can go just about anywhere on the mountain with confidence, minus the chutes, of course. On icy days, however, definitely avoid Razor Hone Canyon. It becomes a long series of shelves. North Face and Honkers get unforgiving too, with their boulderish bumps. Probably the most fun for intermediates is the terrain off Chair 8, especially Oh Zone and Daytona. On the Pan Dome side, Austin is outstanding under most conditions. The terrain served by Chair 3 has a lot of alternatives for intermediates. [TOP]

Beginner, First-timer: Chairs 7 and 8 expand the Shuksan possibilities, but beginners may want to avoid Chair 8 for the time being—its terrain is mostly intermediate. The ride, however, rivals Blackcomb's old Jersey Cream Express Chair for the majestic view of the mountain ridges past the area boundary at Rumble Gully. On the Pan Dome side, beginners can easily get back to the lodge on the Austin and Blueberry runs. The signs are good, but don't follow tracks or other skiers if you don't know where they're going. You may end up on steep Pan Face or unmapped places called Rattrap and Gunbarrel. The ski patrol performs rescues on icy crags that are best avoided. The learning areas are near the Heather Meadows base lodge and the White Salmon Day Lodge, served by Chairs 2 and 8. The slopes are long and gentle, not sectioned off, but not used by more accomplished sliders. Snowboard novices—some of whom feel immortal rather than timid—use this slope. Timid novices probably are better off learning elsewhere. Chair 2, especially for beginners, has been upgraded for easier loading and unloading. Baker also has designated three slow zones as "Beginner and Kids Zones." No fast or unsafe skiing or snowboarding allowed at the bottom of Chair 8, Chair 7 and rope tow 2, the bottom of Chair 4.5, and White Salmon, Big Creek and Heather runs. [TOP]