So, we wanted to go snow camping, and didn't really know where to start. This was the first time either Katie or I had attempted to snow camp in the winter. We were excited but also a touch nervous because winter camping can be much higher consequence than a casual summer backpack. Artist Point seemed like a good choice because it has amazing scenery but is also easy to access and close to the parking lot should something go wrong and the need to bail arise. With those facts and a strong forecast that promised sunny skies and warmer than normal temperatures we began touring around 1:30 pm from the Heather Meadows Ski Area. Our start was delayed a bit when we realized we never bought fuel for our Jet Boil! We were about 20 minutes out from the ski area/trailhead, and I had completely forgotten, so I’m thankful Katie pointed this out when she did. Otherwise, we would have been without any fuel (an essential for winter camping!) but because she remembered when she did, we only had to backtrack to about 20 minutes to Maple Falls. Once we had all our fuel in hand, we made the drive back up to Baker, did some final sorting of gear, and got moving.
It was a beautiful afternoon (t-shirt weather when we were moving) and travel was easy for the most part. The only tricky part was the steep bit leading up to where you depart the ski area for the backcountry. The snow was fairly hard in this section, giving us a tenuous grip with our skins. Katie actually had a bit of a slip here. She didn’t go far but did end up with a scrape on her elbow, so proceed cautiously here depending on conditions. After this point it was smooth sailing again and we soon crested the ridge where the epic views start to open up.
We passed several other parties on the ridge who were settling in for the night, but we were in search of a spot away from other people that had a good view towards both Shuksan and Baker. We continued on and were rewarded with a flat spot past Huntoon Point that is about as far as you can travel before the ridge drops off to the Swift Creek Drainage. It had an unobstructed view east towards Shuksan and west to Baker, and views north and south were easily achieved with a few steps up the hill towards Huntoon Point. It was perfect! In total our skin up took us an hour and 21 minutes moving at a leisurely pace to cover 2 miles and ~850 of ascent.
Our first priority was constructing our home for the night while the sun was still out. This meant we had to dig a snow pit for our tent. It had to be large enough for our tent to comfortably fit and deep enough to adequately block the wind. We got to work with our shovels and before long had a reasonably sized pit. We did not dig very deep (maybe a foot deep), thinking that it would be fine with the calm forecast.
We did not bring a 4-season tent (which are built to withstand high winds and heavy snow, as well as keep out moisture, so would be the ideal choice for winter snow camping). Instead, we brought our summer 3 season tent. We knew that the forecast called for a strong inversion with unseasonably warm temps and low wind, so it turned out to be the right choice for the day because it is lighter and more compact. When in doubt, I would tend towards bringing a 4-season tent for any snow camping.
With our camp set-up complete, we made some dehydrated dinners and sat around and enjoyed the views as the sun was starting to go down behind Mount Baker. Warm food and drinks are invaluable when winter camping, in my opinion. The light was starting to get good, and the temperatures were starting to fall, but it was still surprisingly comfortable for a winter night at around 5200 feet.
Sunset that night was beautiful, featuring bright pink sky behind Shuksan, stunning blue, orange and pink looking south over the Cascades, and a pink-orange glow behind Baker’s silhouette. We were very much rewarded for our winter camping efforts! We spent the entirety of sunset taking it all in as well as taking plenty of pictures.
After the last bit of color left the sky, it was time to retreat to the tent. It was getting colder now and reminded us that it was indeed winter in the mountains. For our tent setup we brought a fleece blanket to add to our warmth, as well as two pads each, one foam and one inflatable pad to have a layer of air between us and the cold surface of the snow.
Winter nights are long, so lots of tent time is something to be prepared for when snow camping. We stayed up for a bit playing cards and hanging out in the tent but ended up calling it a night around 9. We were able to stay surprisingly warm all night. The forecasted calm night was fairly accurate, but there was some wind. We didn’t stake out our rainfly as tightly as we probably should have, so there was a moment where I had to get up in the middle of the night to secure our tent vestibule that was flapping loudly in the wind. Despite that hiccup it was a fairly smooth night. It was a bit more stressful than a warm summer’s night of backpacking, but overall, I was very happy with our preparedness.
I poked my head out of the tent early and saw a soft pink glow on Mount Baker. It was quite the sight to wake up to and a quick reminder that we were high up in the snowy mountains.
We boiled some water and let the sun come up. We were very thankful for the unseasonably warm sun rays when they rose over the hulking mass of Mount Shuksan. It was another great opportunity to take it all in and revel in the amazing mountains we have so close to home in Seattle.
After plenty of time enjoying the morning and warming up it was time to pack up camp and fill in our tent platform. We left our rainfly and tent components out to fully dry in the morning sun as we got our shovels out and filled in the pit. It was quick work and we tried to leave the area without an obvious depression where our tent had been.
It was then time to put the skins on and we traveled the ridge with the magnificent views that Artist Point is famous for visible in all directions. There are some ups and downs on the ridge that make life difficult for a splitboarder who isn’t used to moving downhill with skis on each foot. Because of this, I took one hilarious fall on a short downhill with my heavy pack. The people watching got their morning entertainment seeing me tentatively start down the slope, only to have my skis fly out from under me shortly after.
After that bit of excitement, it was time to ski down off the ridge. We ripped the skins off and I put together my split board. I had very low expectations for skiing, considering it hadn’t snowed in while and I wasn’t sure if we had given enough time for the snow to soften in the morning. I was surprised to find pretty enjoyable snow, the sun had begun to soften it more than expected, so there were a few fun turns to be had in the shadow of Shuksan. We eventually rejoined the Mount Baker ski area groomed runs and rode all the way to the base of Chair 1 at the parking lot. It certainly felt odd snowboarding on a groomed run with my trekking poles out and a full backpacking backpack
We made it back to the car around noon and drove down into perhaps the strongest inversion I have seen. One moment we were in the beautiful winter sunshine and the next we were surrounded by pea-soup thick clouds in Bellingham. It made me even more grateful for the amazing night and morning we had experienced in the mountains!
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