Issue link: http://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25062
when to go wa hlngton The Summit: Mt Baker: BRIEF DESCRIPTION: THE BIRTHPLACE OF MANY SNOWBOARD LEGENDS, IT IS STEEP, DEEP AND BURLY. AVERAGE SNOWFALL: 595 inches 1998 ADULT LIFT TICKET PRICES: Full day $29.50. Afternoon $22.50. BASE ELEVATION: 4,300 feet (Heather Meadow). 3,500 feet (White Salmon). Vertical Rise: 1,500 feet. PEAK ELEVATION: 5,000 feet. TOTAL CHAIRS: 8 TOTAL AREA: 1,000 acres EXPERT TERRAIN: 28%. INTERMEDIATE TERRAIN: 42%. BEGINNER TERRAIN: 30%. HUMAN-MADE TERRAIN: None needed SNOW REPORT: 206-634-0200 Web Address: www.mtbaker.skiarea.com CLOSEST CIVILIZATION: Glacier, WA (20-30 minutes from lifts) LOCATION: 56 miles east of Bellingham on Hwy 542 SPECIAL NOTES: Mt Baker has no power lines, no manufactured snow, no ticket turnstiles, no conglomerate ownership-and it is home to some of the worlds most extreme riders because it is truly extreme. This is not an optimal beginners mountain. There are no fun parks or human-made halfpipes; there are lots of cliffs and unmarked obstacles. Be careful, take signs seriously and avoid cliff bands without local guidance. Don't miss the legendary Baker Banked Slalom if you are visiting in mid January. BRIEF DESCRIPTION: FOUR PEAKS-ALPENTAL, SUMMIT CENTRAL, SUMMIT EAST AND SUMMIT WEST-OFFER SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. ALL ARE 45 MINUTES FROM SEATILE. AVERAGE SNOWFAll: 400 inches 1998 Adult Lift Ticket Price: Full day $20 (weekdays), $32 (weekends). Afternoon $15. BASE ELEVATION: 1,040 feet (Summit Central}-3200 feet (Alpental). VERTICAL RISE: 1,760 feet (average). PEAK ELEVATION: 3,700 feet (Summit East}-5400 feet (Alpental). TOTAL CHAIRS: 23 TOTAL AREA: 2,500 acres (all four resorts) EXPERT TERRAIN: 50%, Alpental; 20%, Summit Central; 30%, Summit West; 18%, Summit East. INTERMEDIATE TERRAIN: 40%, Alpental; 45%, Summit Central; 20%, Summit West; 40%, Summit East. BEGINNER TERRAIN: 10%, Alpental; 35%, Summit Central; 50%, Summit West; 42%, Summit East. HUMAN-MADE TERRAIN: Several perfect Pipe Dragon pipes and terrain parks cover the slopes of Summit East, West and Central. Alpental has no human-made terrain. SNOW REPORT: 206-236-1600. Web Address: www.summit-at-snoqualmie.com LOCATION: 1-90 East from Seattle to exit 52 SPECIAL NOTES: Four separate fun little resorts combined last year to become "The Summit" (as one area, The Summit is almost too big a resort to qualify for this article, but since this is a recent change we will let them slide). Less than an hour from Seattle each of these little nooks still retains some its individual personality, and its own distinct feel. From the moto- jibberish of The Summit East (formerly known as Hyak) to the steep -=--------... ilnd gnarl backcountry style riding found at Alpental, The Summit has ing a snowlover needs to stay stoked. All of this just a short drive .A-§;ilsi!!!�from the cosmopolitan world of Seattle. Trail maps work lx>st wljen you read /JfJtWl!lႀn tlje linus