Mt. Baker Ski Area kicks off ski season for Washington state

Blue skies marked the first day of the ski season for Mt. Baker Ski Area, which was the first and only resort in Washington state to open Thursday, Nov. 19.

Gwyn Howat, the ski area’s vice president of operations, likened the day to a reunion.

“It felt like that — a lot of people, a lot of friends, coming back from summer,” she said.

Mt. Baker opened with a snow base of 34 inches at Heather Meadows and 63 inches on Pan Dome.

“Absolutely stellar day, blue-bird skies, nice cold snow, nice grooming conditions, perfect for early season legs,” Howat said. “A lot of smiling faces. It was the perfect amount of people, a lot of enthusiasm. It was busy.”

People headed to the ski area should give themselves a little extra time to get there because Mount Baker Highway is reduced to one lane above Glacier.

The rain-swollen Nooksack River eroded the bank below the highway and exposed 90 feet of guardrail posts along the eastbound lane. So the state Department of Transportation closed that lane near milepost 39, about six miles east of Glacier, on Tuesday as a safety precaution while preparing an emergency fix.

That lane closure didn’t seem to cause much of a delay for motorists during opening day on Thursday.

Mt. Baker Ski Area employs nearly 400 people during winter, so the season also is important to the economy of the towns and businesses along the Mount Baker Highway.

“We’re all happy to be back,” Howat said.

Whistler Mountain in B.C. also opened for the season Thursday.

This story was originally published November 19, 2015 at 4:34 PM with the headline "Mt. Baker Ski Area kicks off ski season for Washington state."