Mt. Baker Ski Area cancels Legendary Banked Slalom event due to poor conditions
The Legendary Banked Slalom, held annually at Mt. Baker Ski Area, has been cancelled for 2026 due to poor snow conditions. The announcement came in a video posted online Jan. 22 that features Sponsor Coordinator Eliah Drake-Raue, former Mt. Baker Ski Area CEO and president Gwyn Howat, Marketing Director Amy Trowbridge and ski area Event Manager Nicole Loberg-Evans.
“We just really feel strongly that at this point it is just an unworkable situation with the snowfall,” Howat says in the video. “Not only do we have low snow, but even if we were to get more snow between now and when the race would actually happen, which unfortunately doesn’t really look like we are going to get what we need in the forecast, that the snow underneath this layer is very shivery unworkable and would actually cause some pretty significant problems if and when we were even able to it and broke through to this crust.”
Howat, who has set the banked slalom course for the last 34 years, said the natural half-pipe, where the race takes place, was filling in well in early January, but it was washed away by rain about by about the third week of January.
Howat said those who registered for a spot in the 2026 event will be carried over to the 2027 race. People who are signed up should expect to receive an email from the ski area with more details, according to the video. The 2027 Legendary Banked Slalom has been set for Feb. 19-21.
The race, which was originally scheduled for Feb. 6-8, would have been the 37th slalom at the ski area. It’s not the first time the event has been canceled. Most recently it was scrapped in 2024 due to poor conditions.
There are no plans to reschedule the race for later this year, Trowbridge said in the video. Organizers have tried to postpone the event to later in the season before, but it has proven difficult.
“We have to reschedule close to 90 event volunteers plus our entire crew,” Trowbridge said. “That is very challenging when people have already scheduled time off of work for the set date in February.”
She said it is also very difficult to set up all the accommodations needed for the event if it is rescheduled to later in the season.
According to the organizers, while the specific section of the mountain used for the slalom is not in racing condition, the rest of the mountain is fairing better and will remain open for the rest of the season.
This story was originally published January 28, 2026 at 2:16 PM.
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