# Mt. Hood or Mt. Baker



## gunner252 (Jul 15, 2010)

I'm trying to plan a trip out west with my wife. We're taking an 11 day vacation at the end of the year, and trying to decide between Mt. Hood and Mt. Baker (we'll only be snowboarding for a few days). She's spoken to a friend who loves Mt. Hood, and nothing but great things to say about it. However, with us going at the end of December, I'm wondering if Mt. Hood is too far south to have descent snow. Has anyone been to either of these places at the end of Dec or beginning of Jan? Any insight is helpful, thanks.


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## ShredLife (Feb 6, 2010)

the weather is a crap shoot. no one will know until we get there. 

last year the jetstream was notably north of Hood for the start of the year, but really no one knows what will happen this year.

Baker has gnarlier terrain, Mt Hood is bigger and has 3 different resorts to ride at. 

so, none of that is probably much help to you :dunno: others will chime in i'm sure but to be fair - who knows?


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## gunner252 (Jul 15, 2010)

Right. Yeah, with last years crappy winter, who knows what will happen. Just wondering, in normal winter conditions, what each mtn is like at the end of Dec.


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## ShredLife (Feb 6, 2010)

gunner252 said:


> *every year in the PNW* - who knows what will happen.


fixed. 

the only sure thing is that the end of February and pretty much all of March will go off.


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## bseracka (Nov 14, 2011)

Food for thought- While it's been a few seasons since I've made it to Baker I don't recall there being lodging at the Mt. There are a ton of vacation rentals on the way up to Baker though. The rentals typically go for a pretty penny. This could mean adding in the cost of a 4wd rental if you're flying into bham.


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## gunner252 (Jul 15, 2010)

bseracka said:


> Food for thought- While it's been a few seasons since I've made it to Baker I don't recall there being lodging at the Mt. There are a ton of vacation rentals on the way up to Baker though. The rentals typically go for a pretty penny. This could mean adding in the cost of a 4wd rental if you're flying into bham.


Good to know, thanks!


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Don't need 4wd to baker...you need sensible driving, infact 4wd will more likely get you in the ditch due to being over confident...btw they keep the road cleaned off been driving up there 10 years with 2wd rear and front and only 1 time had to turn around to make a run back at it....because a friend who was driving got wigged and stopped her 4wd and we couldn't get going again because of her 4 bald tires. I drove back down the hill 3 miles so we could maintain a wee bit of speed and made it up no problems.

Last year, iirc...mid Dec was good...perhaps the only place in lower 48 that was. Then the snow machine shut down and was crap til 2nd week Feb.

If I were you I'd seriously consider flying in to Seattle (or Portland or Vancouver) rent a car, check where the snow is falling and go....hood, cascades, whistler. Lodging near the hill is pricey...but in town in Bham or Portland at motel 8 or whatever is very doable little jaunt back and forth.


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## gunner252 (Jul 15, 2010)

wrathfuldeity said:


> Don't need 4wd to baker...you need sensible driving, infact 4wd will more likely get you in the ditch due to being over confident...btw they keep the road cleaned off been driving up there 10 years with 2wd rear and front and only 1 time had to turn around to make a run back at it....because a friend who was driving got wigged and stopped her 4wd and we couldn't get going again because of her 4 bald tires. I drove back down the hill 3 miles so we could maintain a wee bit of speed and made it up no problems.
> 
> Last year, iirc...mid Dec was good...perhaps the only place in lower 48 that was. Then the snow machine shut down and was crap til 2nd week Feb.
> 
> *If I were you I'd seriously consider flying in to Seattle (or Portland or Vancouver) rent a car, check where the snow is falling and go....hood, cascades, whistler. Lodging near the hill is pricey...but in town in Bham or Portland at motel 8 or whatever is very doable little jaunt back and forth.*


Thanks. Yah, that's just it, who knows what it's going to be like. I just assumed Baker would be better, cuz it's further north.... But it sounds like Hood is the place to be if there's snow.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

gunner252 said:


> Thanks. Yah, that's just it, who knows what it's going to be like. I just assumed Baker would be better, cuz it's further north.... But it sounds like Hood is the place to be if there's snow.


I would beg to differ...if its going off...Baker...so much accessible gnar terrain in or out of bounds. Its not the latitude...its the temp and precip.


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## gunner252 (Jul 15, 2010)

wrathfuldeity said:


> I would beg to differ...if its going off...Baker...so much accessible gnar terrain in or out of bounds. Its not the latitude...its the temp and precip.


well, touche


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## duh (Sep 7, 2011)

Baker is one of the best resorts to freeride at in the world (personal opinion.) So if conditions are comparable I would slide Baker over Hood EVERY time. If I was going to ride park that might be a different story, but I don't plan trips to other resorts around park.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Last year there were lots of tourist because we had the goods. However many were having a fun but really tough time because of the terrain, poo and vis...it can be a tough hill to do. Got 11 days, rent a mini van and do the pnw tour... sleep in the van, do a motel every couple days (besides you will likely need a day to recover every few days), drive and ride. There were a fair amount of folks that showed up at the hill doing that last year.


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## gunner252 (Jul 15, 2010)

neither of us are park riders. typically groomers. I dont have much (if any) experience in powder, though I like to hit it when I get the chance.


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## gunner252 (Jul 15, 2010)

wrathfuldeity said:


> Last year there were lots of tourist because we had the goods. However many were having a fun but really tough time because of the terrain, poo and vis...it can be a tough hill to do. Got 11 days, rent a mini van and do the pnw tour... sleep in the van, do a motel every couple days (besides you will likely need a day to recover every few days), drive and ride. There were a fair amount of folks that showed up at the hill doing that last year.


:thumbsup:


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

go to hood...we don't groom much...we prefer the hairy


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## gunner252 (Jul 15, 2010)

wrathfuldeity said:


> go to hood...we don't groom much...we prefer the hairy


LOL! That made me spit my soda up a little.



Snowolf said:


> A lot also depends on your level of riding and the type of riding you want to do. Baker is famous for its off piste terrain but is not ideal for a beginner or even intermediate who does not have off piste riding experience. On Mt. Hood, you have a ton of options from mellow, well groomed cruisers at Timberline Lodge to the steeps at Mt. Hood Meadows and the bowls of Ski Bowl. If you like riding park, then Mt. Hood will serve your needs more with the great terrain parks that Timberline builds and maintains.
> 
> There are 3 resorts on Mt. Hood, all within 100 miles of each other; Timberline Lodge, Skibowl and Mt. Hood Meadows. The village of Government Camp sits right in the middle of all three with food and lodging right there. Just down the hill on HWY 26 is Welches, Or with a lot more options for food and lodging and still within 30 minutes of any resort.
> 
> ...


You make some good points. My wife (not to throw her under the bus) is a more cautious rider. She's good and can hold her own, but she has a hard time keeping up with me (I'm typically more of a speed person, not a mess around & jib/jump, but I want to get better at the latter). Anyway, it sounds like Hood may have more options, and we both *love* night boarding. Did it in Keystone, CO & it was awesome. Plus, she'll probably enjoy the options/amenities that Hood offers.

All great info, thanks a million guys/girls! Keep it coming if you have anything to add.


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## Qball (Jun 22, 2010)

Skibowl is the place to go for night boarding if it has the snow, it is the lowest area on Hood so it gets more rain. Skibowl is best on powder days/nights, lots of steeps and cliffs. If you want a good park to work on progressing, Timberline is the place to go, but otherwise the terrain here is mostly flat. Meadows is bigger and has more advanced terrain, and is also where every damn Portland Pete goes on the weekend, so it can get crowded.


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## gunner252 (Jul 15, 2010)

Nice! Good info! I'm getting excited already & its only friggin' August. Being in the market for a new board & shopping doesn't help.

NICE write-up Snowolf, thanks!!


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## jdang307 (Feb 6, 2011)

I'm assuming lift tickets don't work inter-resort?


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## timmytard (Mar 19, 2009)

Haven't been to Hood but Baker lots.

If you don't have a lot of experience in powder, Baker might be too much to handle.
Baker is fuckin' steep, I think they call lots of what other mountains would call black diamonds blue runs.
If they didn't I think it would scare a lot of newbs away.

Powder can be pretty frustrating if you aren't prepared, simply adjusting your stance, can make the diff from worst day ever too best day ever.
More than just setting it back some, get rid of your severely ducked stance if you got one. I never see anyone on day 1 in DEEP pow riding switch, they are having a hard enough time just riding normally. So set it up surfboard style.

Deep powder is a whole diff game, even if you can manage, if your girl can't it will be a nightmare for both of you. Trust me on this one.

Last year my girlfriend & I had a day with 2+ feet & I don't know what happened. I thought she would be able to ride it no problem, she had lots of experience in up to a foot of powder, but over 2 feet, turtle on it's back.
Beforehand, I fully thought she would be fine, she did as well. 
Not even close, floppin' around on her back cryin' snot everywhere. Total nightmare, & the beginning of the end.
It was kinda funny I thought, which just pissed her off even more.





I think it's almost a golden rule, that unless she's already ridden pow lots before, a girls first day in 2 plus feet of powder, will be full of crying & whining. I know that sounds horrible, I'm just going from personal experience. 

Even if she normally rocks, without prior experience in deep powder. Expect some if not lots of crying & whining. Unless she's one of those refuse to cry chicks.(keeper)

Having said that, if you can get some powder experience in before your trip.
Baker is one of the best places on earth for deep powder lines, like I said most of their blues are other mtn's blacks or even db blacks & that makes for some epic, EPIC days.

In 23 years of riding, The *BEST * day I've ever had, has been @ Baker.
That steepness makes for some mind blowing runs, shit you would never even consider going down all of the sudden becomes doable just cause of how smooth it is & if you can time it right, it will be something that you will never forget. EVER!

TT


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## gunner252 (Jul 15, 2010)

jdang307 said:


> I'm assuming lift tickets don't work inter-resort?


Good question. I'll have to call & find out.




timmytard said:


> Haven't been to Hood but Baker lots.
> 
> If you don't have a lot of experience in powder, Baker might be too much to handle.
> Baker is fuckin' steep, I think they call lots of what other mountains would call black diamonds blue runs.
> ...


Agreed. In the extremely small amount of experience I have riding in powder, I've found all of this to be true.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

gunner252 said:


> Good question. I'll have to call & find out.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Don't do da powdhur....it will hurt you, you will become an addict and ruin yo life


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## gunner252 (Jul 15, 2010)

:laugh:

10 chars


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

I'd say if all things are equal, and you are an advanced to expert rider, Baker is not to be missed. The main thing is as mentioned, no lodging at Baker. Bellingham is probably your most reasonable bet. Which is not a bad thing. It's a nice town, with lots of great places to eat, drink, hang out and have a good time. Roughly an hour to Baker?

Don't forget that there are other great areas in Washington. Stevens Pass looks to be a really nice area. I haven't ridden any of it but I've been at the base area several times. I've gotten very good looks at it from across the highway riding off of Heather Ridge. It looks plenty nice and entertaining. Unlike Baker it's all treeline and below. So bad weather, flat light days, are not going to be much of a problem there. Definitely not as gnar as Baker, but it looks pretty damn well rounded. No lodging there either. The closest town would be Skykomish. Not much there though and not sure about lodging there either. Monroe would be a good choice. They have a downtown with decent restaurants and a brewery. You could stay on the east side in Leavenworth and get your goomsba on. 

It's a cheesey town, but in a good way. Either way you'd again be about an hour from Stevens Pass.

I believe Crystal has lodging at their base area, and there is plenty of rad there. I believe it's a more skier centric mountain. Kyle Miller bases his adventures out of there. It's safe to say that there is fun terrain there. 

Everything in Washington does you'd have to drive around except for Crystal. If you want to visit other resorts it's going to be a couple hour drive at least. Where as at Hood, everything is right there. 20 minutes tops maybe? 

December is also a hit or miss time of year for the PNW. Seems like they get dumped on a bunch then at some point in December/early January the moisture flow either shuts off or turns to rain. I don't know why it rains then, you'd think that would be all snow, but it just seems to happen as of late. March has been the money month out there for like the past two billion years. If you could delay until then, I'd recommend it...


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## gunner252 (Jul 15, 2010)

killclimbz said:


> I'd say if all things are equal, and you are an advanced to expert rider, Baker is not to be missed. The main thing is as mentioned, no lodging at Baker. Bellingham is probably your most reasonable bet. Which is not a bad thing. It's a nice town, with lots of great places to eat, drink, hang out and have a good time. Roughly an hour to Baker?
> 
> Don't forget that there are other great areas in Washington. Stevens Pass looks to be a really nice area. I haven't ridden any of it but I've been at the base area several times. I've gotten very good looks at it from across the highway riding off of Heather Ridge. It looks plenty nice and entertaining. Unlike Baker it's all treeline and below. So bad weather, flat light days, are not going to be much of a problem there. Definitely not as gnar as Baker, but it looks pretty damn well rounded. No lodging there either. The closest town would be Skykomish. Not much there though and not sure about lodging there either. Monroe would be a good choice. They have a downtown with decent restaurants and a brewery. You could stay on the east side in Leavenworth and get your goomsba on.
> 
> ...


:thumbsup: :thumbsup:


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