January is an amazing month to visit the stunning sights and spectacular terrain of Mount Baker for a bunch of different reasons. If you show up early enough, you will get to enjoy the start of all of the ski season’s events! But if you don’t want to arrive that early in the season, that’s fine too as January is still one of Mount Baker’s best months for winter sports.
This is because the third week of December is, on average, the snowiest week of the year, with its usual snowfall being hefty 31.5 inches spread over 4.4 glorious days. This particularly heavy snowfall almost guarantees a thick layer of snow pack that lasts into the rest of the year.
Another reason to count January in the top two months is the comparative lack of visitors. Mid January is after Christmas break ends but well before spring break starts, meaning that very few families are coming on vacation. February is considered to be the best month for snow quality but that doesn’t mean that January’s snow is bad, it more means that February’s snow is immaculate. Unlike what some people assume, February isn’t an entirely better month than January; there are pros to consider for both. The first pro for January is that it is still early enough in the season for there to be no melt thaw cycle to worry about. The second pro has got to be the better prices and availability. Due to the fewer number of people, you will often find that lodging, gear rental, lift tickets, rental cars, flights, and all other kinds of travel expenses are cut down a notable amount due to the reduced demand.
As I mentioned earlier, February is considered the best month to visit if what you’re looking for is snow quality. There are many reasons why this is the case, but one of the main ones is the weather. Much like in January, in February there is lots of snowfall, but unlike in January this snowfall is interspersed by clear sunny skies with a sun that is not quite strong enough to start the freeze thaw cycle that all winter sports hate. These sunny days make for some of the most beautiful times to be found on the slopes of Mount Baker. They are perfect weather for skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, cross country, and so much more. They are considered to be one of the reasons why Mount Baker is such a sought after vacation destination and one of the reasons why everyone wants to visit during February.
Another advantage of February is that, outside of President’s Week, the crowds are not too bad. This means that, while there are still more families on the mountain than there are in January, there are far fewer than in later months like March or April. February has the honor of being the peak season which means that everything on the mountain is in full swing. If you are new to snow sports, there are constant classes being taught, if you are looking for a night-life after enjoying a day on the slopes, you can head down to Glacier, or even as far a Bellingham, to find bars, pubs and local breweries to discover, and if you need you gear repaired or rented, you can be sure that there are plenty companies just waiting to help you with whatever you need!