A few weeks ago Alex and I ticked off a ski that I thought was impossible at the outset of our ski touring career: Baker c2c (car to car). As part of our ski mountaineering course we summited the mountain over the course of two days and that task was monumental for me at the time. Granted, we had to haul overnight packs up the mountain but still, the prospect of climbing the mountain in one day (something I knew people regularly did) felt out of the realm of possibility for me. Fast forward three years and many backcountry experiences later and it suddenly didn’t feel like such a stretch goal any more.

Backcountry Ski Trips, Mt. Baker, WashingtonSonja SaxeJuly 1, 2024

Aurora Watching in the Baker Backcountry

Last Friday night Earth experienced the strongest solar storm since 2003 and as a result people in places as far south as Arizona were able to see wisps of northern lights. Alex, Sander, and I were already planning to be in the backcountry on Friday night so we got lucky and were able to witness the show from one of the most scenic viewpoints.

Backcountry Ski Trips, Mt. Baker, Washington, Winter TripsSonja SaxeMay 16, 2024

Photo Diary: Calm after the Storm

Winter in Washington usually means spending endless days waiting out frequent storms just to see a brief glimpse of the mountains, but the landscapes those storms leave in their wake are nothing short of incredible. In late December, the Mt. Baker area received a whopping four feet of snow in five days. After the storm subsided, I headed out on a daylong ski tour in the Mt. Baker backcountry with my friends Nate and Scott.