Mt Baker Travel Guide
Meeting Location:
Our team will meet at 8:00 a.m. on the morning of Day 1 unless otherwise arranged in the town of Sedro-Wolley, Washington. Please plan to arrive in Sedro-Woolley at least 10 minutes prior to 8:00 so you have time to use the restroom and arrange gear for the gear check. We aim to move efficiently through the gear check and be driving towards the trailhead by 9:30 so a prompt and prepared arrival is important.
Nearby Airports (Travel time depends on traffic around Seattle)
- SeaTac International, SeaTac WA – About 1.5 – 2 hours travel time from Sedro Woolley. Most frequent arrival point for anyone flying in for a Baker climb
- Paine Field Airport, Everett Wa – About 1 hour travel time to Sedro Woolley
- Bellingham International Airport – About 45 minutes travel time to Sedro Woolley
- Vancouver International, Vancouver BC, Canada – About 1.5 hours travel time to Sedro Woolley. Note: This traveling from this airport requires a border crossing into the U.S., please build additional time for your border crossing.
Accommodations
While Sedro Woolley has a few choices for hotels, your best bet for good prices is in Burlington, just 20 minutes west of Sedro Woolley. There are several chain hotels throughout Burlington as well as several AirBnB/VRBO options in the area. Check travel times if you are renting an AirBnB/VRBO, the area around Sedro Woolley is rural and mountainous, make sure there is an easy way to drive from your accommodations to our meeting point.
Car Rentals
Mt. Baker is a car-dependent trip. You will need to arrange your transportation to and from Sedro-Woolley on your own. If you are being dropped off in Sedro Woolley please contact CTSS so we can ensure there is space in the carpool to transport you and your gear to the trailhead.
There are few local car rental options available in Sedro Woolley. We recommend renting a car at your arrival airport, or in one of the major nearby metropolitan areas like Seattle, Everett, or Bellingham.
Gear Storage
CTSS does not provide secure storage while we are on Mt. Baker. Most frequently extra gear is left in the trunk of cars left in Sedro Woolley or at the trailhead. Break-ins are rare, but not unheard of, so be sure all stored gear is out of sight and cannot be reached by breaking a car window.
If you are traveling from outside the U.S. we recommend checking with your hotels for storage options while you are in the mountains.
Cell Phone Coverage
The US has generally good cell phone coverage, though coverage in mountainous or rural areas can be spotty. Primary providers in the US include Verizon, At&t, and T-mobile, check with your provider for information on international calling plans.
Mt. Baker has some areas with cell phone coverage, especially if Verizon is your provider. However we recommend not to expect quality or reliable service while on the expedition
International Arrivals & Visas
Foreign nationals entering the US typically must present their passport and visa upon arrival to their US port of entry. Check the U.S. State department website as well as your government’s travel website for visa details. US visas can be hard to receive depending on your country of origin, we recommend starting your application as early as possible to avoid unfortunate delays.
...Summit Season Upon Us...
With the lines fixed to the summit, the summit season begins in earnest and we've already got some of the broader team out the door.
- This morning our IFMGA Sherpa Guided Team climbers, April, Ryan, David with Guide Tenji & Private IFMGA climbers and personal sherpa climbers, Michael P, Michael N, Rob, Steve started uphill making excellent time through the icefall and into the CWM and are already at Camp 2. Tomorrow they will push up to Camp 3. It's looking like a May 12th summit bid for them.
- Guide Tomi & Clayton came back to Base Camp yesterday after a very strong and successful rotation, they will now rest and recover.
- Guide Ossy, Malu, Vanessa & Mario C just rolled back into Base Camp a few hours ago and are doing great, they too are ready for some good food and rest and to ready themselves for the next and final push.
- Guide Big Tendi, Damian & Mario F are currently at Camp 2, finalising their second rotation by heading up to tag C3 tomorrow, after which they will sleep one more night at Camp 2 before dropping right back down to Base to rest and recover.
- The Western Guided Team are part way through their recovery period and are already ready and raring to go.
Plenty of buzz at Base Camp and on the hill with a healthy, happy and strong team who are looking forward to standing on top!
Here's a few pics from Guide Tomi of the past few days...
Cheers
CTSS Team
...Safely Back to Base...
Our Western Guided Team & Speed Ascent Climbers Akash & Francesco are safely back to Base Camp this morning after a solid, successful rotation. With a bit of rest, they are now ready for the summit bid to begin in earnest!
Guide Big Tendi and Mario, Francisco are at Camp 2 and are all well, they'll aim to tag Camp 3 tomorrow.
Guides Tomi & Ossy with Clayton, Malu & Vanessa all reached Camp 3 today in good time and are already back at Camp 2 resting. They'll drop back down to Base tomorrow.
Great job team! Here's a few pics from Guide Casey and Derek on the Western Guided Team.
Cheers
CTSS Team
...Quickly to Camp 3...
The Western Guided Team & Our Speed Ascent climbers Francisco & Akash tagged Camp 3 today in an excellent time of 4hours.
They're just rolling safely into Camp 2 where they'll spend tonight and drop back to Base in coming days fully prepared for their summit bid after a well deserved rest.
Big Tendi is at Camp 1 with Mario C & Francesco. They had a good night last night and slept well, and have made an acclimatisation foray toward Camp 2. They'll spend another night at Camp 1 before moving up tomorrow.
Guides Tomi & Ossy with Malu & Vanessa are at Camp 2 and will climb to tag Camp 3 tomorrow.
Climbing strong and moving toward that very real goal of the summit!
Cheers
CTSS Team
PS You can check out what climbing the Lhotse Face is like here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohxDKL2RNuk&list=PLMz_kRmPTvqWaiXsJ-OVFw-ViMzHAzyjW&index=4
Cheers
CTSS Team
...Snow Up High...
A bit of snow up high on the mountain, visibility cleared a bit this morning however which was nice.
Our Western Guided Team are staying a rest day at Camp 2 today to let the snow settle. They'll make their foray up the Lhotse Face to Camp 3 tomorrow before returning to Base Camp which will make their rotation a day longer. Casey has the team on camp chores today including rebuilding the toilet blocks to keep bodies moving.
Our climbers at Camp 1 will move to Camp 2 today to also continue their final long rotation.
The rest of the team, so our Sherpa Guided and our Private Climbers are all down low resting their bodies ahead of the summit bid.
Cheers
CTSS Team
PS Remember we have some route videos over on our Youtube which will help you picture the type of climbing and where the teams are at. Check it out HERE
...Second Rotations on Schedule...
Our Western Guided Team are doing great, after a good night at Camp 2. They took a hike this morning to the Base of Lhotse Face along with Speed Ascent Climber Akash and Guide Suman. Plan is to rest this afternoon and head up early tomorrow to tag Camp 3 before it gets too hot.
Meanwhile Clayton & Guide Tomi have arrived at Camp 2 and Guide Ossy, Vanessa, Malu & Mario are comfy at Camp 1 and may move up to Camp 2 tomorrow if they are feeling ready.
It's currently snowing up high at the moment.
Following these last longer rotations the entire CTSS Team will be well positioned to begin their summit bids.
Cheers
CTSS Team
...Rotations & Rest...
The Western Guided Team are safely into Camp 1 in just 6hrs which is great time. They are resting and will spend the night there, with a planned move to Camp 2 at 6am tomorrow morning.
Our Speed Ascent Climbers Akash & Francisco are also at Camp 1 and will move to C2 tomorrow if they sleep well at Camp 1 tonight.
Guides Tomi & Ossy will leave Base Camp at 3am with Clayton, Vanessa, Malu & Mario to start their long rotation, They plan to sleep 2 nights at Camp 1, 4 nights at Camp 2, touch 7000m and descend.
A warm welcome back to Base for our Sherpa Guided & IFMGA Sherpa Guided Team Climbers who are now fully acclimated and will now rest ahead of their summit bid.
Our incredible CTSS Sherpa Team are now preparing to carry supplies and oxygen to the South Col and set up Camp both at the Col & Camp 3 ready for summit bids!
Cheers
CTSS Team
...Back To Base...
All of our 1:1 Private Guided Climbers are safely back to Base Camp to rest after a very successful 5 night rotation with everyone climbing strong and moving well. They are now ready for their summit bid when the window and ropes allow.
Our IFMGA Sherpa Guided Team Climbers are at Camp 2 with Guide Tenji and are likely to spend the next 2 nights there to continue their acclimatisation
All eyes on the weather to plan second rotations with some now ready to rest ahead of their summit bids.
Here's a few pics from yesterday of our Western Guided Team hiking and shaking out their systems and getting their downsuits dialled. Their plan is to head uphill tomorrow for their second rotation and spend 5 nights up high with the objective of tagging Camp 3.
Cheers
CTSS Team
...New High Points...
Just a recap on our teams new high points;
Our Lhotse climber Karel and his Guide hit a new high of 7000m, while Wolf (also climbing Lhotse) climbed alongside our Private Climbers up to 6,800m. They'll come back to Base today to rest up.
Meanwhile our IFMGA Sherpa Guided Team Climbers spent the day and night at Camp 2 and today they'll head up toward the Lhotse Face to tag a new high point before returning back to Base Camp.
Western Guided Team are resting in Base Camp (watching Mad Max) and they'll go for a hike today to keep their legs moving while awaiting a good weather window to set off on their next rotation. Our Speed Ascent climbers did some training, they'll take a rest day and are looking to move to Camp 1 in the next window.
In Base Camp we've had light snow all day yesterday and low visibility. Team are in great spirits.
Cheers
CTSS Team
...Tagging Camp 3 ...
Tagging C3! (over 7000m!) Our Sherpa Guided, Private teams, and IFMGA Sherpa team climbers are working their way up and down part of the Lhotse Face today.
The teams spent the night at camp 2 last night and are are working their way up the Lhotse face to touch a new high point of Camp 3 today and will return to C2, before heading back down to Basecamp over the next few days for some thicker air and well deserved rest. They've been climbing fast and strong.
Want to see what the route is like? Check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohxDKL2RNuk
As planned our Western Guided Team took an acclimatization hike to Kala Patar before descending back to basecamp. They are trying on down suits today and getting their summit gear dialled with a few games of cards and movies for good measure.
We're looking forward to more photos from our team at Camp 2 when they return to service at Basecamp!
Cheers,
CTSS Team
