This has been a family-owned and -run joint from the beginning, they work their tails off and they themselves are super friendly and open; heck, the founder still reserves driving the grooming cat for himself!
Snow: yeah, true light powder days are rare but freshies are common.
Terrain: Baker does not groom its biggest advanced runs (with the exception of Canyon). Lots of intermediate and advanced off-piste for freeriding, just heaven for that. Lots of little secret spots unknown to the crowds (see Locals below). Great "beginner" chairs - especially 2 which is not crowded. Off of 7 is a wide half-pipe.
Crowds/Lines: On those weekend fresh snow days, forget about after an hour or so. Everyone who wants steeps and deeps heads to Chair 6 or 1 (or 5 for intermediates). But after the big wheels turn, even on the most crowded days your line wait will be 5 minutes or less; and there's lots to play on in the trees until lunch. And on most days, I'm at the front of the line before unstrapped from my board. And if it's not busy, you'll only stop because you're wiped or they're closed.
Locals: I am one, and I get the sideways glances too. Top riders can be very snooty, but not all. The Loaks won't share their favorite spots - but the staff will. Study the trail map, compare it with the runs, then stop by the Lodge and ask the staff about what lies between them - there are runs with names that aren't on the map.
Food: price and quality about what you'd expect for a small American resort - small kitchens. But great beer and coffee and not at super premium prices.
Finally, and most important, Weather: "No one comes to Baker for the visibility." Odds are very good that cloud wave you see crawling over Shuksan Gap is going to drag it's ass all the way down the valley, blind you to white-on-white vision and limit better visibility to lower elevations. If the forecast is for clouds, it's coin flip as to whether you'll see anything.
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We live in Bellingham and ski Baker regularly. I generally agree with the description of the skiing and the snow. As for the vibe, it's a very low maintenance place with a lot of DIY adventure in a truly alpine environment on the shoulder of Mt. Shuksan. If you show up and are self sufficient, you are going to have a great time. If you expect to be waited on, you will not only be disappointed but will likely be derided.

We skied Baker today, on a Thursday in mid-March. Got out of Bellingham around 7:30. Parked in front of the lift at 8:45 with a 30 foot walk from car to chair. Lifts open at 9:00. The weather was 37 degrees and sunny with a few clouds. Runs were groomed. On our first chair ride (chair 3) from bottom to top we were the only people on the lift. Went up high and skied the canyon a couple of times--it's a narrow black diamond chute with rock walls on both sides. Exhilarating. Sun was bright. No one else, no lines, just ski right up and literally hop on the next chair. The groomers were fast and smooth. Moguls were a bit icy, needed to pay close attention to edges and stay up front on skis. We decided to ski the entire mountain, working at least the main classic runs for each of the eight chairs. Never once waited on a single person in line at the lifts. By late morning, clouds came in and visibility went from bright sun to flat grey. After about an hour of that, it rained for about 30 minutes and then started to snow. Up high snow became heavy, blowing sideways and accumulating quickly. A couple of inches of fresh powder transformed crusty moguls into gliding heaven. Still no lines. Lifts close at 3:30. We hopped on just in front of the last chair and headed up chair six. With the lifts closed behind us we hiked up to the top of Panoramic Dome in near whiteout conditions and made last tracks back to the car in fresh powder. An epic day with sun, grey, rain and fresh snow on widely varied snow from freshly groomed to crust to fresh powder. Classic Baker.
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Hi everyone I really like mt.Baker ski resort. I think that it is worth revisiting and exploring. I hope you go visiting mt.baker frequently and enjoy. I think that the snow is good and that the off piste trails are good if you know where to go.
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really good ski resort lots of pow fast lifts and good trane
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This mountain holds the world-record for most snow in a year and is the birthplace of snowboarding.
As a local, I have been up to Mt. Baker to snowshoe, hike, and ski ever since I was a kid and the weather can often be nasty and we have had several really bad years but on a good day this is an awesome ski area.
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Mt. Baker is somewhere that only experienced snowsporters can truly appreciate. The ski area consistently has the deepest snow in the lower 48 states, and some of the deepest in the world. I grew up skiing here and I still have only really explored only a fraction of it's nooks and crannies. The mountain is lacking in groomers and is very small overall. The best way to ski Baker is to go off the beaten path. No hotels within 20 minutes minimum, and no resort life. If the snow is optimal, make sure to break out your fatty skis and clear-vision goggles because it will be dumping.
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Loved this place! No pomp or pretense here. This place was all about the love of skiing; an experience stripped down to the essentials. Great snow. Cheap lift tickets. Beautiful meadow-like runs on rolling terrain. Great off-piste access.
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It just dumps here... I wish I could call it home. I went here for a week during the week and 3' of powder... Amazing.. NO lines! Cheap lift tickets and good brews.
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Most of Baker's famed snow is extremely wet and it's such a small mountain that it is way overcrowded now. There is very limited terrain and what little there is is completely over-crowded.

The nearest town is over an hour away. You can catch a good day here, but mostly it's over-hyped to the extreme.
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The most important thing to know is that the snow can be a hit or miss depending when you go. They could get two feet of snow over 36 hours and then raining for the next couple days. When everything does fall into place, it's like no other experience.

The ski area itself is small, which is why a lot of people utilize the easily accessible backcountry the area offers.

In all my times skiing there I've never waited for the lift more then 5 or 10 minutes, I usually ski right onto the lift (FYI mostly ski there on weekdays). The White Salmon Lodge can get very crowded during lunch hour on a nice day, but I've never had too much of a problem with finding a place. The run aren't super congested like other larger resorts.

No night life what so ever since they don't have on mountain accommodation.

Lastly, the most humbling characteristic about Baker is the since of community and friendliness that makes for a very happy place to be.
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