Mt. Baker Snow School

Applied science for local students in the mountains

Mt. Baker Snow School is an outdoor learning adventure that engages middle school students and their teachers in hands-on learning around the themes of weather, watersheds and climate. After strapping snowshoes to their feet, participants join scientists from Northwest Avalanche Center and Western Washington University to collect data significant to current research.

Mt. Baker Snow School encourages active, healthy lifestyles through winter recreation and fosters a sense of place and connection to community. The program serves students from all backgrounds and introduces them, often for the first time, to the natural wonders of the North Cascades in winter!

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  Classroom

  Mt. Baker Snow School is held at the Mt. Baker Ski Area. Participants learn first hand about the recreational opportunities that abound in our region.

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  Field Instructors

  Local college students and community members are trained by Institute staff to serve as instructors and guide students through an exploration of the winter environment, stimulating curiosity and wonder through applied science.

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  Curriculum

  Students receive two sessions—a classroom session focusing on weather monitoring and predictions, public lands and watersheds, and a full day at the Mt. Baker Ski Area participating in citizen science--gathering real world data about watershed health through the lens of snowpack analysis, snow algae sampling, and snow/water equivalency.