by Marnie Jones
PHOTO COURTESY OF MT. BAKER SKI AREA
MT. BAKER – A new mid-mountain lodge, expected to open later this week, will offer food, warmth, and comfort to Mount Baker Ski Area visitors.
Raven Hut Lodge sits at the base of chairs 4, 5 and 6 and is only accessible by ski or snowboard. COURTESY PHOTO
Accessible only by ski and snowboard, the new Raven Hut stands at the site of the former Raven Hot Cafe. Full dining service, a rock fireplace, and classic Northwest architecture characterize the new $3.5 million building, which has been designed in the style of the original 1920’s Mount Baker Lodge.
Ski area representative Amy Trowbridge calls the design “timeless,” and expects that the artisan-crafted lodge will rank among the nation’s finest. “It’s very northwest, very classic, very Cascades,” she said.
Ski Area staff had at least two compelling reasons to build a new lodge, according to Trowbridge: first, large crowds at the ski area’s popular White Salmon Lodge needed room to spread out. Second, the old Raven Hot Cafe was suffering the ravages of time and challenging weather, and needed to be replaced.
As for the construction process, it’s been managed during a short warm season. “With the incredible snow pack we had last year,” Trowbridge explained, “things didn’t melt out until well into the summer.” Staff and construction crews managed to cut a road and clear snow to get into the construction site during the spring, while general contractors Wellman & Zuck managed to work through a summer of challenging alpine conditions. Finishing touches are being put on the commercial kitchen now, and final permits should be in on time for an estimated Dec. 9 opening. “We’re hoping,” Trowbridge said of the opening date, “though you never know until you actually open the doors.”
While construction of the lodge is wrapping up, artistic details will be added throughout the season and into next year. “We’ve had some Northwest artists do some beautiful [detailing] for us,” noted Trowbridge, who hopes that visitors will observe such touches as bronze ravens on the door, artful post carvings (yet to be completed), and a stone fireplace which was handcrafted by a local crew.
The new Raven Hut Lodge is designed in the 1920s-30s Cascadia style architecture and features the work of numerous local woodworkers and artisans. COURTESY PHOTO, Nov. 2011
The Raven Hut sits at the base of chairs 4, 5, and 6, opening after what has been a great start to the season. “We’ve had a bit of a roller coaster with the weather this week,” Trowbridge said, “but what a fantastic opening day we had.” She described their opening weekend as boasting “some of the best conditions we’ve ever had.” The weekend allowed for the establishment of a great base, which will serve skiers and snowboarders well as the season goes on.
In other news, Santa and Mrs. Claus will visit the ski area on Dec. 10-11.
For more information and snow conditions, visit www.mtbaker.us or call (360) 734-6771.