Kulshan Dispatch 4/22/26
The Big Dark is over. Winter didn’t show up the way we wanted - but above 6,000 feet, ski season is still very much alive. The mountains are running a month ahead of a normal melt schedule, but the Kulshan upper mountain is looking great and we’re confident in excellent race conditions. Spring volcano season is here. Let’s go! Here’s what you need to know:
Skiing the lower Easton Glacier.
Conditions:
Harrison and I got out today to the Squak CP with intermittent sun peaking through teasing us. On the upper mountain, the 1.5’ of dry snow we received last Wednesday has settled in to a weak refreeze cycle the last week. We are looking forward to a strong high pressure system arriving tomorrow for the foreseeable future which should improve the melt/freeze corn cycle. We expect the upper mountain to be skiing quite well!
Lower down, the Meadows and the Rocky Creek zones are melting out at least a month ahead of schedule. Specifically, the Rocky Creek will most likely not be passable on skis, so it could mean a start in running shoes for the first two miles. We will be monitoring the conditions closely over the next three weeks until we race and will make sure to keep you all informed!
Teams/Personalized Bibs:
We still have room for more teams! Please, spread the word to your touring partners if you can. These first few years, we’ve been focusing on building the operations, so grassroots marketing is super helpful.
We are ordering personalized team bibs on Sunday, 4/26, so make sure all your team’s information is correct and everyone has registered via Movemint. Here are the 11 teams we have competing thus far.
Didn’t get to tour or train as much as you hoped to this season? No problem, check out the Rec Course as a team of two. Half the elevation, no glacial gear required; it’s a great way to gain entry to the mountain.
Want to race but need a partner? There are four skiers posted to the Rope Team Registry (formerly the Kulshan Tinder), looking for partners! Give one of them an old fashioned phone call!
Volunteer Needs:
Want to experience the magic of the Randonnée, but for free? Come out and volunteer and play a critical role in the race! The following areas we are still looking for assistance:
Thursday Course Marking (2-4 more, this is the MOST fun day!)
Friday Skills Check Off (3 more, must know basic glacial climbing systems)
Salad Bowl Check Point (2 more, easiest CP to get to, can travel there Saturday morning)
Crater Check Point (1 more, hardest CP to get to, must know glacial climbing techniques and travel to CP Friday then camp there).
Race Suits: For those who want to upgrade their outfit, we will have our SnowGoat branded lycra race suits on sale at Check In Friday! Normally they’re $405, but we’ve got them at a discounted $325 for a top/bottom outfit.
Lodging
While it appears the Mount Baker Hotel is booked out, just up the road there is the North Cascades Inn (owned by some climbers). As of this posting, there is one room still available, a triple bed room, perfect for a team of three! Make sure you tell them you’re in town for the race.
If you’re looking to dirtbag it, the owner of the Hub is letting us use a gravel lot two blocks away from Check In for car camping. It’s the site of the old school that burned down; he’s in the process of converting it into RV and tent camping sites, but right now it’s crushed gravel so bring a nice sleeping pad. There are a few grassy spots nearby you could throw down a tent or sleep in your back seat. For more official camping, there is a KOA 7 miles away and the Kulshan Campground ran by PSE at Baker Lake Dam 14 miles away. Of course, there are multiple Air BnB options in the area as well.
Concrete Theatre
Our pre-race meeting Friday will be held in the historic Concrete Theatre. All Friday afternoon, the theatre will be showing films (The Mountain Runners, and a few of mine, Dick’s RASH and Tour de Volcanoes). Pop your head in and check them out after your Skills Check!
Also, we wanted to spread the word the theatre is hosting a Mountain Film Fest May 1-3 weekend! Go check out the course during the day and catch a film there in the evening in just a few weeks!
Other Concrete Sightseeing
We hope you schedule some extra time into your schedule to explore the town of Concrete during the race weekend. It has quite the history built around cement production and a very colorful past! Here are some fantastic things you don’t want to miss:
Race Report
For those who want to do some deep reading into what to expect at the Rando, Allen Taylor wrote a great blog report chronicalling his teams’ experience at the inaugural 2024 event.
We’ll continue updating with conditions; tune in to our Instagram for live time mountain conditions and racer information. We look forward to seeing you in Concrete May 15th!
