Ellie & Dylan: Celebrating 5 Years of Adventure on Skis at Mt. Baker

Written By Michael Graw
A photo of a couple in wedding clothes skiing downhill with a ski lift and snowy mountains visible in front of them. The woman is wearing a wedding dress and skis and the man is wearing a suit and skis.

What's the best way to celebrate 5 adventurous years of marriage? Backcountry skiing, of course.

Ellie and Dylan have built a life together built around skiing and climbing, so it made perfect sense to mark 5 years of marriage — and look forward to many more — with a trip into the mountains and an anniversary photoshoot.

Spring Backcountry Skiing at Mt. Baker Ski Area

We headed up to the Mt. Baker Ski Area on a warm May evening with a plan to skin up towards Panorama Dome for sunset views of Mt. Shuksan. The ski area had been closed for over a month by this point, but there was still plenty of skiing to be had this late in the year.

A couple skinning uphill on skis in the Baker Backcountry. The woman has a wedding dress strapped to her backpack.
A couple skinning uphill on skis in the Baker Backcountry. The woman has a wedding dress strapped to her backpack.

It didn’t take long to tour over to Pan Dome, and we timed golden hour perfectly. The mountains were bathed in beautiful yellow light right when we got there.

Ellie and Dylan quickly changed into the same clothes they had worn on their wedding day: Ellie in her mother's wedding dress and Dylan in his father's suit. It was the perfect setup for a mountain vow renewal, although they decided to focus on the skiing and photos rather than actually share new vows.

A photo of a couple in a suit and wedding dress standing together and smiling at the camera. There's snow around them and Mt. Shuksan in the background.
A photo of a woman in a vintage wedding dress standing in the snow and smiling at the camera. She's holding ski poles and there are mountains at sunset in the background.
A photo of a couple in a vintage suit and wedding dress standing together and smiling at each other. There's snow around them and Mt. Shuksan in the background.
 

We started out with some fun poses in the snow and around the ski area’s wooden patrol hut, then got ready ski. We could hardly ask for a better evening. It was completely clear out, making for incredible views of the North Cascades. Ellie and Dylan carved down the slope leaving intertwined S-curves in their wake.

 
A photo of a couple in vintage wedding clothes and ski boots standing in the snow and holding skis over their shoulders. Snowy mountains at sunset are visible in the background.
A photo of a man and woman in a suit and wedding dress skiing down a snowy slope with mountains in the background.
A photo of a couple in wedding clothes and ski boots walking uphill while holding skis over their shoulders. They're on snow and snowy mountains at sunset are visible behind them.
 

Catching Alpenglow on Mt. Shuksan

We did a few laps to enjoy the spring corn, then turned our attention to Shuksan. The clear sky made for incredible alpenglow on the mountain’s steep face, providing the perfect backdrop for their Mt. Baker anniversary photos.

A photo of a couple in wedding clothes standing together in the snow. The man is wearing ski boots and both are holding skis. Mount Shuksan at sunset is behind them.
A photo of a bride in a wedding dress and with skis on sitting on her husband's shoulders and spreading her skis. He's wearing a suit and ski boots. Mount Shuksan at sunset is behind them.

The sun finally dropped behind the mountains, but we still had time for one more run. So, Ellie and Dylan clicked back into their skis and dropped onto another slope, this time with Mt. Baker right in front of them. Ellie and Dylan had climbed and skied Mt. Baker together, so skiing in clear view of the mountain felt incredibly special.

 
A photo of a woman in a wedding dress and a man in a suit skiing downhill in a snowy landscape, with Mount Baker in the background.
 

We finished the descent just as the light faded and arrived back at the car to drinks to toast Ellie and Dylan to another 5 years of adventure together.

Michael Graw
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McKayla & Nolan: Getting Married on Skis in the Baker Backcountry