DEMING, Wash — People come to the Mount Baker Ski Area for the deep snow and high peaks.
They also come for the cats.
“There’s Sammy and Ringer at White Salmon, we got Genny and Diesel at Raven Hut, Tilly and Grouser at Heather Meadows Lodge and then the two cats that the customers don't see are the Employee Lodge cats, Jujubee and Skippy. So eight cats," said Amy Trowbridge, marketing manager at Mt. Baker.
It began when the mountain's maintenance team adopted one cat — Blaster — for off-season pest control. Now it's a clowder of cats. And it's clear they are running this place.
“Yeah, I think they are,” Trowbridge laughed.
They're in charge of employee wellbeing: the folks who work at Baker’s lodges often stop by for pats or tote the cats around. Ringer even does shoulder rides.
"They're a great stress relief, and they really help make it feel like a home away from home for our employees," Trowbridge said.
The cats also manage public relations. Ringer often posts up in the basement of White Salmon Lodge where everyone coming in can give a pat. We found a couple of girls playing with Genny in Raven Hut with a ski glove — one of this mountain cat’s favorite toys.
"So many of our customers have fallen in love with the cats too. They love coming up and sitting down for lunch, cuddling the cats a bit, then going back out to ski or snowboard."
And they are successfully changing the meaning of the term snowcat. Skippy, an orange guy with a bent tail who lives in the Employees Lodge, often ventures out into the snow.
“He loves the fresh pow,” Trowbridge said.
These cats are so popular they have their own Instagram — @meowntbakerlodgecats. They show up on the Mount Baker calendar. They are on swag in the gift shop. Well-meaning guests even occasionally catnap them.
"One week somebody thought that Tilly was lost. A good Samaritan kindly took her down to Bellingham. And we actually ended up finding her through an Instagram post,” Trowbridge said.
Fans of the cats immediately saw it was Tilly in the lost cat post and they got her back after a couple of very anxious days. Afterward, the cat crew put up posters to remind guests that these cats are locals.
When we saw the cats living in these mountain lodges making everyone so happy, we only had one question. Why don't all ski areas do this?
"I don't know either. They're amazing!" Trowbridge said. "They're really fun."
They’d rather nap in a sunny window than dig you out of an avalanche.
But the Mount Baker lodge cats are purrfect at the job they do.
“They have been nothing but just an amazing boon to the ski area," Trowbridge said. "It just makes it have that real homey feeling. And we all love 'em."
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