Mountain Trivia: A great bouldering spot in the Chuckanuts, and what hasn't been named Kulshan

The Twin Sisters from Highway 9, Koma Kulshan with an appearance. Ian Haupt photo

By Jason D. Martin

This article marks the fourth time that the Mount Baker Experience has featured mountain trivia. We have run this as an actual trivia night at the Stones Throw Brewery in the past, but alas … Covid-19. Soon we’ll all be vaccinated and we’ll be able to get back to some in person trivia.

I, for one, am looking forward to that!

But until then, we have MBE. So, let’s make the best of it.

Find the answers at the bottom of the page.

1) In the spring of 2021, there were two incidents of vandalism in Moab that disturbed this important thing:

a) Cryptobiotic Soil

b) The Slickrock Trail

c) Native American petroglyphs

d) Jeep Week

2) Crystal Mountain Ski Area near Mt. Rainier is owned by this megacorporation:

a) Alterra Mountain Company

b) Vail Resorts

c) Disney Resorts

d) International Resorts Unlimited

s 3) The Twin Sister range is known in the geologic world to have the largest body of this type of exposed rock in the Western Hemisphere:

a) Chuckanut sandstone

b) Granodiorite

c) Greenstone basalt

d) Olivine

4) When one ties two ropes together, the knot used is referred to as a:

a) Bend

b) Hitch

c) Pilot

d) Entrapments

File photo

5) In Nepali, Mt. Everest is known as Sagarmatha, meaning “forehead in the sky.” In Tibetan, the mountain’s name means “mother of the world.” What is the Tibetan name for the mountain?

a) Chomolungma

b) Junko Tabei

c) Nyinmo Delek

d) Donkang

6) As a result of climate change, most of the world’s glaciers are retreating. But this spring, it was reported that this Alaskan glacier was surging with the river of ice moving 30 to 60 feet per day, instead of a few inches. This is the:

a) Ruth Glacier in the Alaska Range.

b) Muldrow Glacier on Denali.

c) Matanuska Glacier near Anchorage.

d) Spencer Glacier near Turnagain Arm.

A group of women ski touring from Whistler to the Kees and Claire Hut. Re Wikstrom photo

7) What is the French word for a marked ski run?

a) Groomer

b) Piste

c) Anchre

d) Pamplemousse

8) A spectacular bouldering area has opened in the Chuckanut Mountains near Bellingham. The area is known as:

a) Equinox

b) Fontainebleau

c) Julia’s Outcrop

d) Lost Ledge

9) This 1200-mile National Scenic Trail spans three states and finishes at Cape Alva, the westernmost point of the continental United States. This is the:

a) Pacific Crest Trail

b) Continental Divide Trail

c) Northwestern Scenic Trail

d) Pacific Northwest Trail

10) Three reservoirs make up this National Recreation Area within the North Cascades national park complex. What is the name of the recreation area?

a) Ross Lake National Recreation Area

b) Diablo Lake Recreation Area

c) Hozomeen Lake Recreation Area

d) North Cascades National Lakes Recreation Area

11) Leaders in the snow sports and climbing industries have embraced climate change activism with the Protect Our Winters organization. A famous pro snowboarder started this organization. Who was that snowboarder?

a) Jeremy Jones

b) Shawn White

c) Travis Rice

d) Ross Rebagliati

12) Which of the following was not named after Kulshan (the most commonly known native name for Mt. Baker)?

a) A ferry.

b) A painting company.

c) A veterinary hospital.

d) A grocery store.

Answers below

1 — C: Native American petroglyphs. In two unprecedented acts of vandalism, a climber bolted a line over petroglyphs and someone defaced a petroglyph with racist language and phallic imagery. Both of these incidents have spurred significant discussion in the climbing and outdoor communities.

2 — A: The Alterra Mountain Company owns Crystal Mountain and oversees the Icon Pass. Vail Mountain Resorts owns Stevens Pass and Whistler Blackcomb and oversees the Epic Pass.

3 — D: Olivine. The rock in the Twin Sisters range is incredibly sticky and textured. This makes for excellent climbing.

4 — A: Bend. There are many bends “knots” used to tie ropes together. In climbing, the most popular are the overhand flat bend (also known as the Euro Death Knot), the Flemish bend and the Double Fisherman’s Knot.

5 — A: Chomolungma. Junko Tabei (from Japan) was the first woman to reach the summit of Mt. Everest in 1975. “Nyinmo delek” means “good day” in Tibetan. And “donkang” means “hotel” in Tibetan.

6 — B: Muldrow Glacier on Denali. The reason the glacier is surging is because there is water trapped under the ice, making the terrain beneath more slippery.

7 — B: Piste. Many people refer to side-country or backcountry as “off-piste.”

8 — D: Lost Ledge. The newest and best addition to Bellingham rock climbing can be found just off the Rock Trail on Cleator Road.

9 — D: Pacific Northwest Trail. This trail makes its way through Montana, Idaho and Washington, linking many hundreds of minor but exceptionally good trails.

10 — A: Ross Lake National Recreation Area. The reservoirs that make up the area include Ross Lake, Diablo Lake and Gorge Lake.

11 — A: Jeremy Jones. The founder of Jones Snowboards, he also founded the non-profit Protect Our Winters in 2007.

12 — D: A grocery store. There are dozens of current businesses and organizations with Kulshan in its name. However, most people reading this are likely most familiar with the brewery and the middle school.

Jason is the executive director at the American Alpine Institute, a mountain guide and a widely published outdoor writer. He lives in Bellingham with his wife and two kids. x