MOUNT BAKER, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The head of Whatcom County’s premier ski mountain is passing the torch.

Mt. Baker Ski Area President and CEO Gwyn Howat announced in a video update that she’s stepping back after finishing up her 34th year at the mountain.

“As I knock on 60, the work-life balance thing starts to get pretty real,” Howat said in the video. “So I’m going to be shifting my role here at Mount Baker and trimming back some hours so that I can spend more time with friends and family and on the water chasing waves and pursuing some of my own personal interests.”

She’s a member of what many call the First Family of Mount Baker.

Her father Duncan became general manager in 1968 and handed the reins over to Gwynn in 2019. Her sister Amy has also held top jobs at the ski area.

Howat says she’ll focus on her role as a member of the area’s board of directors to work on community outreach and help shape the future of Mt. Baker.

Evan Haskell, currently a third-generation board member at the ski area, will take her place.

“We’re going to keep this local, we’re going to keep having fun up here, we’re going to keep making Baker the way Baker has always been, and we’re just going to find ways to improve it as we go along,” Haskell said.

Haskell says the area has plenty of big projects on the horizon, including the construction of a powerhouse that will bring electricity to the mountain this summer.

“That powerhouse is going to allow us to consolidate generation, which has a big increase in efficiencies,” Haskell said. “We’re going to see substantial fuel savings and substantial emissions savings.”

Mt. Baker Ski Area closed on April 20 after receiving an estimated 600 inches of snow throughout the season.