Backcountry
[this article is sponsored by Crystal Mountain, WA]
If you’ve ever skied at Crystal Mountain, WA before, you might have scoped some lines in the distance that looked, “super rad” and “totally send-able dude.” That’s the thing about Crystal’s location, it’s located in the heart of the Central Cascade Mountains, with easy access to backcountry terrain.
So, how do you get to those lines and ridges in the distance? That’s where Pro Guiding Service comes in. Pro Guiding Service is a backcountry guiding company based out of North Bend, Washington. PGS now offers backcountry tours in the Crystal Mountain backcountry during the winter season so that you gain more knowledge and experience in the backcountry with professional guides.
“Crystal Mountain and its surrounding backcountry terrain is the perfect terrain to introduce people to backcountry skiing in an instructional setting and clearly offers some of the best lift accessed skiing in the State,” Martin Volken said, owner and guide of PGS.
The idea behind the courses offered by PGS is for guests to get some form of education before they head out into the backcountry. PGS offers various guided tours at Crystal Mountain: First Tracks At Crystal Mountain: Catch a ride on the Mt. Rainier Gondola and enjoy a breakfast at the Summit House Restaurant as the sun rises above the mountain tops. Then follow the guides on an adventure through the Crystal Mountain backcountry. Saturday Backcountry Ski Days At Crystal Mountain: Perfect for the weekend warriors, this tour gets you out into the backcountry with professional trained guides to get some well deserved pow turns after a long week in the office.
“Ideally we recommend both a ski touring course in conjunction with an Avalanche Course, because it provides the perfect blend between conceptual information and field application,” Volken said.
It doesn’t matter how much experience guests have in the backcountry before signing up for one of the courses, PGS is there to educate everyone on the proper backcountry travel skills and snow safety while enrolled in one of their course. January is Snow Safety Month in the snow industry making it a perfect time to sign up for an “intro to backcountry skiing” course.
Some Great Options To Get Your Powder Fix:
- Three Day Intro To Ski Touring At Crystal Mountain
- Aiare Level 1 Avalanche Course
- One Day Ski/Splitboard Tour at Crystal Mountain
- Looking for more options?
The Crystal Glacier(last photo) is nowhere near Crystal mountain.