Maddie Crowell, a Salomon freeski ambassador, spent last summer guiding on Mt. Shasta in Northern California. In this story, she shares her experiences as a first-year guide, and tells the ins and outs of what it really means to take people up the second highest Cascade volcano and reach 14,179 feet.
As a rookie, getting into the guiding scene can be a bit tricky and, like most things in the mountains, there can be a big learning curve. I spent the last four months living out of my truck, climbing the same mountain one or two times each week. From mastering the art of snacking and client care to dialing in my rope skills, I learned a lot during my first season of guiding on Mt. Shasta. While there were the classic hard skills I hoped to grasp, there were a thousand unexpected eccentric details that I never thought I would learn or have to do in order to help
