Mike Hattrup post skiing in Russia
Ski Guiding in Europe, Crevasse Rescue and Ski Mountaineering
If you’re a fan of ‘80s and ‘90s ski films (and if you aren’t yet, what are you waiting for?!), you’ve witnessed the ski skills and prowess of Mike Hattrup. He was a regular shredder in Greg Stump films like Blizzard of Ahhhs, bounding down steeps and bumps with the likes of Glenn Plake and Scott Schmidt. A K2 Skis posterchild for decades, he’s been a driving force in the development of extreme skiing. Now as the US Alpine Product Manager at Fischer Sports, he gets to stir the pot in our ever-evolving world of ski touring from the industry up. When he’s not traveling around the US repping his brand, he’s ski guiding in the European Alps. We’d call that making it.
We got to rendezvous with Mike on Mount Adams in Washington, the final tick on the Seattle native’s volcano ski list. After a successful summit and nearly 7000 foot descent via Adams’s Southwest Chutes, we hung out with Mike at the Mount Adams trailhead for the first ever post-ski Cripple Creek van podcast recording.
Mike and Doug on the sunny spring walk up Mount Adams.
Not only was it a treat to ski with the man, myth and legend but also to glean some of his insights and wisdom after so many decades watching the world of ski touring progress in both North America and Europe. We got deep into the well of Mike’s knowledge on volcano skiing, crevasse rescue, Euro ski guiding, the effectiveness of helmets in the backcountry. He also shared some great stories like the time he was part of a crevasse rescue. To hear how it turned out, you’ll just have to tune in.
Mike descends into the layered clouds and ridgelines on Adams.
Manasseh Franklin is a writer, editor and big fan of walking uphill. She has an MFA in creative nonfiction and environment and natural resources from the University of Wyoming and especially enjoys writing about glaciers. Find her other work in Alpinist, Adventure Journal, Rock and Ice, Aspen Sojourner, AFAR, Trail Runner and Western Confluence.
