Gear Guidance From The Pros
Zach Crist was born into a family of passionate skiers and grew up in the mountains of Idaho. At 18 he was named to the US Ski Team and soon climbed the ranks to the Alpine World Cup Circuit where he competed for seven seasons. He later became one of the pioneers of ski cross, winning X Games gold, silver, and bronze medals.
After retiring from competitive ski racing, Zach immersed himself in backcountry pursuits. His adventures regularly appeared in magazines, ski films and TV shows featuring first descents in the Himalayas, New Zealand, Greenland, Alaska and at home in Idaho. In 2018, Zach became the owner and operator of Sun Valley Guides, one of Idaho’s oldest outfitters. Established in 1982, the company leads skiing, biking, hiking, climbing and mountaineering trips in the local backcountry and to far off destinations for adventure travel. As an AMGA-certified ski guide, Zach thrives on getting others into the outdoors and sharing his passion for what the backcountry can teach each of us.
In other news, Zach is a proud husband and father of 4, forever living in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Zach’s many years and many trips in various backcountry pursuits—from skiing and mountaineering to biking and hiking—give his gear recs the right bone fides. Check them out here .
