Cirque Series - Crystal Mountain
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Cirque Series : Crystal Mountain, WA
The event is a mountain trail race at Crystal Mountain Resort that covers approximately 7.7 miles with about 2,544 feet of elevation gain. The course begins at the resort base area, follows the Kelly’s Gap service road for roughly 1.7 miles to the Green Valley trail, then ascends Grubstake to the race high point at 6,861 feet. Runners proceed south along the summit ridgeline, pass the gondola and Summit House, and follow a steep, technical single-track that links to the Crystal Mountain Trail.
The route continues through Powder Bowl and Bear Pits, passes under the Forest Queen chairlift near Elizabeth Lake, and winds into forest around Henskin Lake before joining the Silver Creek Trail. The course crosses alpine creeks, passes old mining camps, emerges at Gold Hill, and transitions from single-track to a service road back to the resort base area. The race course lies within the Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
Safety and event procedures include well marked orange flagging on course, a strict summit cut-off time of 1.5 hours after which competitors may use the gondola, and possible course adjustments as needed. Entry is organized into Sport, Expert, and Pro divisions, with prizes specified for each division and several special awards. The field is capped at 700 entries. Participants receive event gear, a bib with a disposable timing chip, aid-station hydration from Skratch, and race photography. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.