Crystal Mountain (Washington): Difference between revisions
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'''Crystal Mountain''' is a [[ski resort]], located in the [[Cascade Range]] of [[Washington state]] in the [[Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest]]. Crystal is the largest ski resort in the state and is readily accessible from the [[Seattle]]-[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] metropolitan area through [[Enumclaw, Washington|Enumclaw]] via [[Washington State Route 410|Highway 410]]. It is primarily a day-use area, with eleven [[chairlift]]s, various dining locations, and multiple hotels. |
'''Crystal Mountain''' is a [[ski resort]], located in the [[Cascade Range]] of [[Washington state]] in the [[Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest]]. Crystal is the largest ski resort in the state and is readily accessible from the [[Seattle]]-[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] metropolitan area through [[Enumclaw, Washington|Enumclaw]] via [[Washington State Route 410|Highway 410]]. It is primarily a day-use area, with eleven [[chairlift]]s, various dining locations, and multiple hotels. Crystal is home to the Mt. Rainier Gondola, which provides year-round access to the resort's summit and is the state's only gondola. |
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== Alpine Skiing == |
== Alpine Skiing == |
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Crystal is the largest alpine ski area in Washington with 2300 acres (9.3 km²) of lift-serviced terrain. |
Crystal is the largest alpine ski area in Washington with 2300 acres (9.3 km²) of lift-serviced terrain. |
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The Mt. Rainier Gondola provides direct access from the base area plaza to the summit. Gondola access is not included in lift tickets or season passes, it must be added on for an extra fee. |
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| ⚫ | The main base area of the mountain includes the Chinook Express, Gold Hills, Discovery, Miners' Basin, and Quicksilver chairlifts. Chinook Express and Miners’ Basin are the main access to the mountain while Gold Hills accesses the chalets and hotels on the opposite side of the valley from the rest of the ski area. Quicksilver and Discovery Chairlifts offer mild runs for beginners |
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| ⚫ | The main base area of the mountain includes the Chinook Express, Gold Hills, Discovery, Miners' Basin, and Quicksilver chairlifts. Chinook Express and Miners’ Basin are the main access to the mountain while Gold Hills accesses the chalets and hotels on the opposite side of the valley from the rest of the ski area. Quicksilver and Discovery Chairlifts offer mild runs for beginners. |
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The recent addition of the Northway Lift provides access to a series of faces and bowls which previously were not accessible from the resort's lift system. |
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The Rainier Express chairlift and Mt. Rainier Gondola access the Crystal Mountain summit. The Summit House Restaurant is located here and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with views of Mount Rainier. From here, skiers can access front side runs such as Lucky Shot and Ferk's as well as the Green Valley and Northway areas. The terrain is varied including both groomed and steep, ungroomed terrain. |
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Green Valley, serviced by the Green Valley Express chairlift includes intermediate and more advanced runs. |
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The High Campbell double chair accesses the most advanced terrain at Crystal. At the top, skiers can either drop into Powder Bowl or take a long traverse into Campbell Basin or eventually into South Backcountry which is a lift-accessed, avalanche-controlled inbounds backcounty area. |
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The Northway Lift, built in 2007, services Northway and Morning Glory Bowls which previously required a shuttle ride back to the base area. |
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| ⚫ | On the south of the ski area lies the Forest Queen Express Chair providing access to groomed beginner and intermediate runs. This pod is also home to the Sasquatch Jib Park. The largest day lodge in the resort, the Campbell Basin Lodge is located at the top of the Forest Queen Chair. The High Campbell chair is located near the top of the Forest Queen lift. |
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High Campbell accesses Silver Queen and the most advanced terrain at Crystal. At the top of Silver Queen, skiers can either drop into Powder Bowl on the north side or Campbell Basin on the south side. Beyond Campbell Basin is the South Backcountry, which includes Silver King and Three Way Peaks as well as Avalanche and Silver Basins. South Backcountry is avalanche controlled but requires hiking to access. |
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== Other Activites == |
== Other Activites == |
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In the summer, Crystal runs the Mt. Rainier Gondola for scenic rides and dining at the Summit House Restaurant. The |
In the summer, Crystal runs the Mt. Rainier Gondola for scenic rides and dining at the Summit House Restaurant. The gondola rises 2,300 vertical feet to the top of Crystal Mountain. The Summit House Restaurant is open for Brunch and Dinner during the summer. On clear days, sightseers can view Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt. Baker from the summit of Crystal. |
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== Base Facilities == |
== Base Facilities == |
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Completed Projects: |
Completed Projects: |
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* ''Northway'' (C-12) |
* ''Northway'' (C-12) provided direct lift access to the area north of the original ski area. Previously, this area was known as North Backcountry and required a long traverse or shuttle ride back to the base area. The new lift is a fixed-grip double chairlift from [[Doppelmayr CTEC]], installed in the summer of 2007 with a top terminal on Northway Peak. |
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* ''Mt. Rainier Gondola'' provides direct access from the base area plaza to the summit, allowing for year-round access. Sightseers, skiers, hikers, and diners can all ride the gondola. This Doppelmayr CTEC 8-passenger lift was completed in 2010. |
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Under Construction: |
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* ''Summit Gondola'' will provide direct access from the current base area to the summit, which will provide a larger function during the summer months than during winter months, while allowing guests on foot summit access in winter (to meet demands for viewing Mt. Rainier while avoiding further development of Rainier National Park). The top terminal will be located just above the current Rainier Express top terminal. |
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Proposed and Approved: |
Proposed and Approved: |
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* Silver King Summit Lift |
* Silver King Summit Lift |
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* East Peak Summit Lift and trail expansion. This would have crossed the Pacific Crest trail on the opposite side of the valley from the current resort. |
* East Peak Summit Lift and trail expansion. This would have crossed the Pacific Crest trail on the opposite side of the valley from the current resort. |
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Proposed, under Forest Service Review: |
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* High Campbell replacement: The aging High Campbell chair is proposed to be replaced by a new fixed grip lift with the same capacity, either a double or quad chair. This is currently expected to be constructed in 2012. |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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Revision as of 07:18, 23 December 2010
| Crystal Mountain | |
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| File:CrystalMtnLogo.png | |
 Skiers on Crystal Mountain's slopes | |
| Location | Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Pierce County, Washington  United States |
| Nearest major city | Enumclaw 40 mi. (65 km) north |
| Vertical | 3100 ft (945 m) 2602 ft (793 m) - lifts |
| Top elevation | 7012 ft (2137 m) 7002 ft (2134 m) - lifts |
| Base elevation | 3912 ft (1192 m) 4400 ft (1341 m) - lifts |
| Skiable area | 2,600 acres (11 km2) lift serviced: 2300 acres (9.3 km²) inbounds backcountry 300 acres (1.2 km²) |
| Trails | 57 - 11% easiest - 54% more difficult - 35% most difficult |
| Longest run | 2.5 mi (4 km) "Northway" |
| Lift system | 1 Gondola 10 chairs 1 magic carpet |
| Lift capacity | 20,760 / hr |
| Terrain parks | 1 |
| Snowfall | 350 inches (8.9 m) |
| Snowmaking | none |
| Night skiing | none |
| Website | SkiCrystal.com |
46°55′40″N 121°28′56″W / 46.92778°N 121.48222°W
Crystal Mountain is a ski resort, located in the Cascade Range of Washington state in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Crystal is the largest ski resort in the state and is readily accessible from the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area through Enumclaw via Highway 410. It is primarily a day-use area, with eleven chairlifts, various dining locations, and multiple hotels. Crystal is home to the Mt. Rainier Gondola, which provides year-round access to the resort's summit and is the state's only gondola.
Alpine Skiing
Crystal is the largest alpine ski area in Washington with 2300 acres (9.3 km²) of lift-serviced terrain.
The Mt. Rainier Gondola provides direct access from the base area plaza to the summit. Gondola access is not included in lift tickets or season passes, it must be added on for an extra fee.
The main base area of the mountain includes the Chinook Express, Gold Hills, Discovery, Miners' Basin, and Quicksilver chairlifts. Chinook Express and Miners’ Basin are the main access to the mountain while Gold Hills accesses the chalets and hotels on the opposite side of the valley from the rest of the ski area. Quicksilver and Discovery Chairlifts offer mild runs for beginners.
The Rainier Express chairlift and Mt. Rainier Gondola access the Crystal Mountain summit. The Summit House Restaurant is located here and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with views of Mount Rainier. From here, skiers can access front side runs such as Lucky Shot and Ferk's as well as the Green Valley and Northway areas. The terrain is varied including both groomed and steep, ungroomed terrain.
Green Valley, serviced by the Green Valley Express chairlift includes intermediate and more advanced runs.
The Northway Lift, built in 2007, services Northway and Morning Glory Bowls which previously required a shuttle ride back to the base area.
On the south of the ski area lies the Forest Queen Express Chair providing access to groomed beginner and intermediate runs. This pod is also home to the Sasquatch Jib Park. The largest day lodge in the resort, the Campbell Basin Lodge is located at the top of the Forest Queen Chair. The High Campbell chair is located near the top of the Forest Queen lift.
High Campbell accesses Silver Queen and the most advanced terrain at Crystal. At the top of Silver Queen, skiers can either drop into Powder Bowl on the north side or Campbell Basin on the south side. Beyond Campbell Basin is the South Backcountry, which includes Silver King and Three Way Peaks as well as Avalanche and Silver Basins. South Backcountry is avalanche controlled but requires hiking to access.
Other Activites
In the summer, Crystal runs the Mt. Rainier Gondola for scenic rides and dining at the Summit House Restaurant. The gondola rises 2,300 vertical feet to the top of Crystal Mountain. The Summit House Restaurant is open for Brunch and Dinner during the summer. On clear days, sightseers can view Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt. Baker from the summit of Crystal.
Base Facilities
The base of Crystal Mountain includes a day-lodge and several hotels containing restaurants, pubs, and small shops.
History
The Crystal Mountain Ski Area opened in December 1962, forged after some dedicated Tacoma skiers were unable to start a resort within the boundaries of Mount Rainier National Park. The new ski area was established just outside the park's northeastern corner.
The following summer (1963), Crystal bought its first three Riblet double chairlifts: Miners' Basin, Green Valley, and Iceberg Ridge.
Mountain
In 1965, Crystal Mountain hosted the U.S. Alpine Ski Championships, which included famous skiers such as Olympic medalists Jimmy Heuga and Billy Kidd, and future triple gold medalist Jean-Claude Killy of France. For the next few decades, Crystal Mountain expanded its boundaries to include areas such as Campbell Basin and the opening of Crystal’s backcountry areas.
Two weeks after the Olympics in late February 1972, Crystal hosted the FIS World Cup tour with two downhills for both men and women, with the start above Campbell Basin. Weather forced a low start; the winning times were under 90 seconds. Newly-crowned Olympic downhill champion Bernhard Russi of Switzerland won the Saturday race and took second on Sunday. [1]
In 1974, Crystal added its first triple chairlift, Bullion Basin (C-7); this was moved to its current location as the Gold Hills lift in 1984. That same year, the Rendezvous (C-9) and Discovery (C-8) triple chairlifts were installed. Washington’s first high-speed detachable quad chairlift, the "Rainier Express" (C-10), was installed in the summer of 1988. This new lift, nicknamed "Rex," had a vertical rise of 1700 feet (518 m) and replaced the Iceberg Ridge double chair (C-2), which had connected the top of the Miner's Basin lift (C-1) to the Summit House (6872 ft., 2095 m). The Rainier Express caused a reconfiguration of the Campbell Basin chairlift (C-5), which connected the main base area to Campbell Basin, the loading point for the High Campbell chair (C-6). The lower portion of the Campbell Basin chairlift was replaced with the Midway Shuttle (C-11), a fixed grip quad. The upper portion of the Campbell Basin lift remained (for nine more years), its loading area was just southeast of the Rainier Express base. It rose 1000 vertical feet (305 m) up the "K-2 Face" run, and was removed in the summer of 1997.
During the mid-1990s, the owners of Crystal Mountain became deeply in debt; unable to pay for important improvements such as new lifts and lodges, they sold the area to Boyne Resorts in March 1997. The deal directed Boyne to spend at least $15 million in capital improvements during the first ten years. After three years, Boyne had already completed more than half of the improvements with the installation of the Northwest’s first high speed six-passenger chairlifts, the Chinook and Forest Queen Express lifts. The Forest Queen Express replaced the Rendezvous triple chair and Campbell Basin double in the summer of 1997, and the Chinook Express replaced the Midway Shuttle in the summer of 1998. Boyne also made other improvements such as a new rental facility, paved parking lots, and five new Bombardier snowcat grooming machines. The Green Valley double chairlift (C-3) was replaced with a high-speed quad in the summer of 2000.
Crystal Mountain has produced Olympic and World Cup ski racers. Scott Macartney of Redmond skied at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and at the 2006 Winter Olympics at Sestiere, Italy, where he finished 7th in the Super-G competition. Another 2006 Winter Olympics competitor, Libby Ludlow of Bellevue, also grew up skiing at Crystal. Both were members of the Crystal Mountain Alpine Club (CMAC), known for producing talented and well-performing racers.
In the summer of 2004, Crystal built the Campbell Basin Lodge, a Cascade-style lodge serving pasta, pizza, soups, teriyaki, burgers, salads, Mexican food, etc. The construction of this upper mountain day lodge at 6200 feet (1890 m) was the final element of a development plan implemented in 1983.
In the summer of 2007, Crystal underwent a major expansion, increasing developed terrain by 70% to 2,300 acres (9.3 km2). The Northway chairlift (fixed-grip double) was installed in the former "North Backcountry." [2] photos In addition, the Summit House restaurant was remodeled and the intermediate run "Lucky Shot" was regraded.
During the summer of 2010, development of a terrain park and construction of a gondola was undertaken.
Future Development Plans
Following the acquisition by Boyne Resorts, Crystal Mountain submitted a Master Development Plan (MDP) to the USFS, which included six alternatives for redevelopment of the mountain. A draft environmental impact study was issued in 2001 and finalized in August 2004. John Phipps, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Supervisor, selected Alternative Six with modifications from the Final Environmental Impact Statement. It approves new facilities including an aerial tram to the summit, a new chairlift in Northback, a surface lift, existing chairlift upgrades, base facility renovations, employee housing and wastewater facilities. The plan is the largest in Washington’s history, costing Boyne an estimated $40 million.
The new developments will include the expansion of the base area, including a new base area to be known as the Bullion Basin base area located at the north end of Parking Lot B. The new area is intended to relieve congestion of the current base and reduce walking distances from parking lots to the lifts. The new base area will include new lifts, as well as a lodge and parking structure.
Completed Projects:
- Northway (C-12) provided direct lift access to the area north of the original ski area. Previously, this area was known as North Backcountry and required a long traverse or shuttle ride back to the base area. The new lift is a fixed-grip double chairlift from Doppelmayr CTEC, installed in the summer of 2007 with a top terminal on Northway Peak.
- Mt. Rainier Gondola provides direct access from the base area plaza to the summit, allowing for year-round access. Sightseers, skiers, hikers, and diners can all ride the gondola. This Doppelmayr CTEC 8-passenger lift was completed in 2010.
Proposed and Approved:
- Kelly's Gap Express (C-13) will rise westwards from the new Bullion Base and terminating above and to the north of Green Valley Express.
- Bullion Basin (C15) would rise eastwards on the other side of valley from the Bullion Base to an area that previously had a lift abandoned in 1983 (the footprint of a lift and trails can be viewed from the top of Rex). This lift will also allow access to East Peak backcountry area for expert skiers. Rumors suggest that although this lift was included in the Record of Decision, the lift may not actually be built. As of July 2007, Crystal has received the former Millicent double chair from Brighton Ski Resort (Utah) to possibly be installed as the Bullion Basin chair in the future.
- Park N' Ride (C12) will provide access between the new Bullion Base and the current base area.
- Two new surface tows at the old base area (Ptarmagin, S1) and new Bullion Base (Pika, S2)
- High speed replacements for the Quicksilver and Discovery chairs with no additional trail development.
Proposed, but rejected by the Forest Service:
- Silver King Summit Lift
- East Peak Summit Lift and trail expansion. This would have crossed the Pacific Crest trail on the opposite side of the valley from the current resort.
Proposed, under Forest Service Review:
- High Campbell replacement: The aging High Campbell chair is proposed to be replaced by a new fixed grip lift with the same capacity, either a double or quad chair. This is currently expected to be constructed in 2012.
External links
- Crystal Mountain - official site
- Ski Lifts.org - photos of lifts at Crystal Mountain
- Northway lift - Seattle Post-Intelligencer - 25-Oct-2007
- Ski Crystal.com - photos of Northway lift installation - 2007
- Northway lift: Crystal Mountain's chairway to heaven - Seattle Times - 21-Feb-2008
- World Cup Downhills Feb 1972 FIS-Ski.com