- Crystal Mountain (Washington)
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This article is about the ski area in Washington. For other uses, see Crystal Mountain (disambiguation).
Crystal Mountain 
Skiers on Crystal Mountain's slopesLocation Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Pierce County,
Washington
United StatesNearest city Enumclaw
40 mi. (65 km) northCoordinates 46°55′40″N 121°28′56″W / 46.92778°N 121.48222°W Vertical 3100 ft (945 m)
2602 ft (793 m) - liftsTop elevation 7012 ft (2137 m)
7002 ft (2134 m) - liftsBase elevation 3912 ft (1192 m)
4400 ft (1341 m) - liftsSkiable area 2,600 acres (11 km2)
lift serviced:
2300 acres (9.3 km²)
inbounds backcountry
300 acres (1.2 km²)Runs 57
- 11% easiest
- 54% more difficult
- 35% most difficultLongest run 2.5 mi (4 km)
"Northway"Lift system 1 Gondola
10 chairs
1 magic carpetLift capacity 20,760 / hr Terrain parks 1 Snowfall 350 inches (8.9 m) Snowmaking none Night skiing none Web site SkiCrystal.com Coordinates: 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.[1] Crystal Mountain is owned and operated by Boyne Resorts, a private Michigan-based resort company.[2]
Contents
History
Crystal Mountain Resort opened in December 1962 with two double chairlifts. The first of these lifts, Miner's Basin has been decomissioned in the summer of 2011 and traveled by the new gondola and ended by the top of the Exterminator and Deerfly runs and the second lift, Iceberg Ridge traveled near the current Rainier Express.[3] The site was chosen after some Tacoma skiers were unable to start a resort within the boundaries of Mount Rainier National Park.[4]
The following summer the Green Valley double chairlift was built.[5] The Quicksilver lift followed in 1964.
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.
The Campbell Basin chairlift opened in 1970.[6] This lift opened Campbell Basin to skiing for the first time and traveled from the base area all the way to the site of the current Campbell Basin Lodge.[7]
Crystal
Mountainlocation of Crystal Mountain, WashingtonTwo 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.
High Campbell, the highest lift at Crystal, was added in 1976. It was purchased used from the defunct Yodelin Ski Area near Stevens Pass. High Campbell serves the summit of Silver Queen and provides access to The Throne, Silver King, Campbell Basin, Avalanche Basin, and Silver Basin.
In 1984, Bullion Basin was moved to its current location as the Gold Hills lift. That same year, the Rendezvous and Discovery triple chairlifts were installed.[8]
Washington’s first high-speed detachable quad chairlift, the Rainier Express was installed in the summer of 1988, replacing the original chair 2.[9] A fixed grip quad, Midway Shuttle, was added to connect the base area with Rainier Express. The Campbell Basin double was shortened because the lower half was no longer necessary.[10] These upgrades were funded with money from investors, who in return would get future discounts on lift tickets and season passes. Today this group of investors in the Crystal Mountain Founder's Club.[11]
In the mid 1990's, Crystal Mountain became deeply in debt and was unable to pay for further important improvements such as new lifts and lodges. The original investors sold the area to Boyne Resorts in March 1997.[12] The deal directed Boyne to spend at least $15 million in capital improvements during the first ten years.[12] In the first two years, Boyne purchased two high speed six passenger chairlifts, the Chinook[13] and Forest Queen Express[14] lifts to replace Midway Shuttle and Rendezvous, respectively. Boyne also made other improvements such as a new rental facility, paved parking lots, and five new Bombardier snowcat grooming machines.[citation needed] The Green Valley double chairlift was replaced with a high-speed quad in the summer of 2000.[15]
In the summer of 2007, Crystal underwent a major expansion, building the Northway chairlift in the former North Backcountry.[16] This increased developed terrain by 70% to 2,300 acres (9.3 km2).[citation needed] In addition, the Summit House restaurant was remodeled.
During the summer of 2010, development of a terrain park and construction of the Mt. Rainier Gondola was undertaken. The gondola travels directly from the base area to the summit.[17]
Master Development Plan
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.[citation needed]
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.[18]
- 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.[17]
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.[19]
- 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 Rainier Express). 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.[19]
- 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)[19]
- High speed replacements for the Quicksilver and Discovery chairs with no additional trail development.[19]
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.[20]
Rejected by Forest Service
- 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.
- Silver King lift, this lift would have started on Queen's Run and serviced the summit of Silver King.
References
- ^ http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8zPyhQoY6BdkOyoCAGixyPg!/?ss=110605&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=STELPRDB5229142&navid=091000000000000&position=Feature*&ttype=detail&pname=Mt.%20Baker-Snoqualmie%20National%20Forest-%20Home
- ^ http://www.boyneresorts.com/FastFacts/Crystal_Mountain_200.pdf
- ^ http://www.skimap.org/data/429/7/1209189096.jpg
- ^ http://www.skicrystal.com/About-Us/423/History
- ^ http://www.skilifts.org/old/install_na1963.htm#pacific
- ^ http://www.skilifts.org/old/install_na1970.htm#pacific
- ^ http://www.skimap.org/data/193/7/1209953075.jpg
- ^ http://www.skilifts.org/old/install_na1984.htm#pacific
- ^ http://www.skilifts.org/old/install_na1988.htm
- ^ http://www.skimap.org/data/193/7/1213161511.jpg
- ^ http://www.crystalfoundersclub.com/index.html
- ^ a b http://www.crystalfoundersclub.com/html/history.html
- ^ http://www.skilifts.org/old/install_na1998.htm
- ^ http://www.skilifts.org/old/install_na1997.htm
- ^ http://www.skilifts.org/old/install_na2000.htm
- ^ http://www.seattlepi.com/getaways/336494_crystalift25.html
- ^ a b http://www.skicrystal.com/The-Mountain/Whats-New
- ^ http://www.skicrystal.com/News/341/Northway-Lift-Grand-Opening
- ^ a b c d www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/projects/crystal_eis/.../crystal_mtn_mdp_app_a.pdf
- ^ www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/projects/crystal_eis
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
Cross country areas 49 Degrees North Ski Area | Leavenworth Ski Hill | Loup Loup | Methow Valley | Stevens Pass Ski Area | Summit at Snoqualmie | White Pass Ski Area
Heli Skiing Defunct Ski Areas American River Ski Bowl | Big Four Ski Area | Blewett Pass | Cayuse Pass | Chewelah Peak Ski Area | Chinook Pass | Cle Elum Ski Hill | Milwaukee Ski Bowl | Mount Pilchuck | Paradise Ski Area | Squilchuck Ski Bowl
Categories:- Buildings and structures in Pierce County, Washington
- Ski areas and resorts in Washington (state)
- Mountain biking venues in the United States
- Visitor attractions in Pierce County, Washington
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