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12-14-2008, 08:46 AM
CRAIG HILL; craig.hill@thenewstribune.com
Published: December 14th, 2008 12:05 AM
Scott Sevenbergen and Trevor Heady had only two hours to snowboard Saturday, opening day at Crystal Mountain, so they wanted to be at the front of the lift line.
“We’ve been itching for a month,” Heady said.
So Sevenbergen of Tacoma and Heady of Federal Way hopped in their car at 6 a.m., braved the snow and ice covering Highway 410 and stepped in line at 8 a.m., an hour before the Chinook Express lift opened.
Still, they were only early enough to get the second chair of the season.
You have to get up pretty early to beat D.J. Blaylock of McCleary. Blaylock arrived at Crystal at 5:30 a.m., like he has on every opening day since 1969.
“This is the 40th year for me,” Blaylock said. “It’s been a tradition for me and my brother (David), but he had to work today. He’ll be here Monday.”
Regardless of their place in the long line, everybody seemed to be thrilled Saturday. With 14 inches of new snow in the 24 hours before the area opened, Crystal spokeswoman Tiana Enger said conditions were even better than expected.
“This much snow for a kickoff is fantastic,” Enger said.
Because steeper runs need more snow to be skiable, only the three lifts servicing beginner and intermediate runs were open Saturday. As a result, lift tickets were discounted from $60 to $25.
Crystal will open two more lifts and more advanced terrain today, and ticket prices will increase to $40.
“We plan to be open as long as Mother Nature allows,” Enger said. Crystal had to close after its first weekend last season because of rain, but the forecast is more promising this season.
The National Weather Service predicted more snow in the Cascades today before clearing, with snow returning Wednesday.
Mt. Baker and 49 Degrees North near Chewelah plan to open today. Mt. Baker received 20 inches of snow in a 24-hour period spanning Friday and Saturday.
Stevens Pass, The Summit at Snoqualmie and White Pass have not announced openings yet, but each got snow Saturday.
Mission Ridge near Wenatchee was the state’s first ski area to open, on Dec. 3, because of its extensive snow-making program.
The first people on the mountain Saturday at Crystal had no problem finding 11/2-foot-deep stashes of powder. However, they also found the snow quite thin in other areas, with shrubs and rocks still exposed in some places. “We are advising people to ski with caution,” Enger said. “It might look good, but there are still some unmarked hazards.”
Dan Wachtler of Gig Harbor found the conditions Saturday to be better than he expected. He spent Friday night at a cabin at Crystal with some of his fellow construction management majors from the University of Washington.
He wasn’t expecting good conditions, so he stayed up until 4 a.m.
“When I woke up and saw the snow, I started booking down the hill to get my gear,” Wachtler said. “I was falling all over the place.
“But that’s OK. I’m getting my skiing in no matter what. … It looks fantastic. I’m excited, stoked and looking forward to a good year.”
from: http://www.thenewstribune.com/adventure/story/567166.html
Published: December 14th, 2008 12:05 AM
Scott Sevenbergen and Trevor Heady had only two hours to snowboard Saturday, opening day at Crystal Mountain, so they wanted to be at the front of the lift line.
“We’ve been itching for a month,” Heady said.
So Sevenbergen of Tacoma and Heady of Federal Way hopped in their car at 6 a.m., braved the snow and ice covering Highway 410 and stepped in line at 8 a.m., an hour before the Chinook Express lift opened.
Still, they were only early enough to get the second chair of the season.
You have to get up pretty early to beat D.J. Blaylock of McCleary. Blaylock arrived at Crystal at 5:30 a.m., like he has on every opening day since 1969.
“This is the 40th year for me,” Blaylock said. “It’s been a tradition for me and my brother (David), but he had to work today. He’ll be here Monday.”
Regardless of their place in the long line, everybody seemed to be thrilled Saturday. With 14 inches of new snow in the 24 hours before the area opened, Crystal spokeswoman Tiana Enger said conditions were even better than expected.
“This much snow for a kickoff is fantastic,” Enger said.
Because steeper runs need more snow to be skiable, only the three lifts servicing beginner and intermediate runs were open Saturday. As a result, lift tickets were discounted from $60 to $25.
Crystal will open two more lifts and more advanced terrain today, and ticket prices will increase to $40.
“We plan to be open as long as Mother Nature allows,” Enger said. Crystal had to close after its first weekend last season because of rain, but the forecast is more promising this season.
The National Weather Service predicted more snow in the Cascades today before clearing, with snow returning Wednesday.
Mt. Baker and 49 Degrees North near Chewelah plan to open today. Mt. Baker received 20 inches of snow in a 24-hour period spanning Friday and Saturday.
Stevens Pass, The Summit at Snoqualmie and White Pass have not announced openings yet, but each got snow Saturday.
Mission Ridge near Wenatchee was the state’s first ski area to open, on Dec. 3, because of its extensive snow-making program.
The first people on the mountain Saturday at Crystal had no problem finding 11/2-foot-deep stashes of powder. However, they also found the snow quite thin in other areas, with shrubs and rocks still exposed in some places. “We are advising people to ski with caution,” Enger said. “It might look good, but there are still some unmarked hazards.”
Dan Wachtler of Gig Harbor found the conditions Saturday to be better than he expected. He spent Friday night at a cabin at Crystal with some of his fellow construction management majors from the University of Washington.
He wasn’t expecting good conditions, so he stayed up until 4 a.m.
“When I woke up and saw the snow, I started booking down the hill to get my gear,” Wachtler said. “I was falling all over the place.
“But that’s OK. I’m getting my skiing in no matter what. … It looks fantastic. I’m excited, stoked and looking forward to a good year.”
from: http://www.thenewstribune.com/adventure/story/567166.html