Webmaster
12-14-2006, 06:41 PM
The great secret of Washington skiing, Crystal Mountain is a big, wild mountain in the shadow of Mount Rainier, 90 minutes from Seattle. Crystal's steeps and tree skiing are world-class, the snow reliably deep but Northwest-sloppy. There is intimate rustic lodging but a limited nightlife.
Crystal Mountain is a 7,000-foot peak just east and a little north of Mount Rainier, literally in the volcano's evening shadow. Crystal shares Rainier's weather, pulling copious snow out of storms tracking in from the Gulf of Alaska. While Crystal's powder often falls al dente, the mountain provides plenty of pitch to keep expert skiers moving through it.
Crystal is also the best-kept secret in American skiing. Who would believe that you could take an area with 2,300 acres of skiable terrain, 3,100 feet of steep vertical, ten lifts, and 30 feet of snowfall in an average year and hide it in such a way that folks in the Midwest and California have never heard of it? Crystal owes some of its obscurity to the fact that there are smaller Crystal Mountains in Michigan (375 vertical feet) and in British Columbia (600 vertical feet). Outside the lucky state of Washington, skiers may simply be confused.
Getting to the big Crystal means a 90-minute drive from either Seattle or Tacoma. To navigate from Enumclaw, pick up Route 410 to the east and climb this two-lane forest track along the Greenwater and White rivers until the road ends. Turn left and drive six miles up the ski area access road. During the winter months, Crystal is the only destination on this route, and the only traffic will be skier traffic. Carry chains for use on the steep access road. You can also ride the weekend bus from Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Renton, and Enumclaw (call (800) 665-2122 for reservations).
The ski area sits below a ridgeline that crests at four different places, making for lots of subsidiary ridges and intervening bowls to catch and shelter the powder. While the mountain is wild, with a potentially confusing diversity of bowls and chutes, the lifts are laid out intelligently. Most lower lifts—especially Discovery and Quicksilver at the head of the valley (to your left as you look up from the base lodge) are of a gentle to moderate pitch and are appropriate for beginners and low intermediates. The third lift here, Gold Hills, serves a broad intermediate slope designed for setting slalom and GS courses. The upper lifts, those going to the ridgeline, serve mostly advanced and expert terrain, with a few long, rolling cruisers, but nothing appropriate for new skiers or even for hesitant intermediates. Two huge backcountry areas provide plenty of natural snow challenge for experts.
If Crystal has a drawback, it's the weather. When the weather is nice, the grooming crews turn the cruising runs into smooth carpets, and the views of Rainier and the surrounding Cascade ridges are superb. But when a three-day Gulf of Alaska storm rolls in, visibility in the bowls drops to nil in snow and fog. Experts revel in steep powder chutes and glades, but intermediates bog down in heavy Cascade concrete. You don't get 350 inches of snow in an average year without enduring storm cycles. I've talked with Seattle-area skiers who complain that in their years of skiing Crystal they've never seen the sun, and then there are others who swear the weather's always fine. The trick is to live in the Seattle-Tacoma area and to go skiing on the day after the storm breaks.
Parking is plentiful and free, but only the early arrivals get to park close in at the upper lot. The lower lots stretch half a mile away down the road, which means a ride on a shuttle or a long uphill trudge to the lifts. The base lodge climbs the hill, too—buy your lift ticket at the bottom of the steps before heading up toward the lodge and lifts, or you'll just have to cycle back later and start the climb over again.
Convenient lodging
Crystal Village has only three hotels plus two small condo complexes. All are situated within walking distance of the lifts. For hotel reservations call (888) 754-6400; for condominium reservations, call (888) 668-4368. At the base of Crystal Mountain is Alta Crystal, offering chalet-style accommodations. For reservations, call (800) 277-6475.
Best eats
At the base, visit the Cascade Grill in the Day Lodge for breakfast or lunch, or for table service lunches, there's The Bullwheel on the top floor of the lodge. On the mountain, the Summit House (at the top of Rainier Express) serves pizza and pasta. For deli and sit-down dining, try the Snorting Elk at the Alpine Inn (soup, sandwiches, chicken, and steak).
Crystal Mountain data
Mountain statistics
Vertical feet 3,100 feet
Base elevation 4,400 feet
Summit elevation 7,012 feet
Longest run 2.5 miles
Average annual snowfall 340 inches
Number of lifts 10: 2 high-speed quads; 2 high-speed detachable six-person lifts; 2 triples; 3 doubles; 1 children's surface lift
Uphill capacity 19,110 skiers per hour
Skiable terrain 2,300 acres
Opening date Mid-November
Closing date Mid-April
Snowboarding Yes
Transportation
By car: From Seattle or Tacoma, 90 minutes via Route 167 to the Puyallup area, then Route 410 east.
By bus: Daily service from Kent, Auburn, and Enumclaw. Call the ski area for
schedule.
By air: Major carriers to Sea-Tac Airport.
Key phone numbers
Ski-area information (360) 663-2265
Snow report (888) 754-6199
Website www.skicrystal.com
source http://travel.msn.com/Guides/article.aspx?cp-documentid=257318
Crystal Mountain is a 7,000-foot peak just east and a little north of Mount Rainier, literally in the volcano's evening shadow. Crystal shares Rainier's weather, pulling copious snow out of storms tracking in from the Gulf of Alaska. While Crystal's powder often falls al dente, the mountain provides plenty of pitch to keep expert skiers moving through it.
Crystal is also the best-kept secret in American skiing. Who would believe that you could take an area with 2,300 acres of skiable terrain, 3,100 feet of steep vertical, ten lifts, and 30 feet of snowfall in an average year and hide it in such a way that folks in the Midwest and California have never heard of it? Crystal owes some of its obscurity to the fact that there are smaller Crystal Mountains in Michigan (375 vertical feet) and in British Columbia (600 vertical feet). Outside the lucky state of Washington, skiers may simply be confused.
Getting to the big Crystal means a 90-minute drive from either Seattle or Tacoma. To navigate from Enumclaw, pick up Route 410 to the east and climb this two-lane forest track along the Greenwater and White rivers until the road ends. Turn left and drive six miles up the ski area access road. During the winter months, Crystal is the only destination on this route, and the only traffic will be skier traffic. Carry chains for use on the steep access road. You can also ride the weekend bus from Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Renton, and Enumclaw (call (800) 665-2122 for reservations).
The ski area sits below a ridgeline that crests at four different places, making for lots of subsidiary ridges and intervening bowls to catch and shelter the powder. While the mountain is wild, with a potentially confusing diversity of bowls and chutes, the lifts are laid out intelligently. Most lower lifts—especially Discovery and Quicksilver at the head of the valley (to your left as you look up from the base lodge) are of a gentle to moderate pitch and are appropriate for beginners and low intermediates. The third lift here, Gold Hills, serves a broad intermediate slope designed for setting slalom and GS courses. The upper lifts, those going to the ridgeline, serve mostly advanced and expert terrain, with a few long, rolling cruisers, but nothing appropriate for new skiers or even for hesitant intermediates. Two huge backcountry areas provide plenty of natural snow challenge for experts.
If Crystal has a drawback, it's the weather. When the weather is nice, the grooming crews turn the cruising runs into smooth carpets, and the views of Rainier and the surrounding Cascade ridges are superb. But when a three-day Gulf of Alaska storm rolls in, visibility in the bowls drops to nil in snow and fog. Experts revel in steep powder chutes and glades, but intermediates bog down in heavy Cascade concrete. You don't get 350 inches of snow in an average year without enduring storm cycles. I've talked with Seattle-area skiers who complain that in their years of skiing Crystal they've never seen the sun, and then there are others who swear the weather's always fine. The trick is to live in the Seattle-Tacoma area and to go skiing on the day after the storm breaks.
Parking is plentiful and free, but only the early arrivals get to park close in at the upper lot. The lower lots stretch half a mile away down the road, which means a ride on a shuttle or a long uphill trudge to the lifts. The base lodge climbs the hill, too—buy your lift ticket at the bottom of the steps before heading up toward the lodge and lifts, or you'll just have to cycle back later and start the climb over again.
Convenient lodging
Crystal Village has only three hotels plus two small condo complexes. All are situated within walking distance of the lifts. For hotel reservations call (888) 754-6400; for condominium reservations, call (888) 668-4368. At the base of Crystal Mountain is Alta Crystal, offering chalet-style accommodations. For reservations, call (800) 277-6475.
Best eats
At the base, visit the Cascade Grill in the Day Lodge for breakfast or lunch, or for table service lunches, there's The Bullwheel on the top floor of the lodge. On the mountain, the Summit House (at the top of Rainier Express) serves pizza and pasta. For deli and sit-down dining, try the Snorting Elk at the Alpine Inn (soup, sandwiches, chicken, and steak).
Crystal Mountain data
Mountain statistics
Vertical feet 3,100 feet
Base elevation 4,400 feet
Summit elevation 7,012 feet
Longest run 2.5 miles
Average annual snowfall 340 inches
Number of lifts 10: 2 high-speed quads; 2 high-speed detachable six-person lifts; 2 triples; 3 doubles; 1 children's surface lift
Uphill capacity 19,110 skiers per hour
Skiable terrain 2,300 acres
Opening date Mid-November
Closing date Mid-April
Snowboarding Yes
Transportation
By car: From Seattle or Tacoma, 90 minutes via Route 167 to the Puyallup area, then Route 410 east.
By bus: Daily service from Kent, Auburn, and Enumclaw. Call the ski area for
schedule.
By air: Major carriers to Sea-Tac Airport.
Key phone numbers
Ski-area information (360) 663-2265
Snow report (888) 754-6199
Website www.skicrystal.com
source http://travel.msn.com/Guides/article.aspx?cp-documentid=257318