Webmaster
09-24-2007, 03:51 PM
Crystal Mountain ski resort is very busy getting ready for the approaching ski season. There is work going on all over the resort. As soon as you approach the resort, the 2 large lower parking lots are heavily occupied. But not with vehicles. One lot has fallen trees in the process of being converted into building materials and the other is being used as a staging area for parts the new chairlift. The base area buildings almost all have a fresh coat of paint on the outside and I could see that new paint was going inside as well as other construction.
I've been a frequent visitor to Crystal since the 1970s, but only in recent years have I come to the area outside of the ski season. I missed a lot in those years. Now I enjoy the resort in the off season as much as when snow deeply covers the ground. Crystal is one of the most scenic areas around. It is next to Mt Rainier National Park and because most visitors to the area go to the Park, on any given day Crystal has only a tiny fraction of the visitors that Mt Rainier does. Plus, unknown to most, Crystal offers some of the most pleasurable hiking to be offered anywhere.
Today’s outing was a tour of the area, culminating in a look at the new, not yet finished “Northway” chairlift. The trip started at Crystal’s upper parking lot which is at about 4,400 feet above sea level. The temperature gage in my car said it was 44 degrees out, and by looking around I could see it was windy. Perfect conditions for hiking up hill. I followed a wide gravel covered trail that lead from the base area along the route of the “Discovery” chair lift and then chair 4. The Chair 4 lift had all of its seats removed and it was in the process of getting a shiny new lift cable. This kind of maintenance is highly indicative of what it takes to operate a ski resort. Chair lift technology, which is the core transport system used at the resort, is very complex. It is built to run flawlessly in the worst conditions the area can dish out and must protect any number of people on or around the lift. Due to this, it is common for the resort operators to check every nut, bolt, cable and electrical line in painstaking detail. It takes a number of formidable efforts, which few even realize takes place. That is a high compliment to those who do the work.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA1L.jpg
The first 20 minutes of this hike are the toughest for me. The trail transitions from a mild to a very steep uphill grade. It gets the body, heart, lungs, and legs working in a hurry. When hiking steep grades, one of the tricks I employ to not over work my heart is to use a heart rate monitor. This shows my heart rate, second by second. To help keep the rate down on steep terrain, I take short steps and stop to rest here and there. I’ve found that by keeping my heart under a certain rate, my sense of being tired and winded just doesn’t happen. Not only that, but the exercise leads to a very addictive euphoria. Many who are inexperienced will push themselves too hard and end up needlessly winded and sore in short order.
About a 3rd of the way up the trail along Chair 4, the trail turns to the right and guides me up to the base of the Forest Queen Express lift, which is a 6 passenger high speed detachable lift that was installed a few years ago. The lift offers a convenient place to sit for a moment after hiking up a rough equivalent of a 40 story tower.
After my rest I continued along the trail as it continued up past the location that is the top of the “Chinook Express” lift, which is another 6 passenger high speed detachable lift, and also to the base of the “Rainier Express” or “REX” lift, which is a 4 passenger high speed detachable lift. These are both at about a mile above sea level, or about 720 vertical feet above where I started. Like Chair 4, many of the chairs on REX have been removed from the lift cable, so that maintenance can be done.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA2L.jpg
It is around this elevation where the scenery starts getting interesting. The elevation affords expansive views of what lies below, and also permits a glimpse of what awaits. Here is part of the “Lucky Shot” ski run, with the oh so delightful “Power Bowl” area above.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA3L.jpg
From this point on the mountain, the trek to the top of REX is straight foreword. The trail works its way diagonally up and across the area called “Memorial Forest” and this segment of the trail reaches its peak at the top of the steep and typically groomed to perfection run called “Iceberg Gulch.”
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA4L.jpg
A little beyond this area is the top of a brutally challenging run aptly named “Exterminator.” The vantage point offers the opportunity to see where the day’s trek begin....
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA5L.jpg
...and where it is heading. As I gazed down it occurred to that one of the many nice things about this time of year is that it’s easy to get front row parking!
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA6L.jpg
A short while later I made my way to the top of REX at a little under 7,000 feet above sea level. I’d hiked my way to the clouds, and got an enchanting view of the surrounding mountain tops. On a clear day you can see as far south as Mt Hood to the South and Mt Baker to the North. Today the clouds are flirting with the peaks and restrict the view to merely a few miles.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA7L.jpg
Here the area called “Powder Bowl” is presented in all it’s majesty. This area is a north facing slope on a peak called Silver King and is in the foreground with Silver Queen just behind it. Hiking up to any of these peaks is a fine way to spend a day. The peak I’m on has a minor advantage in that it is the only one with a well defined trail leading to it. While I took in the view I noted that the Summit House is experiencing some extensive remodelling inside. Heavy plastic covering the windows obscures much of what is going on, but I could see a number of large wood working tools. After a brief rest and a check of my time to the top (about 2 hours and 20 minutes), I continued across the top of the area known as ”Green Valley,” past the Green Valley Express lift, and towards the new Northway lift.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA8L.jpg
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA9L.jpg
I was amazed at the amount of work that has gone into preparing the lift site. When completed, the lift will be a 2 seat fixed grip lift with an uphill capacity of about 1,200 people per hour. The mountain management wisely decided to limit the volume of skiers in the area, to maintain the backcountry experience the area offers, and so they are building a lift that will serve that end. Also, given the extremely challenging nature of some of the terrain, I'm sure everyone will welcome the rest period of less than 10 minutes that the lift will take to carry it’s passengers from bottom to top. The upper most portion of the construction project required carving a trail and removing a notch from top of Northway Peak. When I hiked into to the area, the steel rebar framework for the massive concrete support of the lift was in place but not yet poured. The work is all the more impressive when I stopped to consider that all the heavy equipment and supplies used for this project had to come up the same trail I just did.
And the project is far from done. I was looking down the upper path that the lift will take and was surprised to see that no lift towers were yet in place. I could see major parts were completed -- what I guess are the mounting pads for the towers were in place. I was also highly impressed in the minimal impact the work had caused the area. Yes, swaths of trees were cut for both the lift line as well as new trails, but they were cut with impressively little damage to the ground. The vast majority of the trees that were cut down were removed by helicopter to the base area, and only minimal equipment was used on the slopes. The care taken to protect the terrain is a big part of why the project is proceeding slowly.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA10L.jpg
The terrain made accessible by this lift is about 1,000 acres which are among the most breath taking in the area. Visitors are in for a treat that is unequalled. Crystal has always offered an outstanding variety of terrain, and the most challenging the area offers caters towards skiers and snow boarders who are amongst the advanced intermediate to expert in skill levels. Over the years, I've skied at about 20 big mountain resorts in the west. Crystal truly has as much or more to offer than just about any other resort. While the Northwest doesn’t often get “Champaign powder,” what we typically get at this elevation is usually sublime. Combined with the terrain and views, and there is little out there that matches Crystal’s offerings. Even when this area, formerly called Crystal’s North Backcountry, required hiking into and a tough traverse along the “Ho Chi Minh trail” at the bottom to get back to the resort’s base area, the North Backcountry offered more opportunity for heart pounding challenging exhilaration than most have the ability to ski for more than part of a day.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA11L.jpg
The photo above provides a look from where the top of the lift will be, along the ridge line. While only a tiny part of the new and highly convoluted area, it is suggestive. To the right of the ridge is the Snorting Elk trail leading to the bottom of the Green Valley Express lift. Alternately one can follow the ridge line to the expert and delightful Right Angle run. To the left of the ridge is a cliff and chute dappled area leading to several expansive bowls including Paradise Bowl and Bruce’s Bowl. One can go further north and get a dose of adrenalin powered glee on Morning Glory Bowl or Brand X, to name only a few of offerings the Northway lift will make within easy reach. In addition, there are a vast array of expert glades and chutes in the area. And there are several new trails which will permit easy access to the lift’s base area. This new area offers enough challenge to repeatedly satiate even the most demanding expert snow rider, while also permitting an advanced intermediate to have any number of runs to savour. I don’t think anyone could ever grow tired of skiing in this area!
The wind was pretty constant and the fast moving clouds were seductive.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA13L.jpg
As a bit of snow fell, I took the hint and started down hill, following the newly cut ski trail illustrated by the photo above.
With the bottom of the Green Valley Express lift in sight, I headed towards the Kelley’s Gap trail, which I followed back to the base area.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA14L.jpg
As the shadows quickly grew up the opposite hillside, I continued downward, but stopped to get a snap of some late blooming flowers.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA15L.jpg
One thing I hope that Crystal’s management will do is to place signage similar to the one below at the top of the cliffy areas in the newly accessible territory. Some snow riders have a desire to explore that throws caution to the wind. Couple this desire with the speeds obtainable while on a steep, snow covered hillside, and a little more warning is a good thing. Crystal’s management is excellent and thoughtful, so I'm sure they will do a great job. My hat is certainly off to them for their ongoing series of astounding efforts!
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA16.jpg
According to my heart rate monitor, my outing today was almost exactly 5 hours and I’d burned about 2800 calories.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CM17L.jpg
On the ride down Crystal Mountain Boulevard, I stopped to capture the 4 second long exposure above. All and all it was delightful day.
I've been a frequent visitor to Crystal since the 1970s, but only in recent years have I come to the area outside of the ski season. I missed a lot in those years. Now I enjoy the resort in the off season as much as when snow deeply covers the ground. Crystal is one of the most scenic areas around. It is next to Mt Rainier National Park and because most visitors to the area go to the Park, on any given day Crystal has only a tiny fraction of the visitors that Mt Rainier does. Plus, unknown to most, Crystal offers some of the most pleasurable hiking to be offered anywhere.
Today’s outing was a tour of the area, culminating in a look at the new, not yet finished “Northway” chairlift. The trip started at Crystal’s upper parking lot which is at about 4,400 feet above sea level. The temperature gage in my car said it was 44 degrees out, and by looking around I could see it was windy. Perfect conditions for hiking up hill. I followed a wide gravel covered trail that lead from the base area along the route of the “Discovery” chair lift and then chair 4. The Chair 4 lift had all of its seats removed and it was in the process of getting a shiny new lift cable. This kind of maintenance is highly indicative of what it takes to operate a ski resort. Chair lift technology, which is the core transport system used at the resort, is very complex. It is built to run flawlessly in the worst conditions the area can dish out and must protect any number of people on or around the lift. Due to this, it is common for the resort operators to check every nut, bolt, cable and electrical line in painstaking detail. It takes a number of formidable efforts, which few even realize takes place. That is a high compliment to those who do the work.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA1L.jpg
The first 20 minutes of this hike are the toughest for me. The trail transitions from a mild to a very steep uphill grade. It gets the body, heart, lungs, and legs working in a hurry. When hiking steep grades, one of the tricks I employ to not over work my heart is to use a heart rate monitor. This shows my heart rate, second by second. To help keep the rate down on steep terrain, I take short steps and stop to rest here and there. I’ve found that by keeping my heart under a certain rate, my sense of being tired and winded just doesn’t happen. Not only that, but the exercise leads to a very addictive euphoria. Many who are inexperienced will push themselves too hard and end up needlessly winded and sore in short order.
About a 3rd of the way up the trail along Chair 4, the trail turns to the right and guides me up to the base of the Forest Queen Express lift, which is a 6 passenger high speed detachable lift that was installed a few years ago. The lift offers a convenient place to sit for a moment after hiking up a rough equivalent of a 40 story tower.
After my rest I continued along the trail as it continued up past the location that is the top of the “Chinook Express” lift, which is another 6 passenger high speed detachable lift, and also to the base of the “Rainier Express” or “REX” lift, which is a 4 passenger high speed detachable lift. These are both at about a mile above sea level, or about 720 vertical feet above where I started. Like Chair 4, many of the chairs on REX have been removed from the lift cable, so that maintenance can be done.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA2L.jpg
It is around this elevation where the scenery starts getting interesting. The elevation affords expansive views of what lies below, and also permits a glimpse of what awaits. Here is part of the “Lucky Shot” ski run, with the oh so delightful “Power Bowl” area above.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA3L.jpg
From this point on the mountain, the trek to the top of REX is straight foreword. The trail works its way diagonally up and across the area called “Memorial Forest” and this segment of the trail reaches its peak at the top of the steep and typically groomed to perfection run called “Iceberg Gulch.”
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA4L.jpg
A little beyond this area is the top of a brutally challenging run aptly named “Exterminator.” The vantage point offers the opportunity to see where the day’s trek begin....
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA5L.jpg
...and where it is heading. As I gazed down it occurred to that one of the many nice things about this time of year is that it’s easy to get front row parking!
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA6L.jpg
A short while later I made my way to the top of REX at a little under 7,000 feet above sea level. I’d hiked my way to the clouds, and got an enchanting view of the surrounding mountain tops. On a clear day you can see as far south as Mt Hood to the South and Mt Baker to the North. Today the clouds are flirting with the peaks and restrict the view to merely a few miles.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA7L.jpg
Here the area called “Powder Bowl” is presented in all it’s majesty. This area is a north facing slope on a peak called Silver King and is in the foreground with Silver Queen just behind it. Hiking up to any of these peaks is a fine way to spend a day. The peak I’m on has a minor advantage in that it is the only one with a well defined trail leading to it. While I took in the view I noted that the Summit House is experiencing some extensive remodelling inside. Heavy plastic covering the windows obscures much of what is going on, but I could see a number of large wood working tools. After a brief rest and a check of my time to the top (about 2 hours and 20 minutes), I continued across the top of the area known as ”Green Valley,” past the Green Valley Express lift, and towards the new Northway lift.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA8L.jpg
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA9L.jpg
I was amazed at the amount of work that has gone into preparing the lift site. When completed, the lift will be a 2 seat fixed grip lift with an uphill capacity of about 1,200 people per hour. The mountain management wisely decided to limit the volume of skiers in the area, to maintain the backcountry experience the area offers, and so they are building a lift that will serve that end. Also, given the extremely challenging nature of some of the terrain, I'm sure everyone will welcome the rest period of less than 10 minutes that the lift will take to carry it’s passengers from bottom to top. The upper most portion of the construction project required carving a trail and removing a notch from top of Northway Peak. When I hiked into to the area, the steel rebar framework for the massive concrete support of the lift was in place but not yet poured. The work is all the more impressive when I stopped to consider that all the heavy equipment and supplies used for this project had to come up the same trail I just did.
And the project is far from done. I was looking down the upper path that the lift will take and was surprised to see that no lift towers were yet in place. I could see major parts were completed -- what I guess are the mounting pads for the towers were in place. I was also highly impressed in the minimal impact the work had caused the area. Yes, swaths of trees were cut for both the lift line as well as new trails, but they were cut with impressively little damage to the ground. The vast majority of the trees that were cut down were removed by helicopter to the base area, and only minimal equipment was used on the slopes. The care taken to protect the terrain is a big part of why the project is proceeding slowly.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA10L.jpg
The terrain made accessible by this lift is about 1,000 acres which are among the most breath taking in the area. Visitors are in for a treat that is unequalled. Crystal has always offered an outstanding variety of terrain, and the most challenging the area offers caters towards skiers and snow boarders who are amongst the advanced intermediate to expert in skill levels. Over the years, I've skied at about 20 big mountain resorts in the west. Crystal truly has as much or more to offer than just about any other resort. While the Northwest doesn’t often get “Champaign powder,” what we typically get at this elevation is usually sublime. Combined with the terrain and views, and there is little out there that matches Crystal’s offerings. Even when this area, formerly called Crystal’s North Backcountry, required hiking into and a tough traverse along the “Ho Chi Minh trail” at the bottom to get back to the resort’s base area, the North Backcountry offered more opportunity for heart pounding challenging exhilaration than most have the ability to ski for more than part of a day.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA11L.jpg
The photo above provides a look from where the top of the lift will be, along the ridge line. While only a tiny part of the new and highly convoluted area, it is suggestive. To the right of the ridge is the Snorting Elk trail leading to the bottom of the Green Valley Express lift. Alternately one can follow the ridge line to the expert and delightful Right Angle run. To the left of the ridge is a cliff and chute dappled area leading to several expansive bowls including Paradise Bowl and Bruce’s Bowl. One can go further north and get a dose of adrenalin powered glee on Morning Glory Bowl or Brand X, to name only a few of offerings the Northway lift will make within easy reach. In addition, there are a vast array of expert glades and chutes in the area. And there are several new trails which will permit easy access to the lift’s base area. This new area offers enough challenge to repeatedly satiate even the most demanding expert snow rider, while also permitting an advanced intermediate to have any number of runs to savour. I don’t think anyone could ever grow tired of skiing in this area!
The wind was pretty constant and the fast moving clouds were seductive.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA13L.jpg
As a bit of snow fell, I took the hint and started down hill, following the newly cut ski trail illustrated by the photo above.
With the bottom of the Green Valley Express lift in sight, I headed towards the Kelley’s Gap trail, which I followed back to the base area.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA14L.jpg
As the shadows quickly grew up the opposite hillside, I continued downward, but stopped to get a snap of some late blooming flowers.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA15L.jpg
One thing I hope that Crystal’s management will do is to place signage similar to the one below at the top of the cliffy areas in the newly accessible territory. Some snow riders have a desire to explore that throws caution to the wind. Couple this desire with the speeds obtainable while on a steep, snow covered hillside, and a little more warning is a good thing. Crystal’s management is excellent and thoughtful, so I'm sure they will do a great job. My hat is certainly off to them for their ongoing series of astounding efforts!
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CA16.jpg
According to my heart rate monitor, my outing today was almost exactly 5 hours and I’d burned about 2800 calories.
http://explore-greenwater.com/pix/CM17L.jpg
On the ride down Crystal Mountain Boulevard, I stopped to capture the 4 second long exposure above. All and all it was delightful day.