Crystal Mountain is a mountain and

alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

ski area A ski area is the terrain and supporting infrastructure where skiing and other snow sports take place. Such sports include alpine and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, tubing, sledding, etc. Ski areas may stand alone or be part of a ski resort. ...

in eastern Pierce County, Washington, United States, located in the Cascade Range southeast of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

. It is the largest ski resort in the state of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and lies within the

Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest The Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington is a National Forest extending more than along the western slopes of the Cascade Range from the Canada–US border to the northern boundary of Mount Rainier National Park. Administered ...

. The resort is accessible from the Seattle– Tacoma metropolitan area via State Route 410. Primarily a day-use area, Crystal has nine

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. Th ...

s, various dining locations, and multiple hotels. It is also home to the Mt. Rainier Gondola, which provides year-round access to the resort's summit and is the state's only high-speed

gondola The gondola (, ; vec, góndoła ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull, ...

. The gondola was installed in 2010. Crystal Mountain was acquired by the Alterra Mountain Company in 2018.

Location

Crystal Mountain is accessible from Enumclaw, by driving to the

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology A ...

entrance of

Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rainier National Park is an American national park located in southeast Pierce County and northeast Lewis County in Washington state. The park was established on March 2, 1899, as the fourth national park in the United States, preservi ...

, past the small town of Greenwater. The ski resort is located in the valley of the Silver Creek, a tributary of the White River, and on the east and north east slopes of Crystal Mountain. The main summit of Crystal, also called ''Silver King'', is (

NAVD88 The North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88) is the vertical datum for orthometric heights established for vertical control surveying in the United States of America based upon the General Adjustment of the North American Datum of 1988. ...

elevation) and is the highest land in a radius. Subsidiary peaks on the north ridge of Silver King are ''The Throne'' (), ''Silver Queen'' (ca. ), ''Grubstake Point'' (ca. ) and ''North Way Peak'' (). The latter three can be reached by ski lifts, and the resort has a Summit House on a shoulder just south of Grubstake. The summits offer an unobstructed view of Mount Rainier, which is less than west-south-west.

History

1960s

Crystal Mountain Resort opened in December 1962 with two double chairlifts. The first of these lifts, Miner's Basin, was decommissioned in the summer of 2011. Its route was close to that of the Gondola and ended by the top of the Exterminator and Deerfly runs. The other original lift (Iceberg Ridge) was removed when the Rainier Express was built. The site, just northeast of

, was chosen after some Tacoma skiers were unable to start a resort within the boundaries of the park. The Green Valley double chairlift was built the following summer, and the Quicksilver lift followed in 1964. In 1965, Crystal hosted the collegiate ski championships in late March and the following week the U.S. Alpine Ski Championships, which included famous racers such as

Karl Schranz Karl Schranz (born 18 November 1938) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria, one of the best of the 1960s and early 1970s. Born and raised in St. Anton, Tyrol, Schranz had a lengthy ski career, from 1957 to 1972. He won twenty maj ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, Olympic medalists

Jimmie Heuga James Frederic Heuga (September 22, 1943 – February 8, 2010) was an American alpine ski racer who became one of the first two members of the U.S. men's team to win an Olympic medal in his sport. After multiple sclerosis prematurely ended hi ...

and

Billy Kidd {{Infobox alpine ski racer , name = Billy Kidd , image = Billy Kidd skier 1970.jpg , image_size = 220 , caption = Kidd after winning the world title in 1970 , birth_date = {{birth date and ag ...

of the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, future triple gold medalist

Jean-Claude Killy Jean-Claude Killy (born 30 August 1943) is a French former World Cup alpine ski racer. He dominated the sport in the late 1960s, and was a triple Olympic champion, winning the three alpine events at the 1968 Winter Olympics, becoming the most su ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, and future gold medalist

Nancy Greene Nancy Catherine Greene Raine (born May 11, 1943) is a former Canadian Senator for British Columbia and an Olympian alpine skier voted as Canada's Female Athlete of the 20th Century. She was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Greene Raine won ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Crystal hosted the national championships again in 1968, a few weeks after the

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

. Kidd, Heuga, and Greene were again in the field, as well as

Spider Sabich Vladimir Peter Sabich Jr. (January 10, 1945 – March 21, 1976) was an American alpine ski racer, a member of the U.S. Ski Team on the World Cup circuit in the late 1960s. He competed at the 1968 Winter Olympics and was the pro ski racing cham ...

. Back from the Olympics and the World Cup tour, local

Judy Nagel Judy Ann Nagel (born August 27, 1951) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States. Early years Born in Seattle, Washington, Nagel was the younger of two daughters of an Olympic ski racer. She learned to ski and race at Stevens ...

won the women's slalom and combined titles at age sixteen. Five years earlier, her father Jack Nagel (1926–2004) and the racing school at Crystal were featured in ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...

'', with her older sister Cathy, then fourteen, on the cover.

1970s

The Campbell Basin chairlift opened in 1970, which 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. Two weeks after the 1972 Olympics, Crystal hosted the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

tour in late February

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

with two

downhill Downhill may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Downhill'' (1927 film), a British film by Alfred Hitchcock * ''Downhill'' (2014 film), a British comedy directed by James Rouse * ''Downhill'' (2016 film), a Chilean thriller directed by Patrici ...

s for both men and women, with the start above Campbell Basin. Weather forced a low start; the winning men's times were under 90 seconds. Newly-crowned Olympic downhill champion

Bernhard Russi Bernhard Russi (born 20 August 1948) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Switzerland. Born in Andermatt in the canton of Uri, he is an Olympic, World Cup, and World champion in the downhill event.Switzerland won the Saturday race and took second on Sunday. American Mike Lafferty of Eugene, Oregon, took second and fourth in the two downhills. A women's slalom scheduled for Sunday was cancelled due to weather. In 1974, Crystal added its first triple chairlift, Bullion Basin. High Campbell, the highest lift at Crystal, was added in 1976. It was pre-owned, purchased from the defunct Yodelin Ski Area near

Stevens Pass Stevens Pass (elevation ) is a mountain pass through the Cascade Mountains located at the border of King County and Chelan County in Washington, United States. U.S. Route 2 travels over the pass, reaching a maximum elevation of . The Pacific ...

. High Campbell serves the summit of Silver Queen and provides access to The Throne, Silver King, Campbell Basin, Avalanche Basin, and Silver Basin.

1980s

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.

's first high-speed detachable quad chairlift, the Rainier Express was installed in the summer of 1988, replacing the original chair 2. 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. 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 is the Crystal Mountain Founder's Club.

1990s

In the mid-1990s, 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 Boyne Resorts is an owner and operator of ski and golf resorts in the United States. The company employs over 7,000 full-time and seasonal staff. It operates 13 resort properties: 10 ski resorts and 11 golf courses. The company, based in Boy ...

in March 1997. The deal directed Boyne to spend at least $15 million in capital improvements during the first ten years. In the first two years, Doppelmayr constructed two high speed six passenger chairlifts, the Chinook and Forest Queen Express lifts to replace Midway Shuttle and Rendezvous, respectively (Midway Shuttle being relocated to

Loup Loup Ski Bowl Loup Loup Ski Bowl is a ski area located in Okanogan County, Washington, midway between the towns of Twisp, Washington, Twisp and Okanogan, Washington, Okanogan on State Route 20 (Washington), Highway 20. The ski area's season generally runs fro ...

). Boyne also made other improvements such as a new rental facility, paved parking lots, and five new Bombardier snowcat grooming machines.

2000s

The Green Valley double chairlift was replaced with a high-speed quad in the summer of 2000, constructed by Doppelmayr. In the summer of 2007, Crystal underwent a major expansion, building the Northway chairlift in the former North Backcountry. This increased developed terrain by 70% to . In addition, the Summit House restaurant was remodeled.

2010s

During the summer of 2010, a terrain park was constructed and the Mt. Rainier

Gondola The gondola (, ; vec, góndoła ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull, ...

was installed by Doppelmayr, which travels directly from the base area to the summit house, and its first day of operation was New Year's Day 2011. During an extremely severe avalanche period on March 10, 2014, the ski patrol triggered an avalanche as part of normal control work, which destroyed the High Campbell chairlift. During the summer of 2014 work to replace the High Campbell and Quicksilver chairs was initiated. A Skytrac double chairlift was built quickly to replace High Campbell, renamed Chair 6,. The Quicksilver chair was replaced with a fixed grip quad that had originally operated at

Deer Valley Resort Deer Valley is an alpine ski resort in the Wasatch Range, located east of Salt Lake City, in Park City, Utah, United States. The resort, known for its upscale amenities, is consistently ranked among the top ski resorts in North America. Deer ...

as Deer Crest. The top station was lowered to cut off the steep top part of the Quicksilver Run, now rated a green, over a blue. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for both chairs was held on January 8, 2015, at 9AM for Quicksilver and 10AM for Chair 6. Crystal Mountain was acquired by John Kircher on March 31, 2017. This lasted one full season until Alterra Mountain Company agreed to purchase Crystal Mountain on September 6, 2018. In March 2022, Crystal Mountain Resort and Alterra Mountain Company announced a $100 million redevelopment program that would include a new food and retail building, a 100-room hotel, and additional parking lots. The announcement also brought a $700 increase in season pass costs for the 2022–23 season in addition to increased parking costs.

World Cup alpine racers

*Alan Lauba (b.1961) * Libby Ludlow (b.1981) * Scott Macartney (b.1978) *Paul McDonald (b.1984) *Cathy Nagel (b.1949) *

(b.1951) *Tatum Skoglund (b.1978)

Master Development Plan

Following the acquisition by

, Crystal Mountain submitted a Master Development Plan (MDP) to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), which included six alternatives for redevelopment of the mountain. A draft

environmental impact study Environmental Impact assessment (EIA) is the assessment of the environmental consequences of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action. In this context, the term "environmental imp ...

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.

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 and opened on January 1, 2011. * ''High Campbell "Chair 6" Replacement'' (C-2) provided direct lift access to the area around Silver Queen and the Southback area. Previously, this area was served by a fixed-grip double known as High Campbell. The old chair was destroyed by an avalanche in March 2014 and was inoperable. The new lift is a fixed-grip double chairlift from Skytrac, installed in the summer of 2014 with a top terminal on Silver Queen at 7002', still providing access to Powder Bowl, Southback and Campbell Basin. The new chair can withstand higher winds than the original. * ''Quicksilver Replacement'' (C-4) provides access to the green circle Quicksilver and black diamond Boondoggle runs and is accessed by the Discovery triple. Previously, this chair was served by a fixed-grip double installed and left untouched since 1964. Crystal Mountain wanted to make the terrain more beginner-friendly and lowered the top station by 250 feet to avoid the steep slope at the top. The Quicksilver run was previously a blue square but was changed to a green circle. The base station is equipped with a loading carpet to ease the loading process. The new lift is a fixed-grip quad chairlift from Garaventa CTEC, which originally had operated at

in Utah as the Deer Crest lift before being replaced with a high speed quad in 2012. Quicksilver was built with a top terminal altitude of around 5200'. The new chair has double the uphill capacity, and the Quicksilver trail was regraded over the summer to make it more beginner-friendly.

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.https://web.archive.org/web/20220303185256/https://www.fs.usda.gov/nfs/11558/www/nepa/5348_FSPLT3_4263892.pdf * ''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. * ''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 (''Ptarmigan'', S1) and new Bullion Base (''Pika'', S2) * High speed replacements for the Quicksilver and Discovery chairs with no additional trail development.

Rejected by Forest Service

*Silver King lift, this lift would have started on Queen's Run and serviced the summit of Silver King.

References

External links

*
Ski Lifts.org
- photos of lifts at Crystal Mountain
Ski Map.org
– trail maps – Crystal Mountain {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Pierce County, Washington Ski areas and resorts in Washington (state) Tourist attractions in Pierce County, Washington