Crystal

As the largest resort in Washington state and one of the few with on-site lodging, Crystal Mountain makes for an appealing package on paper. The resort offers a very well-rounded terrain experience for the Pacific Northwest, with diverse slopes and commendable annual snowfall. However, while it shouldn’t be ruled out immediately by destination-goers, a few notable drawbacks should be considered before booking a trip here.

Crystal offers an impressive variety of terrain across its decently-sized footprint. Top-to-bottom runs typically start as bowls and filter into defined tree runs and glades. Only a few mellower areas contain wholly below-treeline terrain.

Beginner and intermediate terrain mainly exists in pods. Green runs are quite limited; most exist in the lower-mountain Discovery and Quicksilver areas. One upper-mountain beginner run, Queen, exists off the Forest Queen lift; while better than nothing, it’s clear that the resort does not cater to first-timers.

The Forest Queen area and lower half of the Rainier lift offer the best intermediate terrain. These zones boast solid groomed cruisers with beautiful views on clear days. While blue trails exist across other upper mountain areas, they’re limited in number and pretty much just cutout road or groom tracks. The Kelly’s Gap run, which provides the main top-to-bottom way down for intermediates, regularly gets overrun with crowds.

Crystal really excels when it comes to advanced and expert offerings. Steep, gnarly pitches make up considerable portions of the resort and host obstacles such as rocks, cliffs, and trees. The most formidable lines require mandatory straight-lining in sections. Many of the toughest runs are directly lappable, although some involve traversing or long runouts.

Crystal has a few freestyle areas, but they fall short of others in the state. Across the resort’s three terrain parks, limited box features exist, as do a couple of rails, jumps, and jibs. Jump lines have returned in recent years but only go up to medium in size.

While Crystal already attracts lots of traffic thanks to its sizable footprint and convenient location from Seattle, poorly-thought-out lift setups result in some choke points across the resort. The Rainier Gondola—Crystal’s signature lift and the only direct top-to-bottom route on the mountain—was built with a much lower capacity than a typical gondola, with a slightly slower run speed and notably fewer cabins than normal. These drawbacks result in extraordinarily long queues for the gondola, even during non-peak times. Other less direct top-to-bottom lift routes do exist and generally see shorter lines, although they still get quite crowded on weekends and holidays.

Experienced visitors will feel the bulk of Crystal’s other lift drawbacks. The Chair 6 and Northway lifts, which service much of the mountain’s advanced and expert terrain, are low-capacity double chairs. While these setups help preserve snow quality, it can result in lengthy waits. This is especially true for Northway, where, with the exception of a few runs that only lead to parking lots, the lift is the only way to get back up the resort.

Crystal is a wider mountain than it is tall, with several distinct areas across its expansive footprint. But the resort’s lift logistics hamper the practicality of accessing some of this terrain. Some areas lack a dedicated lift and require traversing to get in and out of. Certain runs have flat or slightly uphill parts mid-trail. A substantial portion of top-to-bottom terrain to the skiers’ left of the base can only be directly lapped by the already-capacity-constrained gondola, with the long lines on that lift paired with traverses both in and out making it notably impractical to do so. Still, many runs, including the overwhelming majority of beginner and intermediate trails, are easy to find and access.

A considerable portion of Crystal’s advanced and expert terrain requires hiking to get to. Some hike paths lead to completely unique trails, while others chiefly provide access to slightly higher and less-tracked starting points on otherwise lift-serviced runs. Crystal’s most extreme trails, most notably the perilously steep, narrow chutes off Silver King peak, are up these hikes.

Washington state is already known for its impressive seasonal snow accumulation, and Crystal regularly sees some of the highest snowfall totals of any resort in the state. The resort also tends to receive better quality snow than some other Seattle-area resorts thanks to its higher elevation. However, accumulation still tends to be on the wet side, with new snow turning heavy and difficult to move through only hours after a storm. Snow quality tends to vary across elevations; upper-mountain areas tend to retain lighter snow for longer, while good snow near the base can disappear as quickly as it arrives.

Crystal’s temperatures hover around the freezing mark throughout the winter. The resort sees occasional rain on warmer days, which can decimate the resort’s conditions and cause the entire mountain to freeze over once temperatures drop back below freezing. Once more snow returns, this can also result in a crusty and icy base layer.

When it’s clear out, Crystal offers lines of sight to some of the most beautiful vistas in the Cascades. Mt. Rainier, the tallest mountain in Washington, is strikingly close and plainly visible from top resort areas. Other prominent mountains scatter the landscape as well. While Crystal’s in-bounds terrain itself can’t match the stunning aesthetic of neighboring landscapes, some upper-mountain advanced and expert areas, most notably Chair 6 and Northway, do offer isolation from the outside world. A few resort areas, most notably the top of the gondola, do feel somewhat commercialized, however.

While variable conditions can make for unpleasant times on the mountain, Crystal does offer a number of places to stop in for a break. The Summit House, arguably the most breathtaking of the bunch, sits next to the top of the gondola and offers clear views of Mt. Rainier on nice days. That being said, the restaurant is modestly sized and pressed for indoor seating during peak times (although some outdoor seating does exist). In addition, the food is quite pricey and service is sit-down only, making it difficult to stop in for a quick lunch.

Other on-mountain facilities offer quicker service or higher capacity. While quite small, the Tower 16 bar sits directly beneath the top gondola terminal and can be a great place to grab a quick drink. The large Campbell Basin lodge at the top of Forest Queen is less pricey than the summit restaurant, offering decent indoor and outdoor seating. And finally, Crystal’s base complex boasts an array of dining options with plenty of capacity both indoors and outdoors. One thing to note—it takes quite a while to reach the nearest facilities from Crystal’s expert Northway area.

Like many other Seattle-area mountains, Crystal offers night skiing on weekends and holidays during the core season, with some lifts spinning until as late as 8pm. Only a minuscule portion of beginner and intermediate terrain remains open during twilight operations, but it’s better than nothing.

Lodging

Crystal offers a few pricey but decent on-site lodging options. While short on amenities, these lodges sit a short distance from the gondola and boast in-house bars and restaurants. The Alta Crystal Resort, about 15 minutes from the ski area, offers upscale rooms, a hot tub, and a remote vibe.

For those looking to save a bit of cash, the nearest budget accommodations are almost an hour away in the town on Enumclaw. It takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to reach Crystal from Seattle—which, as the Pacific Northwest’s largest city, offers plenty of lodging options.

Aprés-ski

Crystal’s aprés-ski experience falls short of some other destination mountains due to its lack of a true base village or town. However, a couple of indoor and outdoor base bars offer enjoyable vibes after a day on the slopes. The best spot to hit is the Snorting Elk, which throws creatively-themed parties, hosts live music on weekends, and offers local drink deals on Wednesdays.

Verdict

So Crystal is probably the closest thing Washington state has to a true destination resort. But somewhat variable winters and lift capacity issues hurt its practicality as a fly-to vacation spot.

That being said, the resort arguably offers the most well-rounded experience of any Washington ski area thanks to its decently-sized footprint and impressive expert offerings. However, tickets are also the most expensive of any Washington resort, with prices reaching up to $149 for adults on peak days. While not quite as convenient for Seattle-area residents, some Canadian resorts a few hours north offer more compelling experiences at similar prices.