Dec. 15th Crystal...I'm Pissed

With anticipation of buckets of new and dangerous BC conditions I opted to go up to Crystal and skip work to ski the new snow on the Upper Mt. Crystal was boasting about the top opening the previous day and all of yesterday. So excited and ready to tear some powder turns I somehow managed to convince my buddy to lend me ticket cash...53 bucks.. a lot for a ski bum. I need to eat to, but with conditions being really deep and all the great TR's I opted for a Crystal pass instead. Showed up early in A lot with pretty tame winds, less than expected. Felt a pain in my entire body as I forked over the 53 bucks in anticipation of Rex and Green Valley opening shortly. 10, 11, 12, 1 passed.. no lifts spinning. People were getting pissed. Upper mountain was on wind hold, funny I didn't feel any wind or precip most of the day, in fact even a little bluebird, not even any wisps of windblown off Campbell....Hmmmm. Finally Rex starts to spin and we wait and wait and wait some more. About an hour later the lift stops and they declare they will not open at all. A huge mob of angry skiers leaves the ramp...pissed. Basically Crystal gets away with charging 53 bucks for forest queen and really awful snow. Crust is a better word than snow. So after advertising and promising the faithful midweekers an opening, they bail. Really think I would pay 53 for forest queen.....I think not. The bottom line is that Crystal wants to save the goods for the weekend so they can make more money....my theory....good weather...been up on Campbell in way worse......This is bullshit and Boyne Mt. is an evil money craving corp. F crystal, F brighton, F Boyne......Go to Baker. Demanded a refund and all i get is a comment card for their false advertising, good thin I'm leaving for Utah tomorrow..Hope you all have good turns at Baker and not at Boyne Ripoff. Anyone who went today.....well I hope it was sick, cause I got the shaft. > > >

Beautiful rant!

I've been waiting to see if anyone was going to post this rant.  I was there.  Not willing to waste my lift ticket standing in line, I lapped by REX many times.  Waiting..........Ski patrol even told me REX WAS open.
"umm, I just went by and it wasn't open.??"  I said. 
"It should be" Patrol said.  "all our control work is done." 
The web site said it was closed for avy control, the snowline said it was because of wind ,and the lift ops said it was ice (Ice?!  @$#%*!  Isn't this a ski resort?).  They can't even get their own story straight!
Anyways, it started snowing pretty good in the afternoon, and I had fun skiing the Queen all day, although I couldn't help to look over my shoulder each time up at what could have been, REX, dead, not a hint of a breeze, and all that glorious pow that would have to wait 'till the weekend.

I couldn't help but reply to this one...

First off, I am not defending Crystal for their report, I thought it sounded a bit like wishful thinking when I called.

However, keep in mind that the founder and webmaster of this fine web site has put together all the weather and telemetry links that a person needs to view the hourly weather observations so you can get the true data, instead of a marketing person spin on what is happening.

If you go back to the hourly obs on the 14th the temperatures at the base were 38 degrees, and 32 at the top...also peak winds were up to 62 mph.

Anyone that would have taken the time to view the "hourlys", as my buddy's and I call them, would have known it was a no-go day.

Good luck in the future guys!

Photo attached from Saturday.

... just have to get used to Crystal Quirks...

It they know that the upper slopes are going to be closed, then they will discount the lift price.

However, if they think the upper mountain is going to be open and then it isn't, then you pay full.

It would be nice to know why they had closed the upper on Thursday, but thought it would be open on Friday even when conditions were still rough.

The people running Crystal do the best they can to predict, and forecast the weather, but one never knows for sure when it come to mother nature.  I would have tried to get a voucher for a partial credit, which I know they do from time to time.