Very unscientific poll re: Crystal Mountain

Question: If there were another mountain with the same quality terrain, the exact same driving distance from your home as Crystal Mountain - we'll call this mountain "Ski Hypo" - would the way Crystal Mountain's management - Boyne USA - treats you, cause you to ski at "Ski Hypo" instead?

Phrased differently: Are you annoyed enough w/ Crystal's management style - or lack thereof - that you'd take your business elsewhere, if there was an elsewhere that was as good and as close to your home? Have at it.

Disclaimer. I LOVE CRYSTAL"S TERRAIN AND THE EMPLOYEES. THIS IS ABOUT CRYSTAL MANAGEMENT'S TREATMENT OF SKIERS AND RIDERS. Carry on.

OK Guys and Gals , can we please lighten up, CM has had the best snow year I can remember since 1970, I've been camped out here in B-lot since last Wed and have watched Crystal staff including John and Kim and every liftie, cat driver, patroler and busser bust their butts day after day to provide a great experience for their guests. Yes CM is a corp not a co-op, yes ticket sales and food pay the bills and spin the lifts, yes sometimes it is hard to concentrate on draining the swamp when you're up to your waist in alligators or the lift line is not 100% perfect, yes there are a limited amount of resources to allocate. CM is a Winter Wonderland not a workers paradise. If CM does not meet your expectations by all means try other venues, I've spent a lot more money for a lot less than I get at Crystal. I've spent three weeks at Whistler so far this year and still come back loving CM and feeling so very fortunate to have this wonderful resource in my backyard. These past two weeks CM has absorbed a ton of sliders and riders from Snoqualimie and Stevens and done a great job with all the new faces who perhaps don't know Crystal well or its best practices. I can't count the number of times I've had newcomers in the slack country ask for directions or an easy route out the past few days. Resort skiing and boarding are by their nature sports of personal satisfaction and accomplishment done in a multi person envioroment, just try and count the number of people it takes to plow the lots, groom the groomers, make the coffee and burgers, run the lifts, sell the tickets, drive the shuttles, tend the wrecks and throw the bombs. I understand there are a few job openings for those who would like to see how it works from the other side of the table, just ask Snow Girl for an application. By the way if you want to sit at Gary's table be sure and get a ticket. Peace

I have had my share of "Grrrrrr" moments at Crystal, but I love skiing there.  Many times I am just curious as to how they could screw things up.  And yes, I have been tempted to spread out my ski money a bit.  Being that they also manage The Summit, it takes away that option.

I guess I have just gotten used to the peculiarities of Crystal.   It makes it so much more enjoyable when I go to Park City or Deer Valley (not really a fair comparison).

Cyrstal is Crystal... a little strange.  I can live with it.

Not all Crystal's fault.  Washington State hates the ski industry.  It is amazing that we have any skiing here.  Crystal has been harrassed and hobbled by the objections and studies demanded for anything they want to do there.

First off, I'm a full-season pass holder, so take my comments with a grain of salt.  Crystal has its lumps like any ski resort when you take a hard look.  I can't and don't want to defend some of their decisions (like the BS with Big Sky/Pig Stye 10-days free lift tickets, or other read the fine print "pass holder deals").  

I've skied the entire swath of western US ski resorts.  I feel that Crystal offers the most challenging terrain in Washington.  Compare this to lift-served terrain in neighboring Oregon.  Mount "Flatchelor" IMO is the best resort in the state, but the summit is open maybe 50-60% of the time and frankly isn't that steep.  But great views and lots of fast skiing!  Your other neighboring option is Whistler which is no longer a deal with the strong $Loonie, involves an international border crossing, and 2010 Winter Olympics construction delays.  Or drop some cash on a plane flight to Bozeman to ski Big Sky which has some good terrain but gets less fresh than Crystal.  

I've been with or have seen skiers wank about the cost of a Crystal lift ticket.  Please!  Have you been to the Sierra Nevada or Colorado resorts lately?  You will pay $80-90 a day for a lift ticket.  Yes, those places typically have longer vertical and lighter snow. I feel Crystal as the best deal in the PNW if you want to take an unscientific poll...

Now class, you've got to answer the question to get any credit at all. Remember, no hijacking the topic.

"Good grief!" said Charlie Brown. "Can anyone stay on topic?" "Get off the soapbox. and answer the question!"

What follows is an e-mail drafted to Crystal's Marketing director after suffering from either negligent or purposeful lack of information about operations yesterday.

I left a message with you the other day in regards to the updates on your website and snow phones.  I have been a loyal customer since moving to Seattle in 1990 from Snowbird, Utah, where I worked and lived for 10 years.  Since Crystal is the largest ski resort in the NW and the only real big mountain skiing destination (which is the way you're marketing yourselves), the people looking for that experience look to you to be the role model for the type of experience and product that you present.  Part of the package for a big mountain resort is its responsibility to its customers to provide up to date information on the factors that will determine it's operational capacity on a day to day basis in a timely fashion.

Yesterday (2/7) whomever was in charge of updating your website and snow-phone failed miserably.  Neither the 5 AM website update (which got updated again between 6:30 and 8 while people are already on the road) nor the snow-phone message made any mention about a wind closure, although they did take time to talk about the wind.  The snow-phone stated there would be a 7:30 update which was still not accomplished when I was in Guest Services @ 8:30.   Due to your location most of your clientele have a 1.5 to 2.0 hr drive to get to your resort and with the current cost of gas I'm sure would like some type of accurate information about the conditions and operation schedule before they get in their cars and start your way.  It would also be nice if you could update the snow phone @ 7 AM so you could call enroute and change plans accordingly. 

Today (2/ was unfortunately more of the same.  While the 5AM website update had new snow totals the message at the top still had yesterday's disclaimer that the upper mt. was on wind closure (that wasn't posted yesterday until after 7 AM) .  The snow-phone once again made no mention of wind closure or a change in status from yesterday. 

To the objective observer it looked as if you were trying to play it both ways by getting people to come up and then use the wind clause and discounted lift passes to provide 1/3 of the skiable terrain at 2/3 the price (where's the value there?).   I believe that is referred to as the bait and switch technique.   I know that you don't control the weather and last minute things happen, but that was not the case yesterday you had all the info you needed @ 5 AM to make the call.  Crystal did not live up to its marketing of a big mountain resort and instead reverted to the backwoods podunk ski hill of years past.  Which one is it going to be??

Bottom line Crystal is great, Boyne Resorts SUCK!!!!! Ski Hypo!!!