Very unscientific poll re: Crystal Mountain

Cardog100, althings being equal ( terrain especially) I would Ski Hypo rather than Crystal due to the management style.
I love skiing Crystal and have been a full season pass holder for two years . I think the resort is reasonably well run and has it's operation issues same as any other business and any othe resort so that's not my main gripe.

However, where Crystal falls down IMVHO is in the impression they give , or their vibe.

Let me try to explain what I mean.
The snow report and current conditons page, snow phone etc is a major problem. Be honest tell it the way the condititons are. Study how Mt.Baker does it. Whomever looka after that part needs to be moved elsewhere and the complete snow report, snow phone operation upgraded.

Patrol has a real bad attitude. They are too good skiers obviously to talk to the rest of us. I was recently on a trip in BC at Smithers and two members of Pro Patrol took me under their wing and showed me some staches because I had never skied there before. That would never happen at Crystal as many of the patrol are extremely arrogant. Recently I skied into avy basin and there was a young male patroller there. I tried to engage him in a conversation regarding an avy crown I had seen and he ignored me. I had my son Stewie with me and he commented " what's up with that guy, too good to talk to us", unprompted by me.The damage that patrol does with this arrogant attitude is very damaging .

It's the vibe Crystal somehow portrays. Baker is a skier's mountian and give the vibe they care more about the skiing than the money. Somehow Crystal's ineraction with their public gives the vibe that they care more about the money than the skiing. They need to work on showing they care and start with the locals. First tracks program; honest informative snow report. Helpful patrollers. etc.etc.

All that being said, I'm going to Crystal as much as possible over the next few days while we have these tremendous conditions.

Scotsman definitely hit in on the head. I actually got a call back from the marketing director about my feed back on the conditions update and although she was very apologetic she didn't seemed too concerned with the potential problems and certainly won't be making any changes to help people make better informed descisions about giving them their business.

I definitely get the feeling it all about the bottom line and they are promoting the business way more than the lifesyle. It's definitely all about the vibe, they are selling an impression of themselves that's not based in reality. In the end I think the lifesyle would be more profitable to both parties involved.

We all know that people and companies you do business with come and go but when you find a lifestyle that works for you, you are more apt to go the extra mile to make that work.


I just hate posers............................................

The only thing I don't like at Crystal is the fact that I HAVE to wear a leash. I've been all over the western states and lived in the tahoe region for 3 years and never once was asked to have a leash.

I do like the fact that the patrollers super experienced so if I ever need some assistance I'm in good hands. I used to get upset when they would tell you to slow down but over the years I understand that safety is actually a good thing.

I lived in Tahoe, Salt-lake, Brec and rode everywhere in between. Be happy to have a mountain like Crystal in your backyard .

Hi All
I can't resist weighing in on this one.  A little perspective is in order I think.   Having skied around the west for 45+ years, helped run mountains in Colorado, Idaho and Alaska, I've got to tell you that you don't know how good you've got it!  I finished my skipro career at Alyeska, where I managed the Propatrol and Avalanche Safety.  There too, Alyeska is the big dog in town, offering the most vert, best terrain and best snow.  And because of that we were looked at through the microscope; no activity went uncommented upon, critiqued or dissed.  And we did our best to respond, make things better, improve the services.  It was only when I left and started skiing again in Washington and other western resorts that I realized how good a mountain I'd left behind.  My experiences at Crystal Mountain the last few years suggest the opposite of what 3piner suggests - better maintenance on existing lifts, gradually expanding and improving facilities, better staff, a dedicated and hardworking professional and volunteer patrol, etc.  I can still remember those weekend days in the 70's, 80's and 90's,  before the old guard sold the area, when one could expect any chairlift to at random breakdown - the sheve wheel that had been squeaking for two weeks finally lost its bearing due to delayed maintenance and shut down a lift at 1:00 pm, or something similar.  So personally I'm darned appreciative that someone has the capital, experience and vision to buy a ski area in these days of potential warming, economic uncertainty, litigation and difficulty drawing employees to entry level paying and seasonal jobs.  I say kudu's, and thanks,  to Crystal Mtn, their ownership, management, staff and hard-working employees.
     As for ski reports, well hey guys, you're reading TAY.  That's what NWAC telemetry's for.  We used to have to read between the lines of those morning radio ski reports.  Now we have reasonably good area reports, and can double check against telemetry.  If the winds aloft are gusting over 40-45 mph, is it reasonable to think the upper lifts might not run?  Or, if it is at 5:30 or 6:00 AM & still dark, you check the upper weather conditions, and make a decision then?  Maybe, maybe not.  How many times have you gone up to Crystal expecting the weather to suck when it turns out to be superb?  I'm happy Crystal is doing the job its doing and trying to improve the condition.  Now if we want Deer Valley, Vail or Sun Valley, I'm sure CM can give it to us - as soon as they're sure we'll pay the $80 lift tickets mid-week and weekends.  Given the growth of the Puget Sound area, I can tell you for sure that those days are coming!  Everytime we whine, complain and protest about another 10 or 100 acres of nearcountry 'backcountry' that is threatened when a ski area asks  to grow and install another lift within their developable area, delaying the process, we can add another $5 bucks to lift ticket prices.  We can't have it all ways.  Some us still remember the old Riblet double chairs, with lift lines at every terminal on the mountain, averaging 20 minutes long on the peak weekends, with 50+ buses in the parking lot.  Now, most kids are either too lazy to ski/snowboard, or sadly, can't afford it, so the PTA ski schools are becoming a wonderful memory (and a  great start for many of us).  I'd encourage anyone having a hard time with Crystal to start skiing Mt Hypo, I heard they're much better over on that side of the range!
Gerry H

Hey GarryH, thanks for your input but every time we start a discussion about Crystal we get somebody telling us to stop whining and how good we have it.

I know how good we have it and I think Crystal does a reasonable job of running a ski area. However, as customers spending an average of over 200 dollars per week( tickets and food) I think we have the right to try and make it even better. I spend more time at Crystal than I do home in the winter so I want it to be really good not average.

Crystal could be one of the premier "skier's" mountains in the US( note I use the word "skier's" not resort). It has the terrain but not the commitment. It wants to be a resort but is really a skiers mountain but can't seem to accept this.

I have skied Alyeska a lot and it had a similar problem to what Crystal has now and a lot of the local skiers are hopeful that the new owner ( who is an avid skier), will implement some changes to make it a more rewarding experience for the locals( pay the lifties more, get the North Face open more than it was in the past , etc, etc.) ALyeska was not thought of as a very well run ski area in the nlast few years.

If Crystal offered sharholder stakes similar to Mad River Glen, I would buy so I could have input. Other than that I can offer input via TAY and hope they read it.

So I'd really like to know, what are the top 5 things that Crystal management can do to make Crystal a better place? As a local who learned to ski at Crystal, and as the marketing director, I have a lot of pride in the area, the improvements Boyne has made and the hard working staff. Since 1997 Boyne has spent over $20 million dollars on capitol improvements and Crystal is better now than it has ever been (not an option but a fact).

3pinz....you forgot to mention the fact, which I took time to explain to you today, that we had a power outage and no internet hence the reason why the update on Thursday was late. So yes, power outages and no internet are a potential problem. And I did give you info about the NWAC telemetry links, did I not?

Bottom line is Crystal management does care. I'm committed to this great mountain and to the skiers/riders who love it as much as I do.