Throne Traverse Construction Project

Anyway this is all hypothetical as its never going to happen as I've just reported to the Forest Service that I saw several cougars on the ridge and it's gonna be endangered species habitat.
( I just was selective and didn't tell them the cougars where wearing one piece ski suits. )

Anyway this is all hypothetical as its never going to happen as I've just reported to the Forest Service that I saw several cougars on the ridge and it's gonna be endangered species habitat.
( I just was selective and didn't tell them the cougars where wearing one piece ski suits. )

Note to self -- ski with Scotsman more.

Who cares if the traverses send more traffic in on weekend powder days? It just means more people will get to ski the scraped up left overs...because the terrain can only support so many sets of fresh tracks. Weekdays are the best time for Crystal anyway. Had a few smashing powder (week)days there last year.

I haven't skiied Crystal very much, a dozen times in a few years. Like most big resorts, weekends in-bounds appear to be a total s***show. Last year I was forced to hold my elbow out to prevent an out-of-control skier from seriously injuring myself and my mother inside a lift corral area. Think his nose might have been broken...it sure bled a lot.

There is plenty of backcountry nearby, and I seriously doubt you'll see more resort skiers in Crystal Lake basin, Cement Basin, or over into Union Creek.

Improving the Throne traverse doesn't bother me much. It will increase the traffic somewhat, but from my perspective Crystal already gets tracked up really fast, and it won't change my experience much. I won't miss the rocky traverse. I don't think it will make a big difference in the number of people who hike to the southback.

Gosh, I like the sketchy traverse just the way it is! There's nothing better than trying to straight line that damn thing, strapped to your shred--stick, wind howling, foggier than fishersmans-dwarf, trying to avoid said bolder near the end off the catwalk with a mandatory 8' bail to your backside (regular stance). Then the glorious staircase, and off to enchantment! Leave it be!

It anyone out there who hasn't already ridden SB wants to ride SB, then you'll have to learn the traverse! My goofy-footed buddies have to do it SWITCH... SWITCH, I tell ya'... SWITCH!!! Try that on for size!

Vote no on initiative fanny-bandit.

The protests will be heard more if you find out who the ones that were opposed to the road (wrote letters before the deadline) and team up with them to have your concerns voiced. In my previous experience with this process the one's who are fighting the ROD will be heard if they pursue it further to take it to mediation between the FS and Crystal. Or in our case a friendly understanding, just choose your battles wisely and don't piss off the hand that feeds you.

Crystal has been trying for years to get a decent platform to run a small dozer that they have or used to have stored at the top of the chair 6 lift shack.
My understanding was that their goal was to clear the snow away from the upper chairs and bullwheel area. Another poster had mentioned that the snow loads up pretty good there, which is the truth. Lowering the dropoff point makes good sense, since that is the main reason for delays after big dumps. Early season is the most problematic with rocks, so most the whining about rock damage that I am reading is reactive to early or late season. Normally mid season it is the drifted wind roll whoop-de-doos that really take the toll on my back, not rack avoidance.

Putting the access road makes some sense. But it would be ironic if the road was busted in to make it easier to traverse without rocks on the ridge, but to create a level grade they have to dump the rocks somewhere and usually they get dumped on the downhill side to build it up.
So the ski off the road to the runs could potentially become really rockier than the origional traverse!

Another irony is that the park service has really been digging their heels in and threatening to close the back traverse behind the Throne to the King. Using it as a blackmail threat to force Crystal to eventually permanently close their access from the ski area into the park. Crystal has done a great job of keeping the ropelines open, but it gets tiresome for management to always have to deal with the Parks endless shenanigans that they invent to try to force Crystal to close it's open access policy. Kudos to Crystal for always fighting the man. Increased traffic to the South will create more heat on that stove.
I had a dream that Crystal sold the resort and the Park ravens (Management) swooped in and their first act was to force the new ownership to close the gates to the Park. Let's hope that dream never comes true. But the reality is there is nothing more than the park would like to have happen is to close access from Crystal. Whole nother thread....