Though it covers a fairly short vertical distance, the Green Valley detachable quad serves up lots of quirky, challenging lines near the summit as well as some steep terrain and speedy groomers.
Month: December 2015
Rainier Express
Washington’s first detachable chairlift, “REX” has been briskly bringing skiers to great glades, groomers, and steeps since 1988. It accesses a variety of advanced and expert terrain, as well as a few fast intermediate groomers.
Dealing With Low Coverage
Last year (2014-2015) in particular was a pathetic ski season due to the criminally low amount of snow. Navigating the slopes of Crystal was frequently a challenge, as one would constantly encounter bare patches or trees that should have been covered.
Due to our frequent skiing in such extremely subpar conditions, we’ve developed an effective working knowledge of where exactly to go when there’s not enough snow.
Chinook Express
Although Chinook Express could easily be dismissed as a low-elevation area with boring runs, it too has its fair share of fun slopes for beginner and advanced skiers.
Powder Day Strategies
Scenario: Last night it snowed 17 inches at Crystal Mountain. Today is by definition a powder day. Naturally, this has drawn rabid throngs of fellow skiers, wanting all the powder for themselves. What do you do?
Welcome
Welcome to our blog! Here’s what we’ll be doing in the next few weeks:
- We’ll start by highlighting different areas of the mountain, and discussing runs both on and off the trail map.
- We’ll also be putting out some general blog posts. Expect those to come around every week or so.
The Basics: Lifts, Lodges, and Landmarks
This post marks the start of an ongoing series here at the Guide: “The Basics.” Here you’ll find all you need to know about the mountain. In this installment, we’ll talk about the basic areas and landmarks of the mountain.
Forest Queen
The Forest Queen Express gives skiers access to a diverse variety of runs, ranging from fast groomers to convoluted, treed chutes, and is a good area to know the ins and outs of during windy storms, when the rest of the upper mountain could be on wind hold. We’ll separate this section into on-map runs and off-map runs.
The Unofficial Guide to Crystal Mountain 