Conditions Report
Crystal Mountain doesn’t look like it typically does in January. Last Wednesday, the bright sun illuminated a cloudless sky, and the temps rose well into the 50’s. In the shaded areas, refrozen moguls sat waiting patiently for more snow. In the sun, the snow was slushy and soft, allowing for some jibby, high-speed laps. Off the groomed trail, shrubbery and rock are visible and almost unavoidable in places. Rock-ski season isn’t quite over in the northwest!
During the week, Crystal is operating most lifts with the exception of Gold Hills and Northway. The new two-person High Campbell chair is running, accessing some very fun billy goat skiing and Powder Bowl, a steep, north-facing bowl. As you exit the High Campbell chair, the top section has some exposed rock; so most people boot pack down a few steps to where the coverage is a little better. The views of Rainier are stunning and if you wanted, you could definitely attain a champion goggle tan up there.
Crystal has been grooming more of the upper mountain than usual due to the low snowpack and there is plenty of steep, fast corduroy. On Wednesday, we had most of the mountain to ourselves and didn’t have to wait in a lift line once! There is still plenty of fun to be had zipping around in the Spring-like snow. The upper lodges aren’t serving food but you can score a delicious cheeseburger from the Bullwheel at the base of the resort.
This week’s forecast for Crystal looks somewhat promising as a new storm system moves into the northwest. Hopefully, the snow levels will drop enough to provide some additional coverage and allow for some much needed powder turns! As the forecast below states, Crystal’s middle and upper mountain should receive some snow this weekend, with Saturday looking like the best day for some fresh turns.
