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How is it up there. Considering a move. Mountain seems pretty sweet. I've heard good things about it. Are there any skateparks reasonably close? Also outside of the mountains does it rain all the time? Been living in dry sunny places the last 6 years and a little spoiled lol.
It's my home mountain, got around 40 days there this season and I've been skiing there since I was 2 so I may be biased but it's always been my favorite resort. The area itself is huge and the terrain is insane once you get to know it. Awesome community too, there's always gonna be somebody better than you on any given day and it's dope to have people that push your limits all the time. I'd think the closest skatepark would be in Enumclaw which is like an hour away but I've never skated there so idk how it is
Sounds dope. I don't usually ride on the weekends anyway. If it's sunny and not crowded yet well take some laps after work but I don't fuck with crowds. Empty midweek sounds nice. A couple of the guys I worked with in NZ work up there.(well who knows about this season) Place seems cool. I talked to one of the guys up there yesterday, and just chucked in an application. Maybe I'll pull the trigger and get out of tahoe. Also diggin the looks of those steep lines. Wasn't expecting as much of that, but looks sick!
This park in Buckley seems to be just over an hour away. Which isn't bad. Probably not much closer, but seems like there are big cities also only 2 hours away so probably several more parks 1-2 hours from the mountain.
Crystal is a great mountain, but it's been insanely busy the last couple of years. We'll see what happens with Covid. Living in Enumclaw or Greenwater, on the other hand, would be ...interesting.
I've grown up skiing there, and have a couple of good buddies who live in the Buckley / Enumclaw area. Not much at all for park but there's more cliffs, hits and shit than u could believe - big mountain paradise. Lots of good terrain accessible via bootpack too (especially the King) which is super nice on busy days. Really can't say enough good things about the ski area. Greenwater is super close by and the total spot but everything around Enumclaw area is pretty cheap for living as well. We'd be stoked to have you in the area!
brownetownI've grown up skiing there, and have a couple of good buddies who live in the Buckley / Enumclaw area. Not much at all for park but there's more cliffs, hits and shit than u could believe - big mountain paradise. Lots of good terrain accessible via bootpack too (especially the King) which is super nice on busy days. Really can't say enough good things about the ski area. Greenwater is super close by and the total spot but everything around Enumclaw area is pretty cheap for living as well. We'd be stoked to have you in the area!
Place seems pretty cool. Had a couple friends with I worked with in the past in NZ work up there. Park seems like it's getting decent. Still looked smaller but they had some nice looking rails and jumps the last couple years.
Would prolly try and snag a spot at the mountain if I went up there. At least for the first year till I figure out the area.
I haven't skied Crystal but I want to. For anyone who skis Crystal: How much does it have in terms of
cliffs and chutes? As in narrow mandatory straightline chutes, not big wide couloirs. And how does it compare to Alpental in that regard? (I haven't skied Alpental either but have heard good things about the terrain there)
mtbakerpow
Is that inbounds at Crystal?
**This post was edited on Jul 22nd 2020 at 10:02:29pm
extrasunnyIt's my home mountain, got around 40 days there this season and I've been skiing there since I was 2 so I may be biased but it's always been my favorite resort. The area itself is huge and the terrain is insane once you get to know it. Awesome community too, there's always gonna be somebody better than you on any given day and it's dope to have people that push your limits all the time. I'd think the closest skatepark would be in Enumclaw which is like an hour away but I've never skated there so idk how it is
brownetownI've grown up skiing there, and have a couple of good buddies who live in the Buckley / Enumclaw area. Not much at all for park but there's more cliffs, hits and shit than u could believe - big mountain paradise. Lots of good terrain accessible via bootpack too (especially the King) which is super nice on busy days. Really can't say enough good things about the ski area. Greenwater is super close by and the total spot but everything around Enumclaw area is pretty cheap for living as well. We'd be stoked to have you in the area!
^ These fellas know more than I do but here's my experience as a recent transplant
Crystal is pretty bangin. I grew up skiing in CO and it's surprisingly familiar in a lot of ways. Steep terrain, tech cliffs, really solid sidecountry/backcountry. Park has improved a lot in just a couple years. There's nothing at ABasin, Copper, etc. that you can't find at Crystal in my opinion.
Never been there when it's raining but it definitely happens. Snow is always a lot wetter than it is in the Rockies, I end up skiing in soaked gear fairly often if I take a fall or I'm out during a storm.
Depending on where you live traffic can be a huge bummer. We started leaving Seattle at 430-5am so that we wouldn't get turned away at the lot. Also note that midweek isn't safe from crowds. I've seen half hour lines at Chair 6 on a Tuesday.
Other than that it's a chill mountain. Would love to have ya out here
**This post was edited on Jul 22nd 2020 at 10:22:23pm
Would honestly love to see you come to some small hill in Michigan and see you build up a park program/culture. Night skiing with a bunch of fearless kids is awesome. They deserve someone building who knows what they are doing like you.
r00kieWould honestly love to see you come to some small hill in Michigan and see you build up a park program/culture. Night skiing with a bunch of fearless kids is awesome. They deserve someone building who knows what they are doing like you.
Boyne in Michigan is hiring. I asked Lonely if he knew anything about the place but didn't hear back.
I randomly ended up chatting to somebody about maybe working at Crystal. But even said to him that I was trying to get out if tahoe and maybe head to the midwest. Some normal ass non vacation town where maybe I can buy a house eventually if I like it. Also I hate touristy places.
Midwest is def on the radar though. I think if I don't do crystal I'll prolly do ankther season or so in tahoe though. Got a lot if friends here and there's a really cool indoor skatebowl I've been hitting. But yeah midwest seems cool.
theabortionatorBoyne in Michigan is hiring. I asked Lonely if he knew anything about the place but didn't hear back.
I randomly ended up chatting to somebody about maybe working at Crystal. But even said to him that I was trying to get out if tahoe and maybe head to the midwest. Some normal ass non vacation town where maybe I can buy a house eventually if I like it. Also I hate touristy places.
Midwest is def on the radar though. I think if I don't do crystal I'll prolly do ankther season or so in tahoe though. Got a lot if friends here and there's a really cool indoor skatebowl I've been hitting. But yeah midwest seems cool.
Boyne would be a very corporate environment but they have the resources to do a lot more. Not sure what exactly you're for but thats the extent that I onow lol. I personally love working for Bittersweet down in Kalamazoo.
r00kieBoyne would be a very corporate environment but they have the resources to do a lot more. Not sure what exactly you're for but thats the extent that I onow lol. I personally love working for Bittersweet down in Kalamazoo.
I have my heart in small mountains so always open to that. Budgets can be an issue. Having a place that's willing to invest. You can do a lot for cheap but you still need some $$$. Also as shitty as corporate lyfe can be sometimes they're more straight forward for better or worse. Also sometimes small mountains are too small. It's cool to have the small vibes, but I need a medium setup to keep me happy. A lot of mountains don't need a park as big as I want to work in. Although I'm content for fairly small shit. But yeah, I'm open to find a spot in the midwest eventually.
I still need to ski there. Google is telling me it is probably about 4 1/2 hours from here. Looks sick. Also seems like the BC options in the vacinity look pretty freaking awesome especially for spring corn season
theabortionatorBoyne in Michigan is hiring. I asked Lonely if he knew anything about the place but didn't hear back.
I randomly ended up chatting to somebody about maybe working at Crystal. But even said to him that I was trying to get out if tahoe and maybe head to the midwest. Some normal ass non vacation town where maybe I can buy a house eventually if I like it. Also I hate touristy places.
Midwest is def on the radar though. I think if I don't do crystal I'll prolly do ankther season or so in tahoe though. Got a lot if friends here and there's a really cool indoor skatebowl I've been hitting. But yeah midwest seems cool.
Look into Nubs Nob. They used to have an amazing park for midwest standards then it fell off for a couple years. It's been coming back strong the last couple seasons, they started building their mini halfpipe again.
Michigan_SucksLook into Nubs Nob. They used to have an amazing park for midwest standards then it fell off for a couple years. It's been coming back strong the last couple seasons, they started building their mini halfpipe again.
The jump build at Nubs was great this year. Place was loaded with fun transfers and pipe. Rail game could use some of that same creativity though.
Damn. Thanks for all the info! Maybe I'll end up there this season, maybe I'll end up back in Tahoe, maybe I'll end up in the midwest.
Crystal looks pretty sick though. Checking out the map and photos, talking to friends, and reading the replies here def seems worth it. Kinda out of my hands at this point but we'll see what happens. Thanks again!
I live in seattle skied there multiple times abosolute blast but no park really just fun big mountain but nothing massive. skate parks nice here in seattle where would you wanna move near there. but rains not the most but quite a bit
Obama_careI live in seattle skied there multiple times abosolute blast but no park really just fun big mountain but nothing massive. skate parks nice here in seattle where would you wanna move near there. but rains not the most but quite a bit
Word. Good to hear on the parks. Been having a lot of fun skating this last year.
Would probably snag some employee housing at the mtn if I move up there since I work nights.
Park seems to be getting a lot better the last few years. Tim did a really good job getting things rolling there. Mtn looks fun as hell too. I really like kirwood, highlands, abay, etc and crystal looks like it's got a lot of cool stuff.
From the sounds sometimes the snow isn't always good but whatever. I don't have to ride every day and if I'm living up there I'd be able to be a little choosy about when to go out.
Crystal is world class in terms of terrain. If you want big burly hefty terrain, Crystal is easily up there with Jackson, Bird, Squaw, Red, etc, etc. Alterra grabbing it from Boyne/Kircher was the best thing to happen to the mountain in 2 decades, but it's also made it a little more packed on holiday weekends. Closest skate parks are Enumclaw and Buckley, but they're nothing to write home about. And if you just want to snowboard park, Snocompton and Stevens have better parks. And don't do employee housing at Crystal - it's dead, there is ZERO night life on the mountain.
For the rain, yeah, it's western Washington. It rains. The snow is Cascade cement, not Utah blower champagne powder. But the terrain is off the charts.
HolteCrystal is world class in terms of terrain. If you want big burly hefty terrain, Crystal is easily up there with Jackson, Bird, Squaw, Red, etc, etc. Alterra grabbing it from Boyne/Kircher was the best thing to happen to the mountain in 2 decades, but it's also made it a little more packed on holiday weekends. Closest skate parks are Enumclaw and Buckley, but they're nothing to write home about. And if you just want to snowboard park, Snocompton and Stevens have better parks. And don't do employee housing at Crystal - it's dead, there is ZERO night life on the mountain.
For the rain, yeah, it's western Washington. It rains. The snow is Cascade cement, not Utah blower champagne powder. But the terrain is off the charts.
Word. Terrain looks dope. I don't really care about the night life. I work graves usually. Hopefully the skateparks aren't top bad. Def high on my list of places to go. Well see what happens
cobra_commanderliving in greenwater would be a deal breaker for ever working at Crystal
seriously, don’t do it
Locked into housing at the mountain. Nothing too fancy but it's cheap and right there. There's some other options they're working on that maybe I'd swap too but I think I like the no commute thing, especially for my first season there.
Oh yeah... Accepted a job there yesterday so I'll be flailing around the parks in the day, pushing some snow around at night, and hopefully having some beers with people when I'm not asleep.
If anyone's up there and wants to spon some laps this season holla atcha boi.
theabortionatorOh yeah... Accepted a job there yesterday so I'll be flailing around the parks in the day, pushing some snow around at night, and hopefully having some beers with people when I'm not asleep.
If anyone's up there and wants to spon some laps this season holla atcha boi.
Congrats! We'll get you to the midwest another year.
only have been to crystal mountain for mountain biking. The place seems nice and would be great for skiing. Not too far from Lynwood where I was working.
i only mountain bike because there’s no snow, but had a good time.
I grew up at Stevens pass so growing up we kind of hated on crystal. I now ski at baker but crystal has always been attractive to me with the many chutes, cliffs, and rowdy lines. The whole Seattle crowds isn’t for me, which is why I moved to baker, but it is a sick mountain.
Right before COVID hit they were struggling with crowds overhwhelming the parking, so they set up a shuttle and then that got overwhelmed so they quit selling day passes or something I can’t remember.
Western WA just isn’t built for all the hoards that have moved here. Pre virus the roads were packed in every direction all day long, there’s always a zillion people in line and full parking lots literally everywhere you go, it’s super obnoxious to live here if I am being perfectly honest. Like I’m sorry but a 3 hour hike out of bounds into avalanche terrain shouldn’t be a busy place. IDK you’ll figure it out.
CaseyRight before COVID hit they were struggling with crowds overhwhelming the parking, so they set up a shuttle and then that got overwhelmed so they quit selling day passes or something I can’t remember.
Western WA just isn’t built for all the hoards that have moved here. Pre virus the roads were packed in every direction all day long, there’s always a zillion people in line and full parking lots literally everywhere you go, it’s super obnoxious to live here if I am being perfectly honest. Like I’m sorry but a 3 hour hike out of bounds into avalanche terrain shouldn’t be a busy place. IDK you’ll figure it out.
Spent some time in western washingtin this summer and yeah, it's crazy. Made the mistake of traveling west on US 2 on Sunday afternoon once and that was enough to convince me not to live there long term.
I skied there all last season. Got about 50 days in and slept in my truck multiple nights. The terrain is very expansive and there is lots of cliffs and chutes and open feilds and tree skiing. Definitely most terrain in WA. The vibe is not that sick unless it's a powder day and you're on chair 6. Baker blows crystal away with the vibes and average skier ability. Crystal's park was actually getting pretty good towards the end of the season, and they'd change it up weekly. The average age of skier there is high. Most people you will see are in their 50's. Sick mountain. I wouldn't spend my whole life there, though. Not to mention it gets crazy busy.
Also in my experience, ski patrol is pretty lame and like to flex their power.
r00kieSpent some time in western washingtin this summer and yeah, it's crazy. Made the mistake of traveling west on US 2 on Sunday afternoon once and that was enough to convince me not to live there long term.
It’s still just a windy 2 lane road that is basically unchanged from the 1940s except some safety improvements except it’s supposed to handle 50,000 cars a day now. That is basically the story of WA
Baker doesn't have a park though. But word yeah I saw things about the crowds. Ill be living there so if its busy i just wont ride. Or Ill go the opposite way of traffic down to town and back. And yeah who knows what this season will have.
theabortionatorBaker doesn't have a park though. But word yeah I saw things about the crowds. Ill be living there so if its busy i just wont ride. Or Ill go the opposite way of traffic down to town and back. And yeah who knows what this season will have.
Baker indeed does not have a park. Crystal is sick. Everyone should definitely go to Crystal if you are in the area!
Got here today. Worked. Was tired af from drive up from Tahoe. But yeah im here if anyone wants to get some laps in sometime. Also checked out Buckley. Was pretty fun. I wish the bowl was more of a bowl but still had fun cruising around. Will check out some other parks on days its not raining.
RudyGarmischThis might be the first time this phrase has ever been in print.
True. Came back again and on second thought meh. But its the closest place to me that has a park. Is what it is. The bowl layout doesnt reslly make any sense as you really can't get enough speed for the bowled corner coming out if anything else reasonsbly.
Also grabbing my lass tomorrow prolly and taking a few cruisey laps at the mtn. Prolly gonna take it pretty mellow. Hit the park with my boss and talk some plans.
Anybody up here ever thats decent at rails? Wouod be cool to get a skier going through our large rail line. Not that large btw but its a smaller down shotgun, good size mellow skiiny tube dfd, 40' mellow down tube _" tube and a pole jam cannon same tubing. Pretty fun. Would be cool to get a skier even just sliding them all for the gram. I don't have anything to do with running it but id be down to spin some laps and film you and make sure we post it.
theabortionatorAnybody up here ever thats decent at rails? Wouod be cool to get a skier going through our large rail line. Not that large btw but its a smaller down shotgun, good size mellow skiiny tube dfd, 40' mellow down tube _" tube and a pole jam cannon same tubing. Pretty fun. Would be cool to get a skier even just sliding them all for the gram. I don't have anything to do with running it but id be down to spin some laps and film you and make sure we post it.
Jake Salvador sometimes rides there, don’t know a lot about the crystal park scene, I’m sure some of the mission ridge or summit dudes would come rip if you could get comp tickets:)))
pbsJake Salvador sometimes rides there, don’t know a lot about the crystal park scene, I’m sure some of the mission ridge or summit dudes would come rip if you could get comp tickets:)))
Stevens has a night park set up under hogsback that gets midweek action.
So everyone was right about the crowds. Especially early season they were unmanageable. The mtn is sick, have found some great zones and gotten some awesome days in this season.
Not riding as much as I could but digging it. I live across from lot D.
Also our parks are riding pretty well right now and it looks like we might be able to expand on that. More boxes and rails, mostly small snd some bigger stuff. Id like to build a triangle wallride with a tube on top.
Also management is into the idea of a stash style park somewhere. Still woukd need to choose a spot and stuff but could happen in the next year or two. Would be cool if it had some flowy features and hips and wood shit in a spot that could get groomed and then maybe add some more wood features and mtn bike style shit in the trees.
But yeah, nothing crazy but it's cool that mgmt is into the parks and expanding. We need to lock down a propper trail though.
Also parks should be a go through the end of the season even if we have to move up the mtn for the late season
If anyone wants to lap ever or have a beer hit me up.
