Back in June I snapped up this World Industries 121cm deck with Burton Freestyle bindings for like $25 on craigslist. Thought it would be a perfect Christmas gift for our nephew since we took him snowboarding a few times last winter. The base was in rough condition after a few years of garage storage, it could’ve used a stone grind but a hot wax restored it well enough. So yeah, he was excited to get the board for Christmas and on the 26th Jackie and I took him up to Crystal Mountain for the day.
But enough about us, how’s Crystal Mountain doing this year? Well I haven’t lodged there yet but I’ve never been let down by their on-site facilities and I’ve stayed there a few dozen times over the last decade or two.
Trails: On the slopes it looks like they’ve opened up a one or two new trails going back to The Ridge from the Clipper lift.
On the North Face side they have added a Boarder-X course which I avoided like the plague it was pretty icy that day but looked fast & would be fun to do on a nicer day.
They have roped off some terrain which was previously accessible as gladed areas (notably on Leo’s Legacy, the way back to base lodge from The North Face). Maybe they open this up later in the year as snow totals increase, I hope so because that was one of the things I like best about Crystal, the gladed runs are what I fell in love with as a kid and part of what keeps me coming back year after year.
Park: I like the small park area because I’m not very good at that sort of stuff so big features spook me out. They have added a few more features to it this year including a butter box/fun box, flat rail, down rail, flat box and down box. Previously it only had like one flat box and a small kicker. The big park (Tuck’s) is disappointing though; since 2007 Crystal has had no tabletop jumps and only a handful of features it just seems out of place.
The park areas are difficult to access. Small park area on Giggles is accessible primarily from the (often crowded) Crystal Clipper high-speed lift. The large park (Tuck’s) is accessible most directly from the Nastar double chair which isn’t running most of the time. If it’s not running the only way in is from Buck chairlift which requires relatively long traverses at the base and again at the top.
My suggestion to improve the park is to get rid of the “big park” and combine the two areas in to one park with small/medium sized features. Fence it off from the high-traffic Main Street trail and give it a dedicated tow-rope or surface lift – this alleviates some congestion at the base area and keeps your park riders happier and gives them more laps.
Amenities: The bar is great with panoramic view of the mountain and a huge wraparound deck on the second floor, good selection of beers and prices are reasonable by resort standards. Cafeteria food is pretty standard fare for resort cafeterias. I really dig the food at Thistle Pub & Grille (the most expensive option on-site but worth it) and the breakfast buffet at Wild Tomato is pretty respectable. The resort staff is always friendly and helpful, honestly I’ve never seen lifties so enthusiastic about their jobs and really trying to make sure you’re having a good time on the slopes.
Amenities-wise my only complaint is that the main lodge with cafeteria & bar really needs a double-door, it’s a constant bottleneck of people trying to come in and people trying to leave. I’ve been going to Crystal for like 15 years and I’ve seen millions of dollars worth of investments in building up the terrain, the village, the snowmaking, etc., you’d think they could spend $2,000 and put in a new set of doors!
Crowds: I usually avoid resorts over the holidays because of crowds so I was expecting the worst. And we didn’t get there until about 1030 AM. To my surprise though we found a close parking spot and didn’t have to use the overflow lot! The crowds were non-existent. Yes, there were people there but we never waited in line for more than 1 or 2 minutes to get on any chairlift.
Jake’s “group lesson” became a private lesson because there was nobody else enrolled. He liked his instructor and seems to be doing very well; he can stop now which is a plus although he is still prone to catching the occasional frontside edge and going full scorpion. Instructor said he had a great stance and as long as he remembers to focus on what he’s supposed to be doing, he does great. Awesomesauce!
Bottom line: The added terrain is great; seems like every other time I go there they’ve got another new trail or two open. Their kids program is excellent which is why we’ve taken Jake there a few times. If you’re looking to get shradical and hit huge jumps or spend all day in the park though, you’re probably going to be disappointed; they’ve got enough features to make it a little bit of fun for a few laps but that’s about it. Crystal is still an excellent family-friendly resort and it’s a great place for beginners/intermediates or for a relaxing weekend with the wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/etc.
