Crystal Mountain opens early for its 60th season

PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Friday was opening day for pass holders at Crystal Mountain as the resort opened its 60th season.

The resort opened a week ahead of schedule, its earliest opening in five years. The resort opens to the general public on Monday 21st November.

Two Enumclaw siblings, Bryce and Elyse Jones, skipped school and took their parents to the mountains for the big day they’ve been waiting for since they started skiing last season.

“It’s really fun,” said Elyse Jones. “You can do the harder stuff, you can ski with your family, it’s really fun, I wish I could come here every day but I can’t.”

Although Crystal Mountain’s last ski season was extended through June and this season started earlier, the wait was still too long for many skiers.

“Freaking stoked,” Seth Cartwright said. “Summer makes me depressed, so I’ve been waiting for it since last season.”

This early opening is due to early snow and additional help from snow machines.

“In the last week we’ve made 8 million gallons of snow,” said Emma Brice of Crystal Mountain Ski Resort.

They expect many visitors on the slopes this season.

“On peak visitor days we can see 2,000 to 3,000 visitors,” said Brice.

These thousands of people not only come up the mountain, but also go to the nearby towns and help the economy.

“We have locals who run a shop in Greenwater, which is a little town 30 minutes down the road, and there’s, you know, a restaurant down there,” Brice said. “So they definitely benefit from our early opening.”

According to the 2020 report for the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, the state sees about 1.9 million visitors to ski each year. This brings $365 million to Washington’s ski and snowboard industry and another $163 million to the state’s economy thanks to the money these skiers spend while they’re there.

They tell the folks at the top of Crystal Mountain that time and money are well spent.

“It’s really exciting to start season 60 with an early open and bring the Stoke back,” Brice said.