Read skier and snowboarder-submitted reviews on Crystal Mountain that rank the ski resort and mountain town on a scale of one to five stars for attributes such as terrain, nightlife and family friendliness. See how Crystal Mountain stacks up in the reviews, on and off the slopes, from skiing and family activities to the après scene. Read up on pros, cons and other comments in reviews left by fellow skiers and riders. Don't forget to submit your own Crystal Mountain review! Scroll to the bottom of this page to let other travelers know about your skiing and resort experience.
Reviews for Crystal Mountain
Total (2.9)
A ski resort's overall star rating displayed here is not calculated based on a simple average but takes several factors, including the age of a review, into account.
Shout out to Guest Services and to "Tanya" who works there. Crystal, you have a new fan!
I got one of the last "angle-in" slots in the C lot, but I didn't know about the ditch, hidden by a skiff of snow, that the unsuspecting can easily drop their front wheels into. AWD is good, but unlike 4WD it can't pull your front wheels out of a ditch, even IF the traction is good. Seeing no damage or bottoming out, and after a few moments of, um, "contemplation", I decided this could be addressed just as easily AFTER skiing than now. The lifts were opening early, and there were freshies to be had. No sooner had I gotten my first boot on when the shuttle bus driver stopped and asked if I was able to get out. I responded in the negative, and he said that "Parking knows, they'll be by shortly to pull you out." When I asked if he knew how long it would be, he said, "about five minutes". KUDOS! - my day brightened instantly!
Tanya arrived in her truck, and after confirming that the vehicle wasn't impeding anything or damaged, she said, "how's about this: the snow is great right now. You go have fun, and I'll pull you out when you get back." After ascertaining that she'd be around all day and that it's the parking team's job to keep an eye on things, this seemed like the ideal option. I don't know how they could have done any better. "Favor the north-facing slopes," she said.
It was great advice. After a great day of skiing, I was just getting my walking shoes on to head back up to guest services when Tanya and a helper rolled up. Five minutes later I was out of the ditch and on my way.
Now THAT'S excellent customer service! THANK YOU!
Chuckl
Loved this place back in the 60’s and 70’s as a kid. Just feels rinkey-dink now. Other than more lift capacity it’s unimproved since then. Parking bad, food service bad, lift operation bad.. I don’t see myself returning.
Nita Burks
I’ve seen many changes over 50 years. It’s not a family resort anymore. Too expensive and too crowded on weekends and holidays. Crystal still has amazing terrain, great grooming crew and snow making. A dedicated ski patrol with excellent avalanche mitigation given that it is high avalanche danger terrain. Well trained avie dogs. Best experience now is midweek with less crowds. Not happy with having to pay for parking but it’s one way to reduce crowded parking lots. It’s a rich person’s sport here.
Ida Hooks
I love to come to this resort, however although must of the staff at the resort are friendly and helpful, the one at the restaurant are rude, particularly the manager.
Lang Rosen
I have been up a lot of different times, and this mountain has some awesome terrain for experts and intermediaries. It is very big for a local mountain, and there are some amazing runs. This is also next to Mt ranier and on a clear day you have a perfect view of it. While being at the mountain is great, getting there can be a bit of a hassle, as it is about two hours from Seattle, and it has a road up to the mountain, that is a long twisty snowy road. You also have to reserve parking, and need a shuttle to get to and from your car.
AR
I love skiing here since the variety of terrain is great, and the views on a sunny day are among the best I've ever seen (and I have skied at least 40 resorts!). The apres scene is great (Snorting Elk FTW), a thriving community exists here, and the upgrades they are working on seem really fun. It's also cool how we sometimes have such a long season in the PNW-- I have skied here in June many times. I do hope the price goes down in coming season though-- I think it's silly that lift ticket prices here, and season pass prices, are more expensive than much bigger resorts like Whistler. Overall a great resort that I'm proud to call my home mountain despite many people being upset. Just enjoy the mountain and be thankful that you GET to ski, and that this is what you get to complain about!!
Sarah McGann
Crystal seems to have lost the longevity picture for skiing families, and is more interested in high end and high dollar mountain experiences targeted to the kidless and kid free. So sad.
M
Crystal has gotten super crowded and expensive over the last two years. They now charge for parking on top of the increased ticket prices. That said, it has good long beginner runs. The intermediate runs are a bit harder than what you’d normally expect for intermediate terrain.
Chris
I would not recommend going to Crystal mountain. For the price you pay, they don't deliver. They were mask Nazis and even got in the faces of my friends 3 yr old and 8 yr old. The skiing wasn't that great either and the terrain Park was poorly done. I also felt very limited because I got yelled at for going off groomed trails, or going in the terrain Park but not going on any of the features. I was definitely underwhelmed by the skiing part and the people there were controlling, domineering, and mask nazis.
Nathan Y
been skiing here for about 40 years and it is usually when I haven't been in a while and have forgotten about most of the negatives. The area is pretty big and there is pretty good terrain variance. About half the mountain is intermediate and usually groomed, the rest is upper advanced with some expert. Much of the expert terrain can be closed depending on conditions so don't bank on it. A big issue with the area is much of it has sunny exposure so conditions can change quickly after a dump. One thing I find funny is their annual snowfall claim. Crystal is on the leeward side of mount rainier, close enough for a snowshadow effect. They get less snow than just about every ski area in WA except the eastern wa places. Many years the lower mountain will be very bare until later in the season. Tickets have always been overpriced, and the parking has always been ridiculously lacking. Things are no different now than they were 25yrs ago, get there early or risk being turned away. In my opinion, WA has enough skiing to do where the snow is flying and don't worry about if it is a 'resort'. I have had some great days here, but probably more great days at seemingly lesser places like stevens, mission and the summit.
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