Crystal Mountain Becomes Alterra

[AK47bp]

Because if I'm wiling to get up early enough I can ski whenever I want. If I can only make a certain number of any kind of reservation at once I am limited to those days I reserved.

It’s like the whole “early bird gets the worm” motto is shit now.


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[oftpiste]

I mean, that's been it my entire ski life. You wanna beat the crowds, traffic, shitshow, you fucking pack up the car the night before and get the fuck out the door in the morning. I don't really get why that's suddenly not a thing.

[Buster Highmen]

I mean, that's been it my entire ski life. You wanna beat the crowds, traffic, shitshow, you fucking pack up the car the night before and get the fuck out the door in the morning. I don't really get why that's suddenly not a thing.

^this.
Problem is, it increasingly is a thing.

[XavierD]

As buster said everyone else seems happy to wake up earlier too. Plenty of times I was on the blvd by 7 and still was an hour to the parking lot.

[altasnob]

So how are they going to enforce this new parking reservation system? Are they going to walk around the parking lots with license plate scanners like they implied they would do to enforce their parking registration idea. Or are they going to go like Bachelor, stand in the middle of the boulevard, and scan every single vehicle that passes through? That would make it easier to ensure all have and are using their parking reservation but create a choke spot.

[Ørion]

So how are they going to enforce this new parking reservation system? Are they going to walk around the parking lots with license plate scanners like they implied they would do to enforce their parking registration idea. Or are they going to go like Bachelor, stand in the middle of the boulevard, and scan every single vehicle that passes through? That would make it easier to ensure all have and are using their parking reservation but create a choke spot.

I've actually seen the employees scanning while tailgating for lunch so presumably they'll continue the same.

I am curious how they'll enforce no-shows though. Theoretically they could claim they never scanned your plates but it would be pretty easy to counterclaim that they just missed your vehicle in the chaos that is those lots.

[altasnob]

What if you come up for an hour or two (so were actually there) but Crystal never scans your plate? Do you get punished as a no show?

Crystal doesn't have the manpower to even enforce the current parking rules. Below is a photo I took last year of someone scoring a choice parking spot! They simply can't pull this off.

[Jax]

Wow. Do people not even try anymore? The spot is legit, but dude didn't even tuck it in. What a pussified tool.

[grinch]

Haaa that sums it up quite well

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[oftpiste]

I know and agree (and know you do the same thing), but it doesn't seem to have changed at all that if you hit 410 by 6:30 or earlier you're good to go. At least that's been my experience even on busy days in the last two seasons. And judging from the timing of the "full lots" messages I've been seeing this weekend, that still rings true.

I mean, it's just survival of the fittest. If you want to go skiing get out of bed. It's always been that way and should remain so.

Lift lines and crowds are of course another story. Pics from the last two days are just unbelievable in that regard.

I do think Xtal has been trying the last week with their increased communications but that doesn't resolve or forgive the massive overselling of passes and unserviceable numbers. It also doesn't forgive the complete denial of any accountability which is simply stunning. Or not.

^this.
Problem is, it increasingly is a thing.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

exactly, demand has eclipsed supply, it did 2 decades ago. Forest Service needs to do prospectus and offer up multiple other locations for low impact ski hills to take the strain off the pitifully few that are in our state. They won't because they are colluding with Vail, Alterra, KSL, etc. to create monopolies. Forest Service is also scared, lazy, clueless, bureaucratic and sold out. This is their fucking job, and they are not doing it, this is our land and forest service is locking it away.

What percentage of skiable terrain is the FS “locking away” in the WA Cascades?


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[MagnificentUnicorn]

SLC (greater population Wasatch Front: 2,606,548) has Snow Basin, PowMou, Park City, Deer Valley, Canyons, Solitude, Brighton, Alta and Snowbird, Sundance within an hours drive.
Seattle (greater population Puget Sound: 4,264,200) has Crystal, Alpental and Stevens, at more like within 2 hours drive.

Supply/demand.
The Puget Sound needs more ski areas.

Wants more ski areas, it’s an important distinction


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[MagnificentUnicorn]

We all know there's lots of options outside of wilderness, in logged areas in the WA Cascades. Again, for the zillionth time, see TAFKALWS list.

Most recently logged areas are on private land, the exception is some salvage logging in fire areas on the east slopes. Refresh us on the areas that lws has listed.


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[XavierD]

I know and agree (and know you do the same thing), but it doesn't seem to have changed at all that if you hit 410 by 6:30 or earlier you're good to go. At least that's been my experience even on busy days in the last two seasons. And judging from the timing of the "full lots" messages I've been seeing this weekend, that still rings true.

I don't know, the standard of getting to the mountain 2.5 hours before it opens seems like a waste of everyone's time. leaving Seattle by 5 is pretty unreasonable expectation for anyone with kids. Maybe instead of passes costing $1500-$2000 the barrier to entry will be affording a second home on 410.

I'm actually ok with reservations. -if they plan 8 months in advance and be transparent.

[PNWbrit]

It takes you 90 minutes to get to Enumclaw from Seattle?

[XavierD]

It takes you 90 minutes to get to Enumclaw from Seattle?

an hour from 90 north of the bridge add a potential stop for coffee/gas, and 10 minutes to get on I-5.

[altasnob]

From Crystal's web page:

-Vehicles without a reservation will receive a $100 parking violation. Repeat infractions will be subject to towing and banned from making future parking reservations

-Reservations must be cancelled by 8am, no shows will be treated as a violation and will receive a $100 infraction. Repeat violations will be banned from making future parking reservations.

[Buster Highmen]

Wants more ski areas, it’s an important distinction

Several measures of desire are the obvious and well documented over saturation and demand for lift served skiing in the Puget Sound. Let's not go down your usual argument on that.

Most recently logged areas are on private land, the exception is some salvage logging in fire areas on the east slopes. Refresh us on the areas that lws has listed.

I'm not going to do that for a variety of reasons.

[Buster Highmen]

I know and agree (and know you do the same thing), but it doesn't seem to have changed at all that if you hit 410 by 6:30 or earlier you're good to go. At least that's been my experience even on busy days in the last two seasons. And judging from the timing of the "full lots" messages I've been seeing this weekend, that still rings true.

I mean, it's just survival of the fittest. If you want to go skiing get out of bed. It's always been that way and should remain so.

Lift lines and crowds are of course another story. Pics from the last two days are just unbelievable in that regard.

I do think Xtal has been trying the last week with their increased communications but that doesn't resolve or forgive the massive overselling of passes and unserviceable numbers. It also doesn't forgive the complete denial of any accountability which is simply stunning. Or not.

Somehow I come off ,like I'm arguing the major point. I don't mean to, it _should_ be a function of who gets up earliest.
We did it with our kids.

But year before last, I sat in a huDge line on 410 at 7:00 because some nitwits had tried to go up the blvd in a 2wd with crappy tires. It happened again 2 weeks later.

Remember when WSP would be at the vase of the blvd, turning ill equipped cars away or forcing them to chain up.

[ptavv]

[Bandit Man]

From Crystal's web page:

-Vehicles without a reservation will receive a $100 parking violation. Repeat infractions will be subject to towing and banned from making future parking reservations

-Reservations must be cancelled by 8am, no shows will be treated as a violation and will receive a $100 infraction. Repeat violations will be banned from making future parking reservations.

So, a place you paid for an unlimited season pass is going to penalize customers with “infractions” since people didn’t follow rules that didn’t exist when you bought your pass? Is Alterra trying to one-up Vail for anti-customer service?

[nickwm21]

What hours will the parking reservations apply?

I ask - because today I skied to the car at 11:30 for lunch and passed several open spots and zero traffic coming up the Blvd.. this is on one of the busiest non-powder/non-holiday days I’ve seen.

You could have easily planned for a noon arrival, missed the traffic, and got a parking spot…


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[AK47bp]

So, a place you paid for an unlimited season pass is going to penalize customers with “infractions” since people didn’t follow rules that didn’t exist when you bought your pass? Is Alterra trying to one-up Vail for anti-customer service?

I’m laughing here. So you make a reservation and forget to set your alarm and sleep in, or shit came up in life and you just can’t make it. As a season pass holder not only do you miss your ski day but you get a $100 fine.

Anti-customer service is a good word.


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[BeardedClam]

That's awful high-brow for having a subsidized plow service to their doorstep

[AK47bp]

Wasn’t the reason for the reservation system because they had to reduce capacity due to government restrictions?

Aren’t those restrictions gone and they are now allowed to operate at 100%

Why are they doing this? I love Crystal and would love to go like I used to but maybe those days are over.




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