Crystal Mountain Becomes Alterra

[Stikki]

What hours will the parking reservations apply?

From their site:
-No parking reservations needed after 1pm

[oftpiste]

Do you actually have kids?

I did it for years. 3 (then) little kids in programs, no spousal assistance. So did a shit ton of other people then. It was the only way (before my 5 year wait on the list for A-lot parking paid off) to get it done. It was fucking hard and required planning, food packing, car loading the night before, then just drag them to the truck at 5:30, sometimes kicking and screaming, literally. Then they slept.

Get there early and get them geared up, get some breakfast in the lodge, take a shit before the bathrooms are destroyed. By then it was 30 minutes to opening/dropping them at program.

I wouldn't trade a fucking second of it. You know what else? As adults now, THEY know that if they wanna get some on the hill, they have to get the fuck out of bed. To this day, Sorry, but reluctance to get after it seems pussified. Sack the fuck up and do what needs to be done. And AGAIN, making reservations at a limited number means you can't fucking ski when you want to.

Parents of kids in programs now at risk of having to sit in the car all day with the reservation system. Fuck that.

C'mon man. SMFH.

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.

[oftpiste]

I do brother, and know - again - we're on the same page here. There's always going to be that anomalous morning when the universe fucks us no matter how early we get up. Not hearing an argument from you! xoxoxoxoxo.

And I do remember that thing with WSP, as well as the days Xtal would have staff down there.

I dunno, it feels to me like a question of them accommodating the lowest common denominators. And that's not that it 'should' be about getting up early, or maybe....

Why should the slackers be accommodated?

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.

[Buster Highmen]

I
Why should the slackers be accommodated?

Because they're entitled princesses?

[PNWbrit]

Had someone rent our place recently who texted the first night they were there needing instructions how to light the fireplace.

Because they had never lit a fire before.

[Northway]

Had someone rent our place recently who texted the first night they were there needing instructions how to light the fireplace.

Because they had never lit a fire before.

You told them it was out of order and refunded them $5, right? Small price to pay for them not burning down your place!

[PNWbrit]

You told them it was out of order and refunded them $5, right? Small price to pay for them not burning down your place!

They asked if we could have "someone" come over and do it for them.

[eleeskiing]

They asked if we could have "someone" come over and do it for them.

The irony is that they probably work in tech and design complex software platforms that generate millions in revenue.

[PNWbrit]

The irony is that they probably work in tech and design complex software platforms that generate millions in revenue.

He certainly seemed from a higher caste.

[eleeskiing]

He certainly seemed from a higher caste.

He probably works at google and is accustomed to catered lunch and assisted ass wiping.

[m2711c]

should've gone over and charged 'em a $75.00 fire start-up fee and sold them a subscription service for daily artesianal log deliveries. see, the subscriptions are where the real big money is. people never remember to cancel their subscriptions.....








step 3 - profit.

[oftpiste]

I seriously wept with laughter at that. And those are the people we're competing with for the access to skiing. And I also know and believe that everyone should have equal access to everything. That doesn't mean you get to skip the line.

And the starting point for all is: learn how to do the whole thing, including how to get there to participate. If you really wanna do it you'll do what's necessary.

Did you call Joe to go help them? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

They asked if we could have "someone" come over and do it for them.

[Northway]

Why should the slackers be accommodated?

I’m following in yours and Busters footsteps here, now lugging my kids to the mountain to get them to their programs on time (or a family ski day). We don’t miss a day, we make sure we’re among the early traffic, we crushed the reservation system last year. We get it done. We ski.

But man, it is for sure an ever earlier crush of traffic. How do you end what will be an arms race of early birds? How early is too much to ask? It’s not the slackers that need to be accommodated, but man, full lots before the lifts crack?!

This is all due to Alterra overselling passes.

The 2 res limit on parking reservations will be super problematic for sure, but I’m in the camp of something needs to be done. Preferably running Alterra out of town.

Whatever. In the midst of a crazy busy day on the hill today, this afternoon our group dropped into Paradise bowl, skied some nice wind-buffed pow, then stood in the basin watching the spindrift blow off the ridge in the sun then skied out I-5 and did not see one other person on that lap after we dropped in. Fucking love that mountain.

[Buster Highmen]

They asked if we could have "someone" come over and do it for them.

Uber Lights?
You should have put a call in to the Naches. Surely someone there would have taken $20 to start their fire.

I still miss Slippery Creek.

[powder_to_the_people]

I did it for years. 3 (then) little kids in programs, no spousal assistance. So did a shit ton of other people then. It was the only way (before my 5 year wait on the list for A-lot parking paid off) to get it done. It was fucking hard and required planning, food packing, car loading the night before, then just drag them to the truck at 5:30, sometimes kicking and screaming, literally. Then they slept.

I wouldn't trade a fucking second of it. You know what else? As adults now, THEY know that if they wanna get some on the hill, they have to get the fuck out of bed. To this day, Sorry, but reluctance to get after it seems pussified. Sack the fuck up and do what needs to be done. And AGAIN, making reservations at a limited number means you can't fucking ski when you want to.

C'mon man. SMFH.

Very impressive that you managed to do that for so long. And I bet your kids will be forever thankful.

This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion, but the “I had to do it if I wanted to ski back then, and I was able to do it, so why can’t everyone else (kids or not) do the same thing?” doesn’t really acknowledge the fact that other people (or parents) might simply not have the bandwidth to only sleep a few hours on a weekend night. I don’t think that makes them less deserving of getting a ski day in––they spent the same amount of money on their pass as everyone else, and got screwed over by Ikon overselling passes, just like everyone else.

I don’t have kids, but if I did, I probably would be relieved to see the reservation system be put in place, especially if I had been turned around at the boulevard a couple of times this season already. I'd still be just as furious that Ikon screwed us all by overselling passes though.

[PNWbrit]

Bandwidth????

WTF?

Do you need instructions for the fire place?

[Buster Highmen]

Maybe they're not vaccinated, so they can't take advantage of the 5G upgrade?

[oftpiste]

I don’t have kids, but if I did....

Key phrase. Not unpopular, just umm...

Bandwidth? Jeezus. If you don't have the bandwidth feel free to get turned around before you get to the lot. If you don't have the bandwidth don't do the thing. Other peeps' bandwidth capacity couldn't be farther from my concern. I (and Buster, and so many others - you and I know who you are) - did what it took to get themselves and their kids on the hill.

It seems to take more to do that now which is indeed a bummer for all of us. It makes me get up earlier too, but I still do. And so do my adult kids.

But in what universe is it the resort's, or my, or anyone else responsibility and/or sacrifice to make sure someone else's kids get to their program on time, or someone gets their once a year $185 lift ticket?

Fucking entitled bullshit. Sorry, I'm just fed up.

[nickwm21]

Pro tip. If you go to bed at 9pm, you can wake up at 5am feeling fantastic. Trust me, I do it 260 days a year…


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[Norseman]

oftpiste rants are choice this year.

[ptavv]

I think the whole thing that rankles about the Crystal parking reservation system is that it's basically "un American".

The whole ethos of America is that you can work hard, do stuff other people won't do, etc and get rewarded. The parking reservation system seems built around the idea that entitled people who paid for a season pass are pissed that they can't park at the mountain (rather than at the expo center) when they don't get up early.

What's particularly irksome about the whole reservation system, I think, is that there's no other outdoor recreation that works this way. Trailheads in the summer? Get there early or maybe don't get a parking spot. Parking spots at the public boat launch? Get there early or don't get a spot. Want to climb the Tooth on a summer weekend day? Whoa buddy, better be there early AF or you'll be waiting *a while*. Most of us posting on this website grew up with first-come first-serve public campgrounds (and many places still are)

Edit for clarity: I mean that the system is contrary to the idea of American individualism. It's obviously in keeping with our descent into unfettered capitalism run amok. Only a matter of time before Crystal sets up a reservation auction site, taxes it at a few % points, and then the unwashed masses can auction off the parking spots they managed to snatch from the bots to our wealthy tech overlords.

[ianpnw]

I agree with Oftpiste and Buster. For years I hauled my kids out of bed, put them in the back of the van with a breakfast sandwich and let them sleep en route. My friends knew we had 4 unused seats and would ask for a ride - if they turned up they got a sandwich and a ride. I always left on time and if they were late to my house they found a dry patch in the alley and no van…..you snooze, you lose.
The problem is Alterra has oversold passes, and they are asking us to fix the problem by reducing the value of the pass for which we paid full price. I have sympathy for them over the last 2 years trying to respond to COVID by limiting lift capacity - hence the reservation system. This season their greed has caused the problem.
Fuck them. I have complained directly, signed the change.org petition, and used Buster’s links to complain to the state. I would happily sign up for a class action lawsuit.
I understand that to many people this is a first world problem, but I ask them to apply the substitution test for something that is important to them - imagine paying full price for a good (symphony, play, sporting event tickets, a meal at a restaurant or whatever) and then not getting what they paid for. I bet they’d feel like I do re Crystal.

[altasnob]

What's particularly irksome about the whole reservation system, I think, is that there's no other outdoor recreation that works this way. Trailheads in the summer?

This is my biggest complaint. People forget that the end of Crystal boulevard is a USFS trailhead. Doesn't matter if it is summer, winter, spring, or fall, it is a trailhead. I can think of no other USFS trailhead where one needs a reservation to use. On top of this, it's not the USFS that is implementing the reservation system, it's a private company. Think of the precedent this is creating.

If you tally up all the acres of land one can reasonably access from Crystal in a day you will find that just a small percentage of that land is within Crystal's permit area, and an even smaller amount within Crystal's ski area boundary. Most Crystal skiers are clueless of this fact. They think it's a private ski area and do whatever they want.

[jacob_dbu]

I think the whole thing that rankles about the Crystal parking reservation system is that it's basically "un American".

The whole ethos of America is that you can work hard, do stuff other people won't do, etc and get rewarded. The parking reservation system seems built around the idea that entitled people who paid for a season pass are pissed that they can't park at the mountain (rather than at the expo center) when they don't get up early.

What's particularly irksome about the whole reservation system, I think, is that there's no other outdoor recreation that works this way. Trailheads in the summer? Get there early or maybe don't get a parking spot. Parking spots at the public boat launch? Get there early or don't get a spot. Want to climb the Tooth on a summer weekend day? Whoa buddy, better be there early AF or you'll be waiting *a while*. Most of us posting on this website grew up with first-come first-serve public campgrounds (and many places still are)

Edit for clarity: I mean that the system is contrary to the idea of American individualism. It's obviously in keeping with our descent into unfettered capitalism run amok. Only a matter of time before Crystal sets up a reservation auction site, taxes it at a few % points, and then the unwashed masses can auction off the parking spots they managed to snatch from the bots to our wealthy tech overlords.

What's also particularly irksome about it for me is the fact that it's always some half-assed poorly designed scheme that's launched and tested AFTER we all bought passes. Even last year the reservation system was completely untested before the season started and so you have no idea what to expect.

[Toadman]

Sounds like Alterra needs to double, triple, quadruple the unlimited pass price for next season. Might tamp down demand a bit. And then they can take all that extra revenue and put into their pockets. I mean put it toward improving mountain infrastructure. Which will take like 10 years of litigation to get approved or thrown out.

Maybe Alterra does what Powder Corp did down here in Bachelorville and you get to pay extra for Fast Tracks passes.

Sucks what's going on up there. If I'm lucky, I might get up there to experience the hell that is Crystal Mtn. these days.