Contours: Crystal Mountain

If you’re a skier near a big city, you’re probably familiar with the typical weekend routine: pack the car at 9PM, get up early, make a big cup of coffee, and hit the road for a few hours’ drive to the ski resort. You’re probably planning on sitting in some traffic, but the skiing will make it all worth it. This winter though, skiers headed to Washington’s Crystal Mountain, newly owned by Alterra Mountain Company and a member resort on the Ikon Pass, have experienced a unique blend of pre-ski challenges. Unusually long traffic delays, parking lots filling up earlier than usual, and busy bathrooms have led many to claim that the resort simply can’t handle the growing demand for skiing. In response, Crystal Mountain management changed their ticket policy: there would be no more walk-up ticket sales on the weekends. On the first weekend of this bold new policy, we headed up the mountain to take the pulse of the resort and see what people thought of the changes.

Some audio courtesy KING5 News.

Music in this episode: Rad Racer by Atomicos