PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Crystal Mountain just wrapped up the first weekend of the new season, one week earlier than expected.
Communications Coordinator Emma Brice said the target open date was Nov. 25, 2022, but with about two feet of natural snow and their ability to make snow, the resort opened one week early. Season passholders were able to hit the slopes Friday, Nov. 18 and the resort is now open to the general public can visit.
To start, only the lower runs are open, but Brice said the upper mountain can open after at least another eight inches of snow falls, which could happen in the next week.
She said the resort is able to open this early because of their ability to make snow.
In the last five years, the resort has spent about $5 million on 40 snow making machines, which can cover 70 acres with snow.
In a typical year, they’ll make 20 million gallons and so far this year, they’ve made 8 million.
Brice said they need exact conditions in order to make the snow.
“We need our temperatures to be below 27 degrees and the colder and drier it is, the more snow we can make,” she said.
She added that their machines are fans rather than guns, which use 25% less energy than guns.
“A fan has a compressor onboard, typically a typical snow gun has a centralized compressor that has piping running throughout the resort which uses a lot more energy," Brice said. "So these are a lot more energy efficient.”
The water they use for the snow is pulled from local reservoirs, which then melts and flows right back to where it came from at the end of the season.
This process, she said, is worth it because it can extend their season by months. They can open anywhere from one to two weeks early and last year, the resort stayed open two months longer than expected.
More information on the season and hours can be found at Crystal Mountain's website.
