I grew up going there . Not going back. Please read the full review.
My first time up this year.
I got an Ikon pass and had to go to customer service at the mountain to set it up because an error on their side. Easy enough, I got the pass and hit the hill. The surprise came when I got back to the car, in the form of a $78 parking ticket! A parking ticket at a ski resort ?!?! . I went back to customer service to ask about it, and they where unbelievable. Incredibly rude and unhelpful. I told them that crystal mountain staff had parked me, they pointed to where I was to park. They didn't bother to say anything about payment. They didn't have a sign or anything... In fact there was no obvious signage anywhere that said, PAY FOR PARKING . The customer service person asked where I parked. I told her lot B and, she didn't even know where that was, but she assured me there was signs everywhere... Then she told me I should have read about it when I set up my pass. Oh ya ! She set up my pass... So why didn't she bother to say anything ?? All she could do was tell me how it was on me.... Somehow I was supposed to magically know about their new lame policy. They did absolutely nothing except blame me , be rude, and stand offish. No effort to help me out. Absolutely zero customer service.
I drove around when I left and finally found one small sign under the D lot sign. Almost impossible to read unless you roll down your window and stop.
If it's snowing, foggy, or you don't have great eye sight there's no way you see it. Which is why I wasn't the only one that got a ticket. Just about every car around me had one. I probably could have counted 50 or more if I walked around. What a SCAM ! This place is already over priced for what you get. Resort prices for an overcrowded mountain (good luck going on a Saturday )with limited amenities. long lines, Gross bathrooms and a staff that seems to be getting worse by the year.
It used to be a kinda laid back, chill vibe, a place you'd want to hang out. Now It's just a @$#* show.
I have lost my patience with Icon/Alterra and their vision of what a good day on the hill is. I don't think it's growing pains, just bad management and zero vision.
crystal is no gem. It's played out.
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Went to crystal sat. Morning, did not reserve a ticket. Took the free bus from enumclaw expo center. Trip was fine. I arrived with shock to see the entry price was 200$. The cashier said to go online to reserve ticket for a possible discount. Went online you could not reserve for that day.
The guy felt bad and gave me his family discount, I paid 120$ cash no receipt, I'm in. (Still waaaaay to expensive sorry) I wanna get on the mountain I don't want to pay so much. Snowqualmie is only 75$. I get in I get rents another 65$. I get a locker for my shoes, another 15$. I got a breakfast burrito it was 12$ and it said chicken. I opened the burrito it was full of beans only. There was some kind of white moosh which could have been ground chicken, this is not the kind of food I want to eat sorry, but it was all they had it was 8am. I finally go down the mountain, there was no powder, it was hard as F, very hard and like ice the sliding experience was basically horrible and not enjoyable. Seriously where was the snow? The previous weekend both passed were closed due to too much snow so again where was the snow???? What snow? Complete waste of money I will never go to crystal again.
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Absolutely loved the terrain at Crystal. If only the snow quality was always blower powder, then it would be a top notch powder hound destination with its combination of abundant snow, awesome terrain, and relative ease of scoring freshies.

We were so lucky that we visited when the temperatures were reasonably cold and the snow quality was really good, but we were a little unlucky that we were a day late for a powder day at Crystal (but hey, we were at Mt Hood Meadows for a powder morning so we can’t complain!). Even though it was a weekday, we assumed that any fresh powder would be long gone, especially when we saw the really long queues at the base to get a lift ticket. However, we were incredibly fortunate to have a local to show us lots of stashes and there were still plenty of fresh lines to be had. Some of them required only traversing to get in and out (so it was easy to see why there weren’t many expert snowboarders compared to skiers), whilst others required a short hike. Even the following day, there were still some freshies to be had that only required a little work.

The variety of terrain for advanced to expert riders was impressive, and we loved that there was a mix of open bowls, steep trees, and rocky features to keep things lively.

We were suitably impressed with Crystal Mountain as a powder hound area. It’s probably not a destination that international visitors or out-of-staters would visit specifically, but it would be worth putting at the top of your list for a road trip of the PNW ski areas, or including on a broader Ikon Pass road trip of the US ski resorts.

See the Crystal Mountain overview for more on the pros and cons and check out our USA ski resort ratings to see how Crystal Mountain compares to other western US ski areas.
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Great snow for Washington, more advanced terrain, but it’s not worth 100 bucks for a lift ticket. The accommodations are pretty old in need of updating, the lodge doesn’t have much for amenities and the food is not good. The 2 restaurants separate from the main lodge area are a different company and much better but not worth their prices.
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Overall, the skiing options for all levels are superb. Crystal gets some of the most and highest quality snow in the region (though I will admit Baker beats Crystal out on that), and it has great off-piste terrain to take advantage of that. While it is cursed with crowds on weekends due to its proximity to Seattle, it is less crowded than nearby Snoqualmie and Stevens Passes, and the efficient lift system (usually) moves skiers around quickly.
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Crystal is the best
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I learned to ski here at the age of four. I’ve skied for over 50 years now. I’ve gone to many different ski resorts throughout North America. And I still feel like Crystal is an excellent hill to ski at. My only major complaint is there is very little accommodations on the mountain and close hill. The snorting elk is the only bar on the hill. Excellent for lunch and dinner and a little music . You can go down to Greenwater and have a drink at the Nachi‘s tavern an excellent biker bar. Crystal is an excellent day skiing ski resort.
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This is my local ski area and I've been skiing here for 30 years. In terms of the terrain it is one of the top areas in the US, in my opinion, particularly for backcountry skiing. The snow can be heavy and it can be rainy especially near the base. But with fatter skis we nearly always have a great time when there is fresh snow.

Note: There are a lot of very good skiers at Crystal, and they really show up on powder days.
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It’s crystal clear that the terrain at Crystal Mountain is one of its main strengths and the backcountry is stellar!

For other pros and cons, see the overview of Crystal Mountain Resort.

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Great mountain for real skiing. The back country is very challenging and this mountain has something for every level.
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