Crystal Mountain Becomes Alterra

[phatty]

Cool, now include the Ikon with that $1600 and you've got a deal.

Yeah, I've felt that they should remove unlimited skiing from Ikon and those mountains have their own unlimited passes that include Ikon benefits. That would remove the overselling of passes for any individual mountain.

[cstefanic]

I am basically asking for a return to the Mountain Collective model.

Get yourself an unlimited season pass to your local mountain, then hey cool you can add 3/5/7 days to these 32 other partner resorts for only $xxx! So this year's $1600 is unlimited at crystal and 7 at the other resorts.

It's still expensive but *almost* palatable.

[the_prof]

I love crystals new business strat of tossing ideas out there and then keeping whatever gets the least number of complaints


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[Fishskisurf]

And they could very well revert back to paid parking…

[Fishskisurf]

Also, are they really bulldozing employee housing to build another parking lot? That seems like the most precarious change of all that they’ve announced. 1) the mountain is already well over capacity, 2) I see a Stevens-esque mess where they’d struggle mightily to staff their ops leading to lift closures etc.

[bfree]

Yeah more parking makes zero sense. Even if they want to argue the mountain isn't beyond capacity, the boulevard definitely is.

[counterfeitfake]

I cannot fucking believe the constant changing of plans. How do they not understand how this makes them look bad and undermines trust?

[altasnob]

Also, are they really bulldozing employee housing to build another parking lot? That seems like the most precarious change of all that they’ve announced.

I read a comment on facebook that said they are renting a camp (Black Diamond Camp?) near Buck Creek Campground as the new employee housing. Can anyone confirm?

[the_prof]

I read a comment on facebook that said they are renting a camp (Black Diamond Camp?) near Buck Creek Campground as the new employee housing. Can anyone confirm?

Yep, they currently do this


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[Greydon Clark]

I love the idea of a Bullion Basin chair and carving some sunny groomers. Glorious.

[Northway]

I love the idea of a Bullion Basin chair and carving some sunny groomers. Glorious.

That guy behind you likes the idea of a Bullion Basin chair since just maybe (wishful thinking) the race team can get some additional training space after having hill space on quicksilver taken away in favor of park jumps. Gold hills doesn’t currently have room for all the programs.

[Greydon Clark]

That guy behind you likes the idea of a Bullion Basin chair since just maybe (wishful thinking) the race team can get some additional training space after having hill space on quicksilver taken away in favor of park jumps. Gold hills doesn’t currently have room for all the programs.

I'll send Frank an email. We're tight bros.

[Northway]

Cool. Thanks for getting the parking fee waived.

[L82thegate]

My recollection of skiing the old chair up Bullion was, if the main lifts start to get crowded, we'll get more skiing done there so we did. Better skiing? Not really. It gets direct sun so melt-off is a factor. There's a rather spicy creek in the skiing zone my brother went in once. Weekday crowds won't suffice to run it, probably a week-end overload pressure valve. Does it increase the resorts value higher than the investment? Likely it does. I'm no accountant but I could see a business case for it.

[TAFKALVS]

Build all the lifts.

[eSock]

Parking reservations didn't open today at noon?

There's a popup alert on their site saying parking reservations are removed for the remainder of the season, but that's the only spot I can find that it says it - nowhere on the parking reservation site, no where on the trip planning page, no blog, email, etc...

[Fishskisurf]

communications (and their parking website) have all been a gong show from Alterra this year.

Probably nearing end season by now though where crowds drop off and no need for reservations

[oftpiste]

I love crystals new business strat of tossing ideas out there and then keeping whatever gets the least number of complaints

.....without, of course, EVER acknowledging their mistakes, the community, the shitshow that they've created.

I've said it before but imagine the good will they could regain by simply opening those reversal posts with something like, "We've heard you, thank you for your input, we love you guys, we're trying."

Not that it would solve the problems, but FFS how about a little humility and accountability? Jeezus.

[Dromond]

Crystal policies change faster than the weather these days! I have low confidence that any pass purchased in the spring won’t have new restrictions added in the fall or during the winter. At least Snoqualmie is consistent with the level of service that their pass offers (take that for what you will) while Crystal has become some sort of season pass/parking roulette wheel.

[Greydon Clark]

I'm looking into buying a #FireFrank billboard on 410.

[Greydon Clark]

Who gives a flying fuck if he is responsive to email when every change/solution makes the experience worse for the customer?

[oftpiste]

Any "responsiveness" is lip service at best. I wonder what the team meetings (if there are any) sound like getting to the policies and announcements, and then after there's so much outcry they go in and rejigger everything. Must be a hoot.

[Fishskisurf]

I'm as guilty as anyone of piling on Frank but at least he's responsive to emails and I think he really does want to do a good job.
I think the main problem resides in Colorado, both with Vail and Alterra. Neither one seem to understand how NW ski AREAS function.
Maybe I'm just out of touch, so many people have moved to the NW over the past 40 years from Kalifornia and the east coast, maybe they all want the retail shops/hotels/dining experience/event calendar/blah blah blah.
All I care about is having a competent ski patrol (no complaints here), reliable lifts (getting a little worried lately) and when it is crowded, not being surrounded by people "skiing" terrain several notches over their actual ability level (I'm still in awe of what Ikon mass marketing has done here).

I don’t think they care how PNW areas HAVE functioned, they are trying to open up additional revenue opportunities by adding on the retail/resort/restaurant sectors. Face it, we’re at ski area capacity and they sell enough passes, so adding to the lift/terrain equation won’t net them additional $$. From a pure skiing standpoint sucks, but understandable from a business. Whether we like it or not, that’s the direction it going (resort/all season) especially with climate change (how many warm / rain days did we have up there this year?)

Frank has replied to me too (thanks?) but largely dodged/gave lip service answers.

I don’t think it would be in our best interest to ask Alterra to start policing ski/terrain ability.

[PNWbrit]

I'm looking into buying a #FireFrank billboard on 410.

It's a pity the old Weyerhaeuser bridge has been torn down on 410.

Would have been perfect.

[altasnob]

Think how much money Alterra will make with that new hotel. In the Summer, over a million people head up to Sunrise just to look at Mt. Rainier. Crystal captures some of that looky loo market with retail, restaurants, and scenic ghondola rides. In the winter, there is an unlimited supply of Bennys from shithole, USA, tickled pink to fly out for a storm cycle on their Ikon base pass. And for every pissed off local that fails to renew, Crystal makes up for the lost revenue by bumping the pass price up to $1,699. Not to mention all the money they make charging for parking. They say that funds the bus but I wouldn't be surprised if Frank's skimming a bit off the top first. Frank's got us by the balls and he is going to squeeze, hard.