Crystal Mountain Becomes Alterra

[bfree]

Dude, airbnb the shit out of your luxury RV. I wonder if there is any fine-print to the RV spots? Plenty of folks will pay $150/night to stay in a really nice RV parked at the base.

How mobile does the RV need to be? Can i drop a single-wide in one of the spots for the season?

[emoji23] that is brilliant

[Norseman]

I think the bullion basin snowshoe trails are a better use of that exceptionally marginal terrain.

Yep.

Lift improvements / ski runs could affect B.C. access via the cat track also. Inside the managed area puts it under the flashing light rules that presently don't apply.

This is my concern with expanding that direction. The wilderness burn is some of the best touring in the area. It's already tricky enough to access the Bullion portal with the parking situation.

So what's the next unpopular thing Crystal is going to try out? I'm going with "fast lane" passes like Bachelor.

I bet it'll be paid parking for all, every day. Not just Fri/Sat/Sun/Holiday.

It's just so stupid.

Yes it is. Greedy fucks.


Man I remember some great times based in B-lot and it makes me sad that I might never go back. Some big storms, fun parties, night shenanigans on the gondola, music and ski movies and fireplace chillin at the Elk with excellent nachos and pitchers of Elk Frost. Ski to the bar after last chair, ski across the bridge and down the path to B-lot to wind down... so fun. Sigh.

For a few seasons I'd poach the spot by the propane tank. I think I paid like twice. It was twenty bucks then.











I remember Skibum Roberts parking next to me in his little green Geo or whatever. He sat in the camper for a while to warm up and we talked about running into each other on Rainier and elsewhere. RIP



Hummel parked a couple spots down once, and had a bunch of strawberry moonshine that made the rounds with the various ski friends who'd pop into the RV. His brother got fall-down fucked up and I was worried he'd go blind, lol.






My daughter's first trip up into the snow was in B-lot, the first trip of many with the camper as kid-ski-base.




Good pow that weekend... cold deep December pow laps on Campbell.







That mountain is sweet but the management can get bent. Fuck Alterra and their ilk. Fuck the corporate grabs of ski hills. It is ruining skiing.

[Toadman]

Let's face it, from a make as much money as you can perspective, it is brilliant. Wealthy Crystal season pass holders were complaining how crowded it was, and how season passes were too cheap. So Alterra gave them what they want, a $1700 (now $1849) season pass.

Then those same wealthy, entitled, long time season pass holders complained that they had to make reservations for RV spots and compete with the peons. So Crystal gave them what they want, a $6,999 space that is all theirs.



Ya, people are going to be pretty pissed when Crystal says the parking lot is full only to have a bunch of empty RV spots sitting there unused.

The people who buy a $6,999 RV spot don't care about trying to AirBNB it out for extra cash. This is chump change for them.

Capitalism rules...for the rich entitled folks. Not so much for the ski bum. Welcome to America.

[CHAIR_97]

solid post norse

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[XavierD]

Attachment 431345

It's just so stupid.

Or 20-30 nights at Crystal mountain hotels at peak rates, which benefits more then just Altera’s PE investors.

[snowaddict91]

Fuck Alterra and their ilk. Fuck the corporate grabs of ski hills. It is ruining skiing.

Quoted for emphasis.

I've always been envious of the parking lot camping scene you guys have. Hope this isn't the beginning of more places ruining this.

[oftpiste]

If someone buys an RV spot for the season and only occasionally uses it, doesn’t that just leave an empty unused spot? Not sure how fast the RV parking fills up but that just seems shitty to turn other people away when there is an open unused spot.

If they're smart and as assholish as they seem to be they'll do it like marinas do. They rent out vacated spots for the night, based on how long they'll be vacated, and the marina gets the fees. Wonder there's fine print about requirements to notify management if your $7k spot will be empty so they can fill it.

[PNWbrit]

That mountain is sweet but the management can get bent. Fuck Alterra and their ilk. Fuck the corporate grabs of ski hills. It is ruining skiing.

Yep.

[altasnob]

What are you talking about. Crystal and Alterra are the "heart and soul" of the mountain, at least according to their promotional material:

HEART & SOUL: LESSONS OF THE LAND

In 2020, the Muckleshoot Tribe established a full-time tribal classroom at Crystal Mountain, the first permanent classroom placed on federal land in the country.

Through their classes and programming, the youth of the Muckleshoot Tribe are building strength, resilience, and connection with the mountains as they ski, ride, learn outside and deepen their relationship with the land.

Learn more about their story in our latest Heart & Soul video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bF2WxLPQOg

[Norseman]

What are you talking about. Crystal and Alterra are the "heart and soul" of the mountain, at least according to their promotional material:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bF2WxLPQOg

Somehow this is the first I've heard of this and at first take I vigorously support it.

It doesn't reek like marketing to me like every other part of that place.

In fact I'd like to see much deeper tribal engagement and youth programs in pretty much every direction. Hell, give Crystal to the Puyallup tribe and I bet they'd manage it better than fuckn Alterra, and I'd sure be more willing to spend money there.

[ptavv]

I will eat my shoe if that classroom isn't the quid for some quo involving Crystal/Alterra using tribal resources or land for their own purposes. No shade to the tribes at all, they should extract everything they can at every opportunity from Crystal/Alterra. I just don't believe that the corpos did this for any reason other than their own interest.

[AK47bp]

I will eat my shoe if that classroom isn't the quid for some quo involving Crystal/Alterra using tribal resources or land for their own purposes.

The realist / pessimist in me agrees.


Verified WA tribal members should get lifetime free passes.


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[Norseman]

Yeah probably. Maybe hope got the better of me there. Or the lunchbeer is obscuring my sensors

[altasnob]

The Muckleshoots own all of the logging lands on the way to Crystal (possible development partner down the road), so Alterra is going to treat them right.

Hook those youth on the sport so you can sell them $1,800 season passes and $7k RV spots down the road.

[jacob_dbu]

Was it 7k they decided on?

[Bobcat Sig]

Quoted for emphasis.

I've always been envious of the parking lot camping scene you guys have. Hope this isn't the beginning of more places ruining this.

Count on it. Mt Bachelor long ago moved to a $40/night RV spot, more if you want power. It's the new model for ski areas that don't own their land or operate on USFS leases where they can't build slopeside housing. Gotta get those revenue streams going so they can, erm... pay their patrollers more to open up the hill faster? No, that's not it. It's so they can pay for better parking lot snow removal? No, that's not it either...

Oh, I know, so they can line the pockets of their respective ownership groups.

Or 20-30 nights at Crystal mountain hotels at peak rates, which benefits more then just Altera’s PE investors.

As in, this can become a model to show future investors how much demand there is for slopeside or nearby lodging?

[californiagrown]

Oh, I know, so they can line the pockets of their respective ownership groups.


As in, this can become a model to show future investors how much demand there is for slopeside or nearby lodging?

I own shares of KSL and can assure you that the lining is awfully thin in my pockets.

I believe the main hurdle to development of lodging at the base the lack of is sewer and storm, and the prohibitive price of installing compliant systems.

[altasnob]

They are adding a hotel at the base. From Crystal "reimagined"

HOTEL 1 (2025)

A 100-room hotel will be added with additional dining and conference space.

They just have to kick out that Muckleshoot tribal school yurt first before they start breaking ground

[AK47bp]

They are adding a hotel at the base. From Crystal "reimagined"



They just have to kick out that Muckleshoot tribal school yurt first before they start breaking ground

Well, they will “relocate” them.


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[Northway]

RV passes sold out
Attachment 431375

Alterra probably kicking themselves for not going with the 9,999.00 price.

[XavierD]

As in, this can become a model to show future investors how much demand there is for slopeside or nearby lodging?

As in, why would I drop $7k when I can just book out my winter in an actual bed in an actual building and not deal with driving an RV/trailer up to the the mountain.

Others seem to have seen the value in it…

[Bobcat Sig]

As in, why would I drop $7k when I can just book out my winter in an actual bed in an actual building and not deal with driving an RV/trailer up to the the mountain.

Others seem to have seen the value in it…

Totally fair. But, like, how are you going to get the 'gram with your quarter-million dollar German van if you're sleeping in a hotel room?

[phatty]

Do we know how many of these reserved spots they were selling? Curious how many went for it. I'll be interested to see how those people with reserved spots get treated (e.g. poop under the handles, etc.).

[XavierD]

Totally fair. But, like, how are you going to get the 'gram with your quarter-million dollar German van if you're sleeping in a hotel room?

To be fair, I’m ugly, so no Instagram future for me.

I do enjoy seeing $90k+ sprinter’s parked within eye sight throw of $300/night hotel rooms with indoor plumbing, central air and often a free breakfast.

[Northway]

…Wealthy Crystal season pass holders…

Then those same wealthy, entitled, long time season pass holders …

This is chump change for them.

You keep saying this. It’s a nice stereotype in your mind, and surely applies to some.

But my crew of ‘long time season pass holders’ is really light on lawyers, doctors, tech bros and dentists (present company excluded).

Yet I spring for A lot and have friends that have had rv passes, for their truck bed camper RV. We’re there, with young kids every weekend day, rain or shine and those things make it manageable, especially through the recent traffic, parking reservation and lodge shit shows.

We grew up brown bagging it in the area formerly known as the brown bag room. I’ve worked up there for passes. We do fine now in adult life, but there’s by no means any chump change.

Yes, given the current state of affairs up there, I advocated for more expensive passes, and more specifically an exit from ikon. Got the former and a partial of the latter. It was the only solution to the crowds.

The outlay for the passes is one thing, the periphery amenity pricing is just a capitalistic money grab.

There was a 10+ year waiting list for A lot passes. Kircher could have charged whatever he wanted for them, but he didn’t, price stayed relatively consistent and I stayed on the wait list.

The only thing these moves beyond the pass prices are doing is pricing out the long term pass holders that grew up in the RV lot and are trying to give their kids the same thing.

Signed, long time pass holder. (My mom sewed my ski clothes)