The Season is Here!
[Update: 11.21.2018]
Thank a snowmaker.
The moment the calendar flips to November they are on-call 24 hours a day just waiting for the temperature to drop below 28 degrees. Whenever it does, they are at the ready whether it's 3pm or 3am. In total, it will take a combined 5,000 hours of work to open 100% of Crystal Mountain's terrain. These can be long and challenging hours out in the elements. It's a tough job but it should never be a thankless one.
So after you've given thanks for family, good friends and good health, save one more thank you for a snowmaker.
They are the reason we'll be skiing and riding on Buck, Gorge, Lower Gorge, Gorge Glades, Cheers to Lou, Tuck's and Totem Park on Thanksgiving Day - earlier than any year in the last four years. In fact, you can enjoy their early-season handy work with a FREE lift ticket on opening day (November 22, 2018) - equipment rental is a flat rate of $15.
We'll continue to enjoy the fruits of their labor into the weekend looking to add Main Street, Jester's Alley and Giggles for skiing and riding Friday-Sunday (9am-4:30pm). THE SEASON IS HERE and we're grateful for the people who have helped it along over the last 12 days and nights. Happy Thanksgiving and see you at first chair!
[Update: 11.8.2018: Intellicast forecast for Thompsonville, Michigan as of Thursday, November 8, 2018]
And so it begins.
If you're a skier or rider, this is what you're looking for from the moment the leaves start changing color in the fall. Temperatures dropping to 28 degrees and below. Raindrops replaced by snowflakes on the five-day forecast. It would appear our wait is over.
We anticipate that snowmaking will begin at Crystal Mountain within the next 48 hours (if not sooner) and depending on how ambitious Mother Nature feels, we could see anywhere from 2-6 additional inches of natural snow. It doesn't matter your age, everyone's a kid once the snow starts falling and dreams of skiing or riding get closer to reality.
It naturally begs the question, "When will you open?" It really depends on how long temperatures stay cold enough (28 degrees and below) to make snow. The commitment we can make to you is that we will be making every effort to ski over the Thanksgiving Reconnect Weekend (the people who work here want to ski too:). The forecast over the next several days should give us a good start. Bookmark this blog because we'll be using it to keep you up to date on what we're doing to prep the downhill trails and the rest of the resort.
The season is coming!