Washington Skiing | Crystal Mountain Ski Area

I jump at any chance to leave the city and be outdoors. So when my friends Anthony and Dave asked if I wanted to go skiing at Crystal I said yes. We left soggy Seattle at 6:30am, drove through pouring rain until about 10 minutes outside of Crystal Ski Area, where the rain changed to snow.

We put on all our ski gear in one of the lower parking lots, and waited for the shuttle. We waited and waited. We all got ridiculously large coffees at Bigfoot Java, and finally decided we couldn't wait any longer to get to the bathroom... I mean, to get out tickets and start skiing. So we walked.

The skiing was great, the weather changed every 10 minutes making the same runs feel different. (Before visiting check the conditions and Crystal Ski Area Webcam.) One of the perks of the day was watching people fall after hitting a dip in the snow that was invisible when the clouds rolled in. It's right after you get off the Forest Queen Express. Also getting to try the newest lift, Northway, was a huge perk. It was my favorite area of the mountain.

I had a few solid falls myself and my cell phone must have gotten left behind after one of them. At the end of the day it was missing from my pocket. Sad to think of the little guy alone and shivering on the mountain. Its lonely little ring echoing on the empty mountain.

But aside from the shuttle service, which was just as frustrating on the way back to the car, and losing my phone... my first day of Washington skiing was very fun, and actually much better than expected. Now I'm sore and need to get back in shape before heading up to Whistler in February.

Prices: Adult One-Day: $58
Season passes, children's tickets, half day passes and more at: Crystal Mountain Lift Tickets
Hours: Lifts run from 9a-4p
Where: Outside of the northeast corner of Rainer National Park, in Enumclaw WA.
Website: For webcam, driving directions, and even a Crystal Blog visit skicrystal.com