CRYSTAL TO GET NEW TRAM: Master development plan finalized

After 7 years, Crystal Mountain and the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Service finalized a master development plan that will result in vast developments at Crystal, including the addition of a 100-person tram.

The plan, which will materialize as three phases over a ten year period, will begin in the ’07 summer with the construction of the Northway Express. The quad will add 200 acres of lift-serviced skiing on the north backcountry that skiers could previously access by hiking.

A tram?! Sweet!

The tram will likely be installed in the summer of ’08 or ’09, and will run from the base to the summit of the mountain with the intent of providing more direct access for skiers and accessibility for foot passengers, according to Crystal’s sales and marketing director, Tiana Enger.

“I think (Crystal) is going to remain a local’s favorite playground for a lot of people, opening up doors to expand and get into the national spotlight,” Enger said. “We have amazing terrain. We just don’t have the existing amenities right now to support being a destination area. We’ll never be a Whistler but we’d like to be able to have a more complete package for more people to come up and spend the weekend with us.”

Other features of the plan are the construction of a 120-bedroom ski in/ski out hotel and the remodeling of the Summit House.

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