Crystal Mountain Resort

Crystal Mountain is a beautiful ski resort near Traverse City. The slopes are fun for all skill levels, and the views from the top are stunning. The suspension bridge with colorful lights is a great photo spot. It truly feels like a winter wonderland. Highly recommend visiting in the winter!

— Kitty

I'm new to skiing and to this "resort" and I keep hearing everyone say this place "used to be great before it sold out." Well, I can't speak to that but its basically garbage as it is now. I'm a newer skier, but with traveling for work I get to sample all the places. I've skied Montana, Oregon, Washington, West Virginia, and Canada at this point and this is...honestly probably the worst place I've been to. Even West Virginia had better snow. Anyway, because of their reservation system rules now with the road out currently, I put myself on the wait list for a handful of weekdays and imagine my surprise when I got a ticket for Monday (their 3rd day open this season) Sweet, let's go. I drive all the way there and there's no indication on this parking pass of where I am supposed to be parking. So I follow traffic, and I end up parking in the A lot, and it isn't until I'm getting out of my car and putting on my jacket that I'm asked for a parking pass. And I said, sure, no problem and show him what I have. While I'm pulling this ticket up on my phone, he is like, oh, you'll definitely know if you can park here, cause it costs like $2000 to park here. Um, weird flex from a parking attendant but ok...? Now I get to the lifts, and I'm realizing it's crowded. And the people that are skiing alongside me are not people who are like paying attention or are spatially aware of how close they are to other people so I'm nervous because I've had someone run into me before. Thankfully didn't happen, but that was rather impressive considering the snow was incredibly icy and they were making snow on the lower runs, which was just blowing in everyone's face as they skied through, so it was just sticking to my goggles in icy pellets and I couldn't see by the time I got to the bottom (and I couldn't wipe it off because it was freezing as it stuck). I did an intermediate run, and I took a side run that was definitely open (and marked "easier way") And I was not the only one who was surprised at being stuck in literal mud interspersed with straight sheets of gritty ice, while navigating hairpin turns. I'm feeling pretty good because I got through it and I'm just making the mental note to not go through it again next time when I fall after catching an edge and I think it speaks to the culture of this mountain that someone skied past me, and instead of asking if I was okay, told me I should learn how to ski. I did another run before taking a break at which time they also closed the main lift to the top of the mountain Rainier Gondola, which was access to all of the runs except for a single green run. By the time I had chili and a beer over at Snorting Elk (that was some cafeteria chili for $10 btw), everything was closed except for the beginner's gondola Chinook. So I ended up leaving at 2 PM, although at least I had started my day as they were opening. I still managed to get in five runs, but I didn't leave feeling very good about it. I mean, I guess I'll see if I can fit in some days before I leave again once they get some real snow or at least figure out which of their runs *should be* open, but I only have about another month here, and I've heard that Alpental is better so I'll probably use up my 7 days up there before returning here. I can't really speak to the employee's at the resort, as I didn't really interact with anyone despite them being *everywhere*... oh, and watching One of the young ski patrollers fall on a flat stretch in between 2 lifts, Chinook Express and Rainier Express, which doesn't make me feel good, I'm gonna be honest. If you're coming to help me, you should be a better skier than me (which seems like it shouldn't be hard, at least according the lady who blasted down the mountain like she had a death wish after only slowing down to insult me despite me not even being in her way).

— Cat

I had my first skiing experience here last week with my sisters and had an absolute blast. Arrived without knowing how to ski, we took the morning beginner class with Gary and he was awesome! So helpful and encouraging! We left the mountain now knowing how to ski. I will recommend this resort to anyone who asks and will definitely be back. 🩵❄️

— Elizabeth Ratliff

It was our first time here so wasn’t sure what to expect. We signed up for snowboarding lessons and rentals. We booked it online and the lessons included a day pass to the discovery lift as well. When we got there it was easy to navigate and everyone was kind. We got fitted for boots, and rented boards. They also provided a helmet and goggles. Phillip Baker was our instructor and he was very patient, kind, and encouraging. I highly recommended lessons with him!

— Paula

Awesome resort. They even had skis to fit my 1 year old and a nice kids play area in the snow. Family friendly. Awesome Mt Rainer views from the top of the gondola ride.

— Bekah Priester