Crystal Mountain on Pace for Record Snowfall

A cavalcade of Pacific storms during the week prior to Christmas brought a deluge of snow to Crystal Mountain Resort in Washington State.

So much snow fell that a section of chairs on the Northway lift got buried. Crews had to dig nine feet down in the snow to have enough space to operate the chairlift. With snow accumulating so fast, the ski patrol brought in a helicopter to aid with throwing bombs for avalanche control.

More than eight feet of snow fell at Crystal Mountain in seven days. This past week’s snowfall catapulted Crystal Mountain’s tally to 150 percent above average. Green Valley doesn’t usually see 100 inches of snowpack until February, but the basin has already reached that mark. “Needless to say, the conditions have been fantastic,” summed up spokesperson Tiana Enger.

Ski patroller Blaine Horner videoed some of the impacts of the snow last week:

With the snowpack this winter, this is not a season to miss out on skiing. Skiers and snowboarders can still take buy Crystal’s five-day GO Cards are on sale until Jan. 31, 2013. The cards act just like a season pass with direct-to-lift functionality, but give skiers and snowboarders five days of lift access until April 21, 2013.

Pricing for the cards varies by age group. The cards are also available for chairlifts only or chairlifts and the gondola. For instance, the adult GO Card costs $280 for chairlifts only or $320 for chairlift and gondola access. Rates are available for youth and seniors, too.     

For more information on the GO Cards, look here.