Supply and demand govern Crystal’s approach to overcrowding. Prepare to pay up

Alterra Mountain Company bought Crystal in 2018 during a period of supercharged growth in the ski industry that was later amplified by a pandemic-era surge in outdoor recreation that strained infrastructure at ski areas nationwide.

These conditions led Crystal to change its approach to overcrowding by adjusting prices upward and selling among the most expensive weekend day tickets and season passes in North America.

In recent winters, Crystal suffered acute overcrowding on peak days, leading to a previously unimaginable goal: get fewer people to come, at least on weekends. Resort leadership rapidly rolled out policies to reduce demand and manage parking — though sometimes they changed course just as quickly in the face of customer backlash.

In January 2020, Crystal suffered a series of “park-outs,” when parking lots filled completely and skiers were turned away on Highway 410. In response, the resort stopped selling walk-up day tickets.

An on-mountain reservation system debuted during the pandemic winter of 2020-2021 then was canned. Crystal briefly resurrected on-mountain reservations in January 2022, then switched to parking reservations after public outcry.

The resort also began charging for parking on weekends and holidays, with the funds partially subsidizing regular weekend shuttle buses from Enumclaw, but within days, Crystal recanted on a plan to charge season passholders.

Most noticeable of all, Crystal ratcheted up season pass prices to reduce demand.

Alterra’s purchase brought Crystal into the Ikon Pass network, which gives passholders access to more than 50 resorts worldwide. Unlike its competitor, Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass, which boasts a mix of destination resorts and local ski areas, the Ikon Pass focuses on destination resorts, including boldface names like Aspen in Colorado, Big Sky in Montana, France’s Chamonix Mont Blanc, Deer Valley in Utah and Niseko in Japan.

The arrival of the Ikon Pass correlated with a surge of visitation at Crystal. For $599, far less than the price of a Crystal season pass, Western Washington residents could ski all they want at Crystal and also travel to some of the world’s top alpine resorts.

They bought into the deal in spades: The Seattle area became one of the Ikon Pass’ strongest traveling markets. But the deal was too good to be true.

Each subsequent season, Crystal ratcheted down the differently priced tiers of Ikon Passes, until finally it jumped ship entirely. This season, all-you-can-ski at Crystal set skiers back $1,699 — Ikon access would cost extra.

In effect, Crystal dialed the clock back to the 2000s era, before cheap multiresort passes upended the ski industry. If you wanted to spend your whole season at Crystal, you had to commit financially. If you wanted to travel with an Ikon Pass, you spent $1,079 — and still got seven days at Crystal with the pass.

The result?

“It’s been a ghost town,” said Edmonds resident Roger Strong, a Crystal weekend regular. “The longest I have waited in a lift line all season is eight to nine minutes.”

With no park-outs and shorter lift lines, Crystal appears to have reached a price ceiling and solved its most acute crowding challenges. Season pass prices will go up $100 next year, to $1,799 — three times what they were five seasons prior — but unlike this past season, a Crystal pass will also include the coveted Ikon Pass.

Still, an all-access season pass at Crystal will cost more than one at destination resorts like Taos, New Mexico, or Palisades Tahoe and Mammoth in California.

This season, Crystal rewarded bargain hunters with schedule flexibility via several weekday promotions in the $60-$70 range, as well as buy-one-get-one-free deals. REI members could knock one-third off the list price of a midweek ticket, too.

But if you are a weekend warrior, between season passes and day tickets that have plateaued at $185, Crystal is now priced squarely in the upper echelon of the North American ski industry — by design. Prepare to pay up.