Crystal Mountain Limits Weekend Ticket Sales Amid Overcrowding

ENUMCLAW, WA — Citing three straight weekends of overwhelming crowds, Crystal Mountain Resort will stop selling tickets in-person on weekends and holidays, beginning Saturday, Jan. 18. The resort announced the move in an open letter Monday after receiving a lot of feedback from visitors.

"We want to acknowledge that the last three weekends have not felt the same as before. Crystal Mountain Boulevard was a mess and we ran out of parking earlier and earlier each day. We are especially regretful to those who attempted to ski or ride with us and were turned around or were severely delayed. It is not what we want our guests or our community to feel. We’ve heard your frustration through a steady stream of emails, phone calls, and social media posts."

According to the resort, most customers who contacted them blamed the Ikon Pass -- which includes access to several mountains -- for recent crowds. Crystal Mountain acknowledged the pass has played a role in an increase in visitors but said many other factors were at play.

"On the biggest weekends, our mountain roads are choked, our parking areas are now reaching capacity earlier and there are a lot more of us charged up to play in the powder. Our region too is bursting with a lot more folks who live here because of what our mountains offer. Crystal has not been immune and we’re all feeling the crush."

To work toward a solution, Crystal has started a public transit program and launched coach routes from Seattle, Tacoma and Enumclaw. On days where parking lots are full, buses run free of charge. The resort also added a reward system for those who carpool in groups of four or more, and a project to expand available parking is planned for the summer.

Under the new ticketing system, walk-up tickets will not be available at ticket booths on weekends and holidays. Ikon Passes and previously purchased ticket packs will still be honored. Those looking to head to the mountain will have to buy tickets in advance through the resort's website. Crystal will determine the number of tickets offered based on the snow forecast, mountain conditions traffic, and other considerations each day.

"Our belief is that this will have the effect of capping total numbers of skiers to a level that our roads and parking infrastructure can accommodate while still providing a premium experience," the resort said.

Read Crystal Mountain's complete letter below: