Crystal Mountain opens the slopes for the season

BENZIE COUNTY, Mich. (WPBN/WGTU) — Recent snowfall is making it easier for ski resorts to start the winter season.

Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville opens for ski season Friday after nearly two feet of natural snowfall and more than 75 hours of snowmaking

The celebration of the first mountain ride will take place at 12 p.m. on the Crystal Clipper high-speed quad chairlift.

“Opening Day is one of the most exciting days of the year, especially when Mother Nature delivers several inches of snow and frigid temperatures for our snowmaking team to work their magic,” said Karyn Thorr, Chief Operating Officer. “Our mountain operations team works year-round to upgrade our robust snowmaking system, perform maintenance on the grooming fleet, etc. to ensure we can provide the best opening day possible every year, and this year is no exception.”

From Monday, December 9th, the slopes will be closed for additional snowmaking and are scheduled to reopen for the season from Friday, December 13th.

Night skiing is scheduled to begin on December 20th.

“Skiers and snowboarders will love the variety of terrain we have available,” Thorr said. “We have a little bit of everything open from beginner to black diamond slopes, and some of these slopes that we would normally need multiple snow guns to open are only open thanks to natural snowfall.”

What awaits you on the slopes:

• 4 open elevators: Crystal Clipper Quad, Buck Quad, Loki Quad and a Crystal Carpet.
• 20 open runs: Buckaroo, Buck, Lower Gorge, Gorge Glades, Gorge, Buck Glades, Hoot Owl, Cheers, Giggles, Tuck’s, Main Street, Little Vincent, Abendroth, Glacier Valley, JT’s Trail, Loki, Emmy, Huggy Bear Hollow, Interlochen Arts Ave and Mountain Adventure Zone Learning Area.
• Slope opening hours: Friday, 12:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

In addition to 20 open runs on the slopes, there are a variety of off-piste activities including cross-country skiing, fat-tire biking, snowshoeing, ice skating, hiking at the Michigan Legacy Art Park and more.

What awaits you off the slopes:

• Cross Country Ski Center: Located on Mountain Center Drive. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Open cross country ski trails: Learning Center Loop, Jack’s Rabbit and Loon’s Lane.
• Ice Skating: Rental skates and rink passes are available at the Park at Water’s Edge.
• Fat Tire Biking: Equipment rentals and trail passes available at the Park at Water’s Edge.
• Snowshoeing: Rental equipment is available at the Park at Water’s Edge.
• Michigan Legacy Art Park: Open morning to evening. Accessible on foot, with snowshoes or cross-country skis.