Opening day on and off the slopes at Crystal Mountain

Media Use: Video & Photos

THOMPSONVILLE, Mich. (December 5, 2024) – After nearly two feet of natural snowfall and more than 75 hours of snowmaking, Crystal Mountain is more than ready to welcome skiers and snowboarders to the slopes.

The 2024-25 season kicks off Friday, Dec. 6. First chair celebration will be at noon sharp on the Crystal Clipper High-Speed Quad chairlift. The first four people in the lift line will get to pose with the iconic CrystalFIRST banner before heading up the mountain to take those first tracks of the season.

“Opening day is one of the most exciting days of the year, especially when Mother Nature delivers several inches of snow and cold temperatures for our snowmaking team to work their magic,” said Karyn Thorr, Chief Operating Officer. “Our mountain operations team works year-round upgrading our robust snowmaking system, performing maintenance on the grooming fleet and so forth to make sure we can deliver the best opening day possible every year, and this year is no exception.”

What to expect on the slopes:

• 4 Open lifts: Crystal Clipper Quad, Buck Quad, Loki Quad, and one 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 hours: Friday, 12 pm-4:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday, 9 am-4:30 pm.

“Skiers and snowboarders are going to love the variety of terrain we have open,” said Thorr. “We have a little bit of everything from beginner to black diamond runs open, and some of these runs that typically take several snow guns for us to open up, are open just thanks to the natural snowfall.”

The slopes will be closed for additional snowmaking beginning Monday, Dec. 9 and are scheduled to reopen for the season, Friday, Dec. 13. Night skiing is slated to begin Dec. 20.

Skiers and riders should purchase lift tickets and downhill equipment rentals online in advance for the best deals. The same RFID Crystal Card can be reloaded for future visits to the slopes.

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

What to expect off the slopes:

• Cross-Country Center: Located on Mountain Center Drive. Open daily 10 am-4 pm.
• Open Cross-Country Trails: Learning Center loop, Jack’s Rabbit and Loon’s Lane.
• Ice Skating: Rental skates and rink pass available at the Park at Water’s Edge.
• Fat Tire Biking: Rental gear and trail pass available at the Park at Water’s Edge.
• Snowshoeing: Rental gear available at the Park at Water’s Edge.
• Michigan Legacy Art Park: Open dawn to dusk. Accessible by foot, snowshoe or cross-country skis.

Scope the slopes anytime via the live Crystal Mountain webcams. The latest trail conditions, slope updates, winter activities and events can be found in the daily online Crystal Mountain Snow Report.
  About Crystal Mountain:
Established in 1956, Crystal Mountain is a family-owned, four-season resort destination located 28 miles southwest of Traverse City and a short drive from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The 1,500-acre resort features lodging, dining, downhill and cross-country skiing, two championship golf courses, shopping, award-winning Crystal Spa, Michigan’s only alpine slide, Peak Fitness, the Park at Water’s Edge, Michigan Legacy Art Park, weddings, a conference center, and real estate options. Learn more about becoming a Four Seasons Club member.