Mountain Commons Lodge
Mountain Commons Lodge

November 14th, 2024

It is that time of year again; temperatures are dropping, the anticipation is building, and the feeling of winter is in the air. The 24/25 winter season is upon us, and we have exciting updates to share.

New this year, we welcome our guests to Mountain Commons Lodge. The new 25,000 square feet facility will kick off a new open retail concept called Crystal Mountain Outfitters, additional restrooms and an expanded slopeside area featuring an outdoor walk-up bar for guests to take in the scenic views. The lodge will host a variety of food and beverage options including the new Brew 62 Cafe, accessible from inside the first floor or via an outdoor walk-up coffee window located behind the ticket booths, Bootpack Bar and the Mountain Commons Food Hall are located on the second floor.

This season we are officially back to unlimited access on Ikon Pass and 5-day access on Ikon Base Pass. New this season, Ikon Pass is offering 12 Friends & Family tickets to use throughout the season versus 10 in previous years, 8 for Ikon Base Pass holders. Ikon Pass holders will also be eligible for 15% off dining and retail purchases. This is a season you won’t want to miss!

For more information on what is new this season, please see below. As always thank you for your support and feedback as we work to continually improve our guest experience. Many of the elements you read about here are a direct result of feedback from past seasons.

LIFT OPERATIONS
Last year, Crystal introduced RFID (radio frequency technology) gates to the resort lifts to help provide a more convenient experience for guests. RFID allows guests to load the lifts without having their ticket or pass scanned manually, leading to shorter wait times and a quicker lift loading process. All season passes, frequency passes, and daily lift tickets are RFID-compatible as well as reloadable and reusable. RFID readers are on the left, so please put passes on your left side. There are six RFID gates at the base of Chinook Express, two gates at the base of the Mount Rainier Gondola, and three gates at the base of Discovery Chair.

TERRAIN UPDATES
Our trail crew worked hard this year to improve some of our most traveled runs! Here’s what’s new:

  • Catering to our beginner and intermediate skiers, Queens Run has been widened just above the Snow Garden entrance. The steep rocky terrain on skier's right is now removed and the entire run is widened from top to bottom. This work culminates a multi-year effort on Queens Run to widen and improve pitch consistency for 1.18 miles and roughly 38 acres of wall-to-wall groomed terrain!
  • To ease congestion, the bottom of Forest Queen Chair Lift and entrance to Tinkerbell on skier’s left has been regraded and widened.
  • For more consistent terrain grooming and the ability to open earlier in the season, Upper Chappelle's Run has been regraded.
  • Allowing for a more illuminated night skiing experience, new light poles and LED bulbs have been installed on Tinkerbell.
  • To increase CMAC training area and reduce congestion on popular runs during peak days, Jump Hill off Gold Hills Chair Lift has had trail work completed and been widened.


BASE AREA DINING

BREW 62 CAFE
Steps away from the Mt. Rainier Gondola, Brew 62 Cafe is located inside Mountain Commons Lodge. Our new café features espresso, specialty beverages and grab and go food options from tasty sandwiches, salads, and quick snacks! Just looking for a quick coffee? Opening at 6:30 a.m., weekends only; you'll see our new exterior coffee window tucked behind the ticket booths on the far-left side of Mountain Commons Lodge.

BOOTPACK BAR
Located upstairs in Mountain Commons Lodge, enjoy a slopeside, full-service bar and après patio hang out. Additionally, after 4 p.m. food service will be available.

CASCADE BIERGARTEN
Cascade Biergarten, located in the former Fireside Cantina building, is serving up Bavarian themed hot dogs, sausages, warm pretzels, and cold refreshing German beer selections. We have partnered with Uli’s Famous Pike Place Sausages to bring you custom specialty sausages found only at Crystal Mountain. Cascade Biergarten, located steps away from Chinook and Discovery offers a great stop for afternoon lunch. On the weekends, you can start your day off with warm breakfast burritos and hot drip coffee!

MOUNTAIN COMMONS LODGE FOOD HALL
The Mountain Commons Lodge Food Hall, located on the second floor and accessible through the exterior plaza stairs, as well as the interior stairs, will offer a full lunch selection of all your favorite comfort foods as well as fresh, cold options like salads and poke bowls.

RAFTERS
This season, Rafters will be open for weekends only and will shift to a full-service dine-in restaurant with a Pacific Northwest inspired menu. Additionally, The Rafters Bar will continue to be open seating for those 21+.

ON MOUNTAIN DINING

MIDWAY YURT
We are excited to announce the interior remodel of the Midway Yurt located at the top of Chinook Express! Midway Yurt, open daily, boasts mid-mountain views and a perfect patio to enjoy a beverage and snack with your crew. The retro party cat turned DJ booth will occasionally find a resting spot at the Midway Yurt to add the perfect soundtrack to your ski and ride break.

TOWER 16
Open on weekends, Tower 16 located at the summit directly under the terminal of the Mt. Rainier Gondola at the 16th tower. Take a break at Tower 16 to enjoy a beverage and snack before jumping back into your day on the mountain.

CAMPBELL BASIN LODGE
We have added seating to Campbell Basin Lodge and improved our guest flow. Daily operations and services have also been changed now that we have additional base dining options available.

Monday-Wednesday: Campbell Basin Lodge will offer cold grab and go food and beverages, such as poke bowls, sushi, salads, cold sandwiches and more! Looking to warm up with a bowl of chowder? The Trident Seafoods Fish Shack will open daily with fish and chips, salmon chowder and fish tacos + refreshing beers that you are welcome to enjoy inside the lodge.

Thursday-Sunday: Stop in and check out a full lunch selection of all your favorite comfort foods as well as fresh, cold options like salads and poke bowls. Plus, The Bar at Campbell Basin Lodge will be ready to offer all your favorite mountain-themed beverages and beers on tap for those 21 and over.

Located on the Chair 6 side of Campbell Basin Lodge is our new outdoor patio! Open daily to all ages, enjoy your beverage of choice on the patio or grab a snack from the Trident Fish Shack and enjoy the outdoor vibe. Visiting on the weekend? Enjoy some afternoon music played from the gondola cabin DJ booth!

THE SUMMIT HOUSE
The Summit House, Washington's highest elevation restaurant is ready to welcome you seven days a week. We will continue to be a full-service restaurant with a refreshed, Pacific Northwest inspired menu this season. New items such as Ricotta Stuffed Tempura Squash Blossoms and the mouthwatering Powder Pass Burger are just a few of our revamped menu items. Take a ride up the Mt. Rainier Scenic Gondola and join us at 6,782 ft with unparalleled views of Mt. Rainier and the surrounding Cascade Mountain range.

RENTAL & DEMO EQUIPMENT
This year, we encourage guests to book in advance online at our Rentals page, where you can save up to 15% off! Plus, when you book in advance it decreases time spent going through the shop allowing you to skip checking in and head straight to a tech!

New this year, we are stoked to be carrying GORE-TEX branded rental clothing. Keeping you dry, warm and in style when you hit the slopes. In addition, we also will offer seasonal family gear check where you can store up to four skis or snowboards, located on the snow, right outside of the rentals shop!

And finally, Brand X has added a new Performance Pass to the offerings. Brand X now offers the Demo Pass, the intermediate Performance Rental Pass (skis only) and entry level Beginner Rental Pass so all levels of skiers and riders can boost their skills across the mountain.

This season we have added multiple new brands to demo on the hill:

  • Ski brands: Faction, Lib Tech, Black Crow, Moment and Stockli
  • K2 BOA ski boots
  • Snowboard brands: K2, Salomon, and Batalon
  • RIDE snowboard boots


SKI AND RIDE SCHOOL
New this year in Ski and Ride School, we have renamed the children’s facility to The Kid’s Learning Center, formerly known as “The Adventure Center”. Along with this change, we have redesigned the flow of this area for a better guest experience. In years past, everyone who was attending any of our lessons or programs would have previously, had to check into the sales desk. Now once your lesson is purchased, you can skip check in at the desk and head straight to your lesson!

For those who are purchasing day of, you are welcome to walk up to the registration desk to book your lesson. Please note day of lessons can only be scheduled in person. Head over to our Ski and Ride School page to schedule your lesson or join one of our programs!

CRYSTAL FREERIDE
This year, we're elevating our Crystal Freeride Programs by separating Crystal Freeride from our Ski and Ride School. This strategic decision allows our coaches to dedicate their full attention to our Crystal Freeride athletes, ensuring a more tailored and focused experience. Additionally, Crystal Freeride is getting a new logo to distinguish our Crystal riders. Local Greenwater artist, Patrick Fesler worked with our teams to dedicate a logo that is specific to our Crystal Freeride programs only.

Head to our Freeride webpage for information about each program and how to register for the 24/25 season!