CMFC HISTORY PROJECT UPDATE
From February'10 Newsletter
By Julie Van Pelt
For the past several months, CMFC has been engaged in researching and writing the history of the Crystal Mountain Ski Area. We all know that Crystal opened for its first season the winter of
1962–63--not exactly a fantastic snow year. In fact, it was a "nearly snowless first season" according to newspaper reports.
But did you know that planning for what eventually became Crystal started back in the late 1940s? Did you know that early on a priest was involved? "Full scale business operations [were] expected by the winter of 1951–52" according to internal Forest Service records, but the Korean War and a shortage of steel needed for building
ski lifts intervened.
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The reddish truck called "Crystie" in August 1962, used in the early days of Crystal's development to get from the bottom of the road upvalley. (Courtesy Nelsen and Steve Spickard)
With the Winter Olympics and ski racing now in the news, you might also be interested to know that Seattle's bid for the 1976 Olympics listed Crystal as the venue for alpine events. That proposal quietly faded out, but the world did
come to Crystal for the 1972 Rainier World Cup and for national races in 1965 and 1968.
As the person collecting stories about Crystal from its early days up through the 1990s, I've spent many hours interviewing people and dusting off boxes in library archives--the list of people who have something to contribute stretches to nearly 100. Are you one of them?
From ski lift construction to epic days on the Mountain, if you have stories or
reflections about Crystal, I want to hear them--ski clubs, ski schools, CMAC, mountain characters, family memories, crazy stories and the mundane.
If this jogs your memory, feel free to e-mail me at julievp@earthlink.net or call me at 360-379-9161. I'll be starting a round of interviews again in February, to fill in the holes, and I hope to talk with you.
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Crystal Mountain Founders' Club
P.O. Box 1131
Bellevue WA
98009-1131
