ABOUT US
Crystal Mountain: Built by Skiers tells the story of local skiers who turned a dream into a ski area. Started by adventurous skiing investors who wanted to build a better place to enjoy their sport, Crystal Mountain's terrain offered that potential. Just fourteen miles from the picturesque volcano, skiers atop Crystal could "look Mount Rainier in the eye."
When the Crystal Mountain Ski Area opened in December of 1962, the day had been more than a decade in coming. Twelve years earlier, in March, 1950, Mary Lea Griggs had put the finishing touches on a proposal to develop a ski area at the Corral Pass, between Mutton and Castle mountains, just north of the present Crystal Ski area. This ambitious plan would eventually lead to Crystal instead, but by a long and circuitous route.
The history of the founders, the early struggles to open the mountain and the subsequent improvements to continue to meet the needs of investors and quests were all pinnacle characteristics that shaped Crystal Mountain. Beginning with early scouting trips to Corral Pass and what was then know only as "Silver-Six," through the battle to build the access road on the eve of the first opening season, to the the triumphs and struggles of maintaining a growing number of stockholders, and finally to the ultimate sale to Boyne Resorts and development of the modern Crystal Mountain Founders Club, a social organization, in March of 1997.
The Club was formed by the former shareholders who elected to convert all or a portion of their stock holdings into membership units. Many CMFC members are original stockholders dating back to the 1950's when the resort was first developed, and some of them even helped to pick the site and held the shovels!
CMFC members and non-members who were closely involved with Crystal's development, dating back prior to its opening in 1962, have been honored by induction into our Hall of Fame.
**Excerpts taken from CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN: Built by Skiers; by Julie Van Pelt written for the Crystal Mountain Founders Club; copyright 2012 by Crystal Mountain Inc.
Mission Statement
"It is the mission of the Crystal Mountain Founders Club to be pro-active in the development of activities in support of ski-related non-profit organizations; create special club programs, equipment and group ski trip discounts; and maintain the heritage of Crystal Mountain's original founders. For CMFC 'Certificate' members, the organization will administer the annual lift privilege activation process for members holding at least 20 units and monitor the Alterra Mountain Company/Crystal Mountain Inc. as it fulfills its commitment to area improvements under terms of the sale."
