Crystal Mountain (British Columbia) facts for kids

Crystal Mountain Resort was a fun ski area located near West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. It was a place where people could go for a day of skiing, snowboarding, or snowshoeing. The resort had different types of lifts to take people up the mountain. These included two chairlifts and one surface lift, which is like a bar you hold onto while being pulled up.

Crystal Mountain had 30 special trails that were groomed, meaning they were smoothed out for skiing. There were also many exciting trails through the trees and open areas called glades. Even though it was smaller than some other nearby resorts like Big White Ski Resort and Silver Star Mountain Resort, it was still a popular spot. Both new and experienced skiers and snowboarders loved it. The area got lots of snow every winter, often having "powder days" with fresh, deep snow.

The resort was known as Last Mountain Ski Resort for a long time. But in 1992, its name was changed to Crystal Mountain Resort. It offered lessons for people learning to ski and snowboard. You could also rent snowshoes there to explore the snowy trails. Sadly, Crystal Mountain Resort has not been open since 2014. This was because one of its main chairlifts had a problem.

Crystal Mountain: A Look Back at Its History

Crystal Mountain Resort first opened its doors on December 9, 1967. It was started by Pat and Allan McLeod and was called Last Mountain Ski Resort back then. The mountain itself was named after Herbert and Charlotte Last. They were an English couple who owned the land since 1909. They also ran the general store and post office in Westbank, British Columbia.

In its very first year, the resort sold 150 family ski passes! In the early days, there was even a teahouse at the top of the main chairlift. It was open in the summer too for the first three years. A special ski school club was also created to help young skiers learn.

Later, the resort was taken over by John Barley. Then, in 1992, a family from Switzerland, the Tschanz family, bought it. They changed the company name to Crystal Mountain Resorts Ltd. The name was changed to Crystal Mountain Resort to make people think of bright, fun snow.

The resort created about 70 seasonal jobs each year. For many years, Crystal Mountain also offered night skiing, which meant you could ski after dark! This continued until the early 2000s, when the resort started operating only during the day. In 1997, when the resort turned 30, there were talks about making it bigger. They thought about adding year-round activities because it was so close to Kelowna and Vancouver.

Where Was Crystal Mountain Located?

Crystal Mountain Resort was found in the Okanagan region of British Columbia. The closest big city was Kelowna. The ski resort was located north of a place called Glenrosa. It sat on the mountains above Westbank, which is west of Kelowna.

The main base area of the ski resort was at the very end of Glenrosa Road. This road goes up the mountain from Highway 97. In the late 1990s, the Glenrosa road interchange was updated. This made it easier to get to the resort from the Coquihalla Connector, also known as Highway 97c. This highway connects Vancouver and the Lower Mainland area to West Kelowna and Kelowna.

The Crystal Mountain Resort site was about 9 kilometres west of the City of West Kelowna. This city already had good services and a skilled workforce nearby.

Mountain Stats

Here are some facts about the mountain itself:

• Top Elevation: The highest point of the ski area was 1,440 metres (about 4,724 feet) above sea level.
• Base Elevation: The lowest point, where the main lodge was, was 1,228 metres (about 4,024 feet) above sea level.
• Vertical Drop: The difference in height from the top to the bottom was 212 metres (about 700 feet). This is how much you would ski down.

The ski runs were divided by how difficult they were:

• Novice (Easy): 30% of the runs were for beginners.
• Intermediate (Medium): 50% of the runs were for skiers with some experience.
• Advanced (Hard): 20% of the runs were for very experienced skiers.