THE CAT CREW BEHIND THE CORDUROY
Written by Vivika Stamolis
Each day you arrive on the slopes, you may not realize that our grooming team has been hard at work through the entire night to prepare the terrain. Far from your average workday is the daily life of the Grooming Team at Crystal Mountain. With shifts from 4:00pm to 8:00am in below-freezing temps, they are fired up in a PistenBully driving across the mountain in all kinds of conditions. It takes constant, clear communication and awareness to power through the most stubborn snow.
The Cat Crew paves the way to the smoothest runs we all enjoy. It takes years to learn the mountain like this, from operating the heavy machinery to knowing the angles of the slopes. Our terrain takes high maintenance and makes for a complex approach to grooming. With Pacific Northwest snow comes difficult grooming, but this only empowers our team more. We are stoked and grateful to wake up to their seamless corduroy each day. Next time you’re carving, think of your friends behind the art of grooming at Crystal Mountain and give them a shout out. Tune in and watch how they roll in our video.
Produced by Steep Motion Films
