Look, Ma! No Brakes! Taylor and Jacob Hardt, on vacation from Virginia, cruise down the Crystal Coaster.
Photo courtesy of John Durkin
High-speed thrills on the family’s summer agenda? Cruise on over to Crystal Mountain in Thomsponville for a ride on the Crystal Coaster, a nearly 1/3-mile-long alpine slide down the mountainside.
Think of it as an iceless luge. Riders take the Loki triple chairlift to the top of the mountain, hop on a four-wheel sled powered by gravity and equipped with a hand brake, then cruise down one of two parallel 250-foot-high, 1,600-foot-long tracks that curve and dip down the mountain.
The Lowdown
How fast: As fast or slow as you want to go; a handbrake controls the sleds speed.
Who can ride: Kids of all ages—though only kids taller than 52" can ride solo. (Kids under 52" ride free on the same sled with a paying adult.)
How much: Single rides cost $8; a family of four an take a single ride for just $25 or spend an entire day on the alpine slide for just $69.
Other deets: Crystal Mountain’s Mountain Adventure Zone is your hook up to the Crystal Coaster Alpine Slide, the Totem Park obstacle course, nine-hole disc golf course and more family adventures. Find it at the base of the Loki slope in Camp Totem. Please call 1-800-968-7686, ext. 7500 for more information. 800-YOUR-MTN
Live webcam: crystalmountain.com