Magic, Sunday Feb 24

[skifastr]

Date(s) Skied: Sunday Feb 24, 2008

Resort or Ski Area: Magic Mountain

Conditions: lots of ice; some powder over breakable crust in the woods.

Trip Report:

Sunday was soooooo not the day to be at Magic, unless you were a kid or parent involved in the jr's race event going on that day, all of whom seemed to be having a good time.

Magic reported 5" from the 22nd-23rd storm which I think was accurate. Unfortunately it fell on top of a base of icy trails and breakably-crusty woods. Lots of trails were groomed including some that I would have thought were too rocky or boney to pass a groomer over without trashing it, like Heart of Magician and Sorcerer (but not Magician or Redline). The groomed black runs were really really icy. The non-groomed runs were actually better since you could do connect-the-dots with the patches and clumps of good snow (which were generally absent on the groomers). Redline, TZ, Goniff, Hans all were eminently ok if you could navigate around the ice spots, though if you weren't careful on the ice over some of the drops on redline, they could easily have become, well, suddenly mandatory. I traversed into some woods once but didn't like the fluff-on-crust texture so I bailed on that. Magic reported trail surfaces as packed powder and powder which I thought was pretty BS.

As others have already stated, Sunday was beautifully sunny but not as warm the weather people led us to expect. And unfortunately Magic doesnt get much direct sun which wouldve helped (the sun is just about due right riding up the chairs). I was wishing all day that I'd hit Bromley instead.

What else... oh, the lift ticket was $57 (ouch, are they approaching regular-mountain prices now?!).

High point of the day was this conversation between a kid and his dad on the lift as Im skiing redline:
"Dad can we ski that?"
"Only if you go to the car to swap off your race skis!"

Let's hope today's storm and the weeks ahead give Magic some new cover - the place needs it.

[sorry about the lack of pics but believe me you're not missing much!]

[bvibert]

Sorry to hear that it wasn't too good Sunday. Hopefully the snow they got yesterday and hopefully will be getting today helps...

[Greg]

Originally Posted by bvibert

Sorry to hear that it wasn't too good Sunday. Hopefully the snow they got yesterday and hopefully will be getting today helps...

Meh...it'll be fine. Magic is supposed to be gnarley...

[bvibert]

Originally Posted by Greg

Meh...it'll be fine. Magic is supposed to be gnarley...

Not worried... I was just trying to not make the guy feel too bad for how much better it's gonna be now that they have fresh snow...

[skifastr]

Originally Posted by Greg

Meh...it'll be fine. Magic is supposed to be gnarley...

No doubt, Magic is the gnar. Ive hit magic 1-2 times per season for the last 5 years. Some but not all were sweet pow days like today, but all were extremely enjoyable which is what helped make last sunday so disappointing.

someone please post a raving TR from today! [because im not there - arghh!]

[2knees]

Originally Posted by skifastr

No doubt, Magic is the gnar. Ive hit magic 1-2 times per season for the last 5 years. Some but not all were sweet pow days like today, but all were extremely enjoyable which is what helped make last sunday so disappointing.

someone please post a raving TR from today! [because im not there - arghh!]

I skied on what was probably a similar surface on saturday. nice fluffy powder on top of bulletproof to semi breakable. It is rough and after a while, it wears on you. You hit loose piles and then your skidding away on ice. back and forth it goes.