Magic Mountain 12/23/08

Date(s) Skied: 12/23/08

Resort or Ski Area: Magic Mountain

Conditions: Chowder, Powder, PP

Trip Report: Belatedly, my first "real" trip of the year, quite a day to start getting the ski legs back. Cold, sunny, windless in the a.m.; warmer with clouds moving in late in the afternoon. The weekend's powder was wind-packed along roughly the top third of the mountain, making for fairly technical skiing before it got chewed up again during the day (read: I fell, probably more than in any single trip in as long as I could remember. But it was all soft snow). Available powder was softer at lower elevations.

After several morning runs and a bowl of corn chowder at lunch to warm up, I was in better shape in the afternoon. This was my second trip to Magic and the first without my kids so I set out for some trails that I couldn't hit when I was with them last April. Got a decent groove going in the chowder on Talisman, then went back up with the intention of hitting Sorcerer but instead decided spontaneously to try Broomstick (the top of which was significantly narrowed by a downed birch). This left me off at Heart of Magician, which apparently had been very lightly skied yesterday and today -- lots and lots of knee-deep freshies to be had. Last run was Sorcerer, a mix of chowder with patches of freshies.

Great way to start the season.

New England Snow Chowder, classic recipe:




Standing tall




Long fresh tracks could still be had







And a couple shots depicting the wind-blown: Vertigo




and Mystery




Unfortunately the camera battery died before the run of the day, Heart of Magician.


p.s. Billski, picking up our conversation from last spring: I traveled to Magic via Route 2/I-91 and from my exit on 495 it was 164 miles. On the return I took the 9/202 route across central NH to I-89 at Concord and then the usual mayhem on 93 south and that was 142 miles. Can't give a clean comparison on time of travel because of stops both ways but I'm pretty sure all other things being equal, the 93/89/9-202 route would be a little quicker.

travel to SVT from Rt 2

heading west on Rt 2 look into taking Rt140 north in Westminster, MA thru Keene, NH to Walpole, NH cross the river at Bellows Falls, VT and follow Rt 5 north to 103 towards Magic or Okemo. this is the way a lot of delivery and trucking companies use it is much shorter and clearly much nicer.

enjoy

polski said:

Date(s) Skied: 12/23/08

p.s. Billski, picking up our conversation from last spring: I traveled to Magic via Route 2/I-91 and from my exit on 495 it was 164 miles. On the return I took the 9/202 route across central NH to I-89 at Concord and then the usual mayhem on 93 south and that was 142 miles. Can't give a clean comparison on time of travel because of stops both ways but I'm pretty sure all other things being equal, the 93/89/9-202 route would be a little quicker.

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Hey polski, Nice report. Glad to see you still found two-footers. That must have put a nice smile on your face!

I agree with your commute analysis, assuming you had clear pavement conditions. On Monday it wasn't that way, a lot of packed powder still on the roads, but more importantly, a lot of pokies that really throttled the commute.

Glad you had fun. Did you meet Matt? He's the guy with the new baby in the carrier working tickets. Talk about dedication!

gus said:

heading west on Rt 2 look into taking Rt140 north in Westminster, MA thru Keene, NH to Walpole, NH cross the river at Bellows Falls, VT and follow Rt 5 north to 103 towards Magic or Okemo. this is the way a lot of delivery and trucking companies use it is much shorter and clearly much nicer.

enjoy

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Agreed, this is what I would do. One note, 140N becomes 12N (you probably won't even notice).


If I lived in Taxachusetts, that is.

polski said:

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They still have not completed that chairlift????

thetrailboss said:

They still have not completed that chairlift????

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meh, it's redundant.

what I'd like to see is a true beginners area over by the condos.

ehhh, scratch that. I'd go for better snowmaking first.

roark said:

meh, it's redundant.

what I'd like to see is a true beginners area over by the condos.

ehhh, scratch that. I'd go for better snowmaking first.

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Suffice to say there are a significant number of things more important than that chairlift. Was that lift started by the old management or the new?

riverc0il said:

Suffice to say there are a significant number of things more important than that chairlift. Was that lift started by the old management or the new?

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Good question, looking at an old AZ challenge it looks like old management. It's covered in the last challenge as well, but seems to be a lower priority now.

roark said:

Good question, looking at an old AZ challenge it looks like old management. It's covered in the last challenge as well, but seems to be a lower priority now.

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If it was an "old management" project, it should come as no surprise that the project is on hold and that the new management is not throwing good money after bad. I would expect that lift to go uncompleted for many more years to come. And I think that is prudent and wise. Invest in snow making, infrastructure repair, base lodge improvements, and grooming.

Cash flow is likely a big inhibitor. They have a full complement of chairs, bought from another resort by prior mgt, that are unneeded. They've been turning them into chair swings, which I am now the proud owner.

Sadly, they were forced to close operations today, Christmas day thanks to all the rain received. It's one of those catch-22 things. Keep it small means a slow but steady investment, or get the big bucks and expand the hell out of the place. So, adding all these things costs money, and from what I can see, things are still rather tight. I wish there was more we could do to draw more skiers there.

riverc0il said:

Suffice to say there are a significant number of things more important than that chairlift. Was that lift started by the old management or the new?

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A triple chair used to exist there prior to Magic going under in the 90's, it was removed and IIRC sold to Berkshire East. Those towers are new additions started by the new management about five years ago. I agree they have much bigger priorities than this but that lift would give good beginner access to that side of the mountain.

I spoke to the current owners again at this years Boston Ski Show and they confirmed they had little intention of working on that lift anytime soon.

Gus, thanks for the rt140 route from eastern MA, I'll have to give that a try.

snowphun said:

A triple chair used to exist there prior to Magic going under in the 90's, it was removed and IIRC sold to Berkshire East. Those towers are new additions started by the new management about five years ago.

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Five years ago seems like the correct time frame. However, that was under the previous management, not the new management. It is a good idea to have a mid-mountain lift for beginners. But it makes more sense to have a first timer true beginner lift, a la roark's comments. Unfortunate that both needed lifts were there at one time and removed.

gus said:

heading west on Rt 2 look into taking Rt140 north in Westminster, MA thru Keene, NH to Walpole, NH cross the river at Bellows Falls, VT and follow Rt 5 north to 103 towards Magic or Okemo. this is the way a lot of delivery and trucking companies use it is much shorter and clearly much nicer.

enjoy

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Yeah, thanks. I saw the sign for that route to Keene but didn't have a good map with me so stuck to my original plan. Will check that out some other time.

As long as I'm looking at a lot of two-lane roads I have to wonder if taking 101 across S. NH is a viable option -- it's literally about the most direct route for me (I'm coming from the Newburyport area so could do 495 to 213 to 93 to 101 to Keene etc.) But that's a LOT of two-lane roads, and I know from Crotched trips that it can be kinda white-knuckle if the roads are snow-covered.

billski said:

Glad you had fun. Did you meet Matt? He's the guy with the new baby in the carrier working tickets. Talk about dedication!

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Yes, you introduced me last April and I re-introduced myself the other day. Didn't see a baby with him though.

Unfortunately the subsequent weather has forced Magic to close again. What a shame after all that snow last weekend. Easy come, easy go ...

re-opening...?

I couldn't make the pass holder party today...does anyone have any word on reopening....?

It's good that you got to Magic before the upcoming thaw..

riverc0il said:

Five years ago seems like the correct time frame. However, that was under the previous management, not the new management. It is a good idea to have a mid-mountain lift for beginners. But it makes more sense to have a first timer true beginner lift, a la roark's comments. Unfortunate that both needed lifts were there at one time and removed.

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Fair enough, didn't realize Magic had changed hands after re-opening. All the lifts and facilities at Tinberside are long gone as well, and no chance of that coming back. Magic was very special before it closed.

snowphun said:

Fair enough, didn't realize Magic had changed hands after re-opening. All the lifts and facilities at Tinberside are long gone as well, and no chance of that coming back. Magic was very special before it closed.

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Lifts are indeed gone at Timberside.. but facilities are not! the current owner over there keeps the trails cleared and very skiable, the lodge is now a lodge/ his house.

A sweet place to go when there's lots of natural snow!

dave