No problem--I made a bad joke :dunce:
So you're not concerned with this change of power? Any insight into why this is coming now and what JLS will be doing?
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What the heck is going on at Magic?
- Thread starter slatham
- Start date
No problem--I made a bad joke :dunce:
So you're not concerned with this change of power? Any insight into why this is coming now and what JLS will be doing?
RustyGroomer
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No, it was a good joke. Nope, not concerned with what you call a "change of power". I will not get specific & really can't, (don't know much) but I can tell you there is not a ton of concern among the Magic "Faithful",.......donators. (Underlined because anyone who thought they were investing is insane) The general thought was it's time for a change.
Nice pics!
Abubob
Well-known member
Oh maaaan!
So is JLS still going to be involved? Or merely running the coop as a holding company with the new operator as a standalone tenant operating the resort?
skithetrees
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There is no co-op. Co-op was never launched, became a "club," JLS spent those funds (so it appears) and that is the end of that. I suspect JLS will have minimal involvement in the resort going forward. The mountain has a group of several owners and JLS was operating the mountain under an operating agreement.
xwhaler
Active member
Will Geoff still be running the marketing for Magic do we think?
RustyGroomer
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I have been told several times the mountain will remain open per usual. Take it for what it's worth.
RustyGroomer
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This is correct. xwhaler, really too soon to answer that. Give it some time.
Last edited:
MadMadWorld
Active member
I do believe the glass is always half full with the magic faithful. I hope for everyone's sake this transition is smooth and uneventful.
RustyGroomer
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I like that. After all we've been through, this is just another bump along the way.
I hope they're able to figure out how to make it a profitable mountain to operate, and not just squeak by, so that they can stay open... without relying on donations...
Hopefully they get the lifts in good working order, and inspected, before the start of the season this year. Everything else should be secondary to that, IMHO.
Tin
Active member
Need dat dere natural snow.
Very true.
Bostonian
Well-known member
What an ugly situation on the mountain there. Hopefully, things can be resolved to ensure a successful 2014/2015 (man that sounds weird) season. As was said earlier, I don't think there was embezzlement to enrich one party per se, but the funding that was generated by the club was incorrectly allocated into projects on the property. Hey if they need someone to manage their resort, I will do it 
Wow, this is a mess, at least on its face.
You guys are eternally optimistic though. I love it. I hadn't skied magic in 20 years and when I rekindled my love with the mountain last year I've really grown to enjoy it. Hope this is a positive change and there's no money shenanigans going on in the background.
You guys are eternally optimistic though. I love it. I hadn't skied magic in 20 years and when I rekindled my love with the mountain last year I've really grown to enjoy it. Hope this is a positive change and there's no money shenanigans going on in the background.
bobbutts
New member
Same as every visit there, egomaniacs flaming each other and rarely mentioning the topic.
slatham
Well-known member
Ok, so maybe I'm taking the optimistic path of the faithful, but there's less change than it would appear. At least from what I can gather from several emails from Tom and Jim.
Tom Barker is a minority owner of the property (Magic Mountain Management) and was involved with Jim in running Magic (Jim once introduced him to me as his "Partner"). Tom is now the head of a new operating company (Magic Mountain Resort) that will lease Magic from the owners and run the mountain. Travis will remain ops manager, Chris will run beverage as he has, John the Ski Patrol. And Jim Sullivan will run Ski School and Race. So this is not a new, 3rd party management company that has no ties to the area, or to its faithful. If not for the MFC funds issue it would be a simple management change.
The real question is how will his attempt to hold costs below revenue impact the ski experience this winter? He mentions holding costs to 75% of revenue! which while a worthy long term goal would likely result in significant impact on operations. So hopefully he doesn't expect to do so this winter. Although old equipment always has issues, I hope that the recent work - and successful (eventually) operation last winter - of Red and Black will allow for both lifts running start to finish this winter. As for snowmaking, my understanding is the real issue is having the budget (and weather) to blow snow, though the pumping capacity up top is lacking.
As far as the MFC, the questions That remain open are simple - what was the money spent on, and how much if any is left? My "half full" hope is 1) all on the mountain and 2) reasonable sums remain. My view of the club is/was that it should buy and own the items the mountain needs, and not be used as operating funds. So if the need is 20 portable tower guns, then the club should buy them and own them and lease them to the mountain for $1 to make it a real transaction. That way the MFC always has power/leverage. Alas, this might be moot at this point.
In the end, from I can see from across the valley, Magic is still there, the terrain has not been altered, the woods and cliffs and twists and turns are as we remember them. God speed to whomever is working to have Magic open this winter for my skiing enjoyment!
Tom Barker is a minority owner of the property (Magic Mountain Management) and was involved with Jim in running Magic (Jim once introduced him to me as his "Partner"). Tom is now the head of a new operating company (Magic Mountain Resort) that will lease Magic from the owners and run the mountain. Travis will remain ops manager, Chris will run beverage as he has, John the Ski Patrol. And Jim Sullivan will run Ski School and Race. So this is not a new, 3rd party management company that has no ties to the area, or to its faithful. If not for the MFC funds issue it would be a simple management change.
The real question is how will his attempt to hold costs below revenue impact the ski experience this winter? He mentions holding costs to 75% of revenue! which while a worthy long term goal would likely result in significant impact on operations. So hopefully he doesn't expect to do so this winter. Although old equipment always has issues, I hope that the recent work - and successful (eventually) operation last winter - of Red and Black will allow for both lifts running start to finish this winter. As for snowmaking, my understanding is the real issue is having the budget (and weather) to blow snow, though the pumping capacity up top is lacking.
As far as the MFC, the questions That remain open are simple - what was the money spent on, and how much if any is left? My "half full" hope is 1) all on the mountain and 2) reasonable sums remain. My view of the club is/was that it should buy and own the items the mountain needs, and not be used as operating funds. So if the need is 20 portable tower guns, then the club should buy them and own them and lease them to the mountain for $1 to make it a real transaction. That way the MFC always has power/leverage. Alas, this might be moot at this point.
In the end, from I can see from across the valley, Magic is still there, the terrain has not been altered, the woods and cliffs and twists and turns are as we remember them. God speed to whomever is working to have Magic open this winter for my skiing enjoyment!
RustyGroomer
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This is said better than I can. Tom has been there forever. My feeling is the "less change than it would appear" theory. Look for some "early vague" answers soon. I'll post here. I just liked your last paragraph So I quoted that too. :grin:
