Magic Mountain Sold?

[bvibert]

I didn't see this posted anywhere else, sorry if its old news.

I saw eatskisleep mention that Magic was sold in the Guess the ski area thread so I did some searching to see if it was true and found this article:

http://www.reformer.com/headlines/ci_3603466

Thoughts?

 

[2knees]

this has to be viewed as great news. I love the throwback feel and natural terrain and snow, but there just isnt enough snow in most years to make magic a regular option on your hit list. I hope they dont go overboard but some more snowmaking and a little grooming should at least enable them to compete better with bromley and stratton and okemo. As long as they stay in business, that's really the most important thing.

Hey, its never too early. How about an AZ outing there next year???

 

[riverc0il]

yup, definitely good news indeed. magic is a gem containing the best terrain in southern new england bar none. the lack of natural snow most years inhibits this ski area from being the success it used to be. if these guys put their money where their mouth is and increase snow making, magic will be back on the map for most people. i think they could skimp on the high speeder for a few years and instead work on the visibility of the mountain, notably the lodge and its marketing or lack there of. the new owners biggest problem is lack of real estate, but i think they can be moderately successful with a few key upgrades most specifically snow making.

 

[eatskisleep]

I also feel the same way about Black Mountain in NH... They have some sick terrain but when there isn't the snow, the snowmaking usually isn't what I would consider the best around. But man on a powder day or even days after a powder day, that place is the best. So many nice lines. Anyone who says it is a beginner's area has never skied the Carter Notch Glades or the Lostbo Glades... I like how even the beginner trails still feel like "Classic New England Ski Trails"
Not sure how the two compare, but Magic and Black do sound a lot alike.

 

[riverc0il]

Not sure how the two compare, but Magic and Black do sound a lot alike.

i once wrote about the summit double at black that it was like magic mountain's little kid brother that wants to be bad ass but isn't quite there. magic is kinda like black, but twice as big with steeper, longer, and more challenging trails. both great places to be on a powder day!

 

[bvibert]

This sounds like a good thing to me too. I've only skied there once, but I really liked the place. If they could just get a decent snow making system in place it would be even better! I had hoped to get back up there this year, but it just wasn't in the cards.

I'm surprised this thread hasn't gotten more responses yet, I guess it just goes to show how little recognition this great mountain gets from the skiing public...

Hey, its never too early. How about an AZ outing there next year???

Sounds good to me! We had a mini one last year with River, BobR, and myself that was a blast.

 

[Greg]

Magic is cool. Hopefully they can strike a balance between installing enough snowmaking and maintaining its gritty, hard core feel. Perhaps even if they can blast a good base in November and December, they'll let Mo-Nat take over for the remainder of the season (unless it's like this season). That way maybe they can cater to the hard core element? Probably a terrible business model - what do I know... :roll:

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

The inside rumour is that the closing is still a week away. Given the sorry state of things, a change in ownership is hard to view as anything but positive. A place with such outstanding terrain really deserves more attention and TLC than it's received.

I hope the deal goeas through. I don't see that it can be anything but an mprovement.

 

[Islander]

THat's funny I was up in the area this weekend and they were advertising on the radio about their great conditons and how much they spent on snowmaking equipment this year. I thought that they were closed already, I think that their website says that. Maybe it has something to do with new ownership.
Hopefully they put some money into the snowmaking so they can weather a tough winter like this year a lot better.

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

Their website got another "new look". Looks like it came from the same source. Hopefully, that will change with new ownership too.

The snowmaking is the biggest issue. The problem is not just money, however. Being in VT, the ACT 250 permitting is a major obsticle. I was baffled, however, that they aquired 18 Areco Fan guns when the don't have power above the top of Video Blvd.

Oh well. Hopefully all of that will be just a bad memory...

 

[2knees]

Their website got another "new look". Looks like it came from the same source. Hopefully, that will change with new ownership too.

The snowmaking is the biggest issue. The problem is not just money, however. Being in VT, the ACT 250 permitting is a major obsticle. I was baffled, however, that they aquired 18 Areco Fan guns when the don't have power above the top of Video Blvd.

Oh well. Hopefully all of that will be just a bad memory...

their website has been bizarro all year. now its for summer '06.

You say they dont have power above video blvd. Is it just for guns of that size? when i was there in dec. they were blowing snow at the top on under the red chair and down to the entrance of twilight zone. It was only like 3 guns but i was surprised they even were doing that given the snow at the time.

 

[madskier6]

The inside rumour is that the closing is still a week away. Given the sorry state of things, a change in ownership is hard to view as anything but positive. A place with such outstanding terrain really deserves more attention and TLC than it's received.

I hope the deal goeas through. I don't see that it can be anything but an mprovement.

Islander: I think the above post meant that the closing of the sale of Magic Mountain is still a week away. Please correct me if I'm wrong sledhaulingmedic.
Magic has been closed to skiing for over a week now due to the lousy snow conditions.

 

[Islander]

I thought it was closed but I heard the ad 3 or 4 times saying that they had excellent conditions...weird

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

The have water and air to the summit. The Areco guns that the aquired require substatial AC power (480V, I believe.) Although there is at least one phase that runs to the summit, it's metered at the bottom and does not belong to the ski area.

The ski area does not have power above thetop of video, which is why the old Hedco guns were never used except on the lower mountain.

Thanks for pointing out the potential confusion. The mountai operations are closed for the season. As far as I've heard, the deal being finalized is still a week or so away.

Probably on the "27rd" or so

 

[deadheadskier]

Magic has some potential to increas its revenue and skier base, but its greatest challenge is lack of water for snowmaking. I had spoken with my father about this who is a retired investment banker. Back in the mid 80's his division of Bank of Boston financed many large scale ski resort expansions, but always shyed away from Magic because of lack of a decent water source for snowmaking.

Perhaps with todays technology and resevoir based systems, the new ownership will be able to get beyond this obstacle.

I haven't skied there since high school, but remember being fascinated with the terrain, especially during good snow years. I also recall that they had an eastern side of the mountain with a couple lifts and trails and an interconnecting tral to the main mountain that no longer appears to be on the map. Can anyone confirm this?

 

[riverc0il]

timberside is no longer part of magic without much chance of a reconnect at this point, but the trails are still there. i believe it is used for snowmobiles now.

 

[MikeTrainor]

Anyone know if this sale has been finalized? According to their website you can email them at www.info@magic.com, something just doesn't seem right about that address. Anyway I am curious to see what happens with this sale

 

[bvibert]

Anyone know if this sale has been finalized? According to their website you can email them at www.info@magic.com, something just doesn't seem right about that address. Anyway I am curious to see what happens with this sale

The email address does seem a little strange with the www in front. Its probably just info@magicmtn.com (magicmtn not magic).

I haven't heard anything else. I'm not finding any newer news stories than the one I linked to earlier.

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

Last I heard, creditors may have attatched liens which could be holding up the sale.

And reports continue of their ads still running 2 weeks after they closed for the season.