evil
New member
Bromley 12/31/09 & 1/1/10
Magic 1/3/10
Conditions: powder & packed powder
So as per an unconscious developing New Year's tradition between my better half and I we once again decided, last minute, to run (not walk) from NYC and head to the mountains.
It has been 3 years and so far, every 1st of the year has some new snow in it, with a bit of self restraint, we are usually the first ones on a virtually empty mountain until a bit after noon on the first.
This year, with snow in the forecast and a weekend New Years, we decided to try out the smaller mountains on our "list" and landed on Bromley.
We got up Wednesday and headed up.
The only place we could find was in Manchester called North Shire Inn, good place, great innkeepers and a pub with great food.
As soon as we got up there it basically snowed the whole time on and off.
Thursday we headed to Bromley, our first time there and first time of the season.
Bromley was a blast, great conditions, grooming, and fun that got better the more we thought about the line of cars peeling right on 30 to hit Stratton.
We had plenty of elbow room despite it seeming like a popular local place and the vibe was so awesome friendly.
The idea of it as a family mountain is a deserved one but I would say it is an aggressive family mountain with everyone (including the wee little ones) being very strong and fast skiers/riders.
It seemed like this was a bit of a safety issue as most trails funneled into the base and I couldn't help wondering if they would do well with a fenced specific exit point like Superstar late season.
I also found the trail merge on the exhibition park VERY poorly thought out as it merges right onto the runway for the big kicker.
There were so many close calls we saw that I really believe that there will be a serious injury there at some point, it is flat out dangerous.
That night, we had a few Switchbacks to celebrate and passed out in front of the TV at 10:00!
New years Day, New Snow!!!!!!
Headed back to Bromley early after our free continental breakfast and as predicted, we had no lines on the high speed quad until 12:00.
About 2-4 inches of new snow and the trees were lovely, found some unexpected wind blown deep in the Plunge, snow bunny opted out since she has little experience on fresh pow and wanted to try it on an open trail first.
With that I headed to Havoc (poached it, sorry, the draw was just too much) had an epic ride, met at the quad with SB and hit it again.
She had a bit of the wobble sink at the start but once she got the float down I saw that addict switch click over as she grinned untracked turns the whole way down, sorry honey, you'll never be the same again.
We stayed another night and were going to leave Saturday morning but, it's so very hard to leave a mountain when it is snowing.
It was not difficult to talk my little new found fiend into an extended stay so we checked out of North Shire and headed to Magic to find a place.
We ended up staying at a small Bradey Bunch styled place called Snowdon close to Magic on 11.
Cool place run by a great family.
SB and I spent the rest of the day snowshoeing the woods behind Snowdon which actually has a few VAST trails crisscrossing through it.
Waking up Sunday morning, yep, more snow, and COLD, it ended up being one of the coldest days out I have had and SB's top coldest day.
Magic is AWESOME, great place, killer terrain and everyone there was charging hard so it was easy to get swept up in the stoke.
There was little too no grooming and I believe no manmade snow, this along with "trails cut by an Austrian madman (as someone at the lodge told me)" made for an intense riding/skiing experience and we had fresh pow every single run, especially the one where we headed down a narrow trail that lead us off Magic and a bit over 1/2 mile down rt11.
One friendly Vermonter in a minivan later and were were back in the game.
It took us a good hour to thaw but our smiles were still frozen on our faces, even the drive home in heavy wind gusts, snow, low visibility, and almost being sideswiped by a paramus cop in a rush (yes, a little rant there) we were both still stoked as anything.
It is a shame to see Magic slowly sinking like it is and an entirely different shame to know that if it indeed does get saved, it will have to undergo changes that will take away what makes it so special.
For that one Sunday though, on a cold beginning of a hopeful new year, we were there, we experienced Magic, not the Magic that people may talk about in a past tense or the Magic that will be in B&W pictures near the espresso/sushi bar in the new amenity heavy reconstructed lodge, but Magic as it was that Sunday, cold, classic New England powder skiing at it's core.
Cheers and an amazing 2010 to you all'
E
Magic 1/3/10
Conditions: powder & packed powder
So as per an unconscious developing New Year's tradition between my better half and I we once again decided, last minute, to run (not walk) from NYC and head to the mountains.
It has been 3 years and so far, every 1st of the year has some new snow in it, with a bit of self restraint, we are usually the first ones on a virtually empty mountain until a bit after noon on the first.
This year, with snow in the forecast and a weekend New Years, we decided to try out the smaller mountains on our "list" and landed on Bromley.
We got up Wednesday and headed up.
The only place we could find was in Manchester called North Shire Inn, good place, great innkeepers and a pub with great food.
As soon as we got up there it basically snowed the whole time on and off.
Thursday we headed to Bromley, our first time there and first time of the season.
Bromley was a blast, great conditions, grooming, and fun that got better the more we thought about the line of cars peeling right on 30 to hit Stratton.
We had plenty of elbow room despite it seeming like a popular local place and the vibe was so awesome friendly.
The idea of it as a family mountain is a deserved one but I would say it is an aggressive family mountain with everyone (including the wee little ones) being very strong and fast skiers/riders.
It seemed like this was a bit of a safety issue as most trails funneled into the base and I couldn't help wondering if they would do well with a fenced specific exit point like Superstar late season.
I also found the trail merge on the exhibition park VERY poorly thought out as it merges right onto the runway for the big kicker.
There were so many close calls we saw that I really believe that there will be a serious injury there at some point, it is flat out dangerous.
That night, we had a few Switchbacks to celebrate and passed out in front of the TV at 10:00!
New years Day, New Snow!!!!!!
Headed back to Bromley early after our free continental breakfast and as predicted, we had no lines on the high speed quad until 12:00.
About 2-4 inches of new snow and the trees were lovely, found some unexpected wind blown deep in the Plunge, snow bunny opted out since she has little experience on fresh pow and wanted to try it on an open trail first.
With that I headed to Havoc (poached it, sorry, the draw was just too much) had an epic ride, met at the quad with SB and hit it again.
She had a bit of the wobble sink at the start but once she got the float down I saw that addict switch click over as she grinned untracked turns the whole way down, sorry honey, you'll never be the same again.
We stayed another night and were going to leave Saturday morning but, it's so very hard to leave a mountain when it is snowing.
It was not difficult to talk my little new found fiend into an extended stay so we checked out of North Shire and headed to Magic to find a place.
We ended up staying at a small Bradey Bunch styled place called Snowdon close to Magic on 11.
Cool place run by a great family.
SB and I spent the rest of the day snowshoeing the woods behind Snowdon which actually has a few VAST trails crisscrossing through it.
Waking up Sunday morning, yep, more snow, and COLD, it ended up being one of the coldest days out I have had and SB's top coldest day.
Magic is AWESOME, great place, killer terrain and everyone there was charging hard so it was easy to get swept up in the stoke.
There was little too no grooming and I believe no manmade snow, this along with "trails cut by an Austrian madman (as someone at the lodge told me)" made for an intense riding/skiing experience and we had fresh pow every single run, especially the one where we headed down a narrow trail that lead us off Magic and a bit over 1/2 mile down rt11.
One friendly Vermonter in a minivan later and were were back in the game.
It took us a good hour to thaw but our smiles were still frozen on our faces, even the drive home in heavy wind gusts, snow, low visibility, and almost being sideswiped by a paramus cop in a rush (yes, a little rant there) we were both still stoked as anything.
It is a shame to see Magic slowly sinking like it is and an entirely different shame to know that if it indeed does get saved, it will have to undergo changes that will take away what makes it so special.
For that one Sunday though, on a cold beginning of a hopeful new year, we were there, we experienced Magic, not the Magic that people may talk about in a past tense or the Magic that will be in B&W pictures near the espresso/sushi bar in the new amenity heavy reconstructed lodge, but Magic as it was that Sunday, cold, classic New England powder skiing at it's core.
Cheers and an amazing 2010 to you all'
E
... though apparently they borrowed one from the guy who owns the private snowboarding area on the other side of the mountain (Timberline) and groomed some of the east side at some point this weekend.
