The NEW Magic Mountain

[MG Skier]

Newpylong:

I love the Brodie patch! I learned to ski there in the 80's when my scout troop stayed near by for a weekend. I think I skied 4 weekends there! Great memories. Wish I could ski it with my adult abilities as opposed to ski once a year/beginner abilities!

You are right! I remember some welding on Sorcerer in the recent past. If I remember correctly after hiking a few falls back and after the concrete and tower work, there was a mangled pipe above Hocus Pocus that looked like it lost the war. (I'm not sure what it was.)

Now that you mention pipe on vertigo, I think I remember seeing something once on that trail....however, I like it natural on that trail, even when it is thin cover.

All in all it takes time and they are certainly moving in an excellent direction! I totally get it with welding water supply pipe. It is the opposite when doing thin gauge steel, burning holes as opposed to closing holes. I get warm welding in the summer, but a pipe that big must hold some serious heat! Weld 'em up!

 

[slatham]

Should be able to free groom Sorcerer top down, very carefully, especially because it's fairly narrow.

Status of "future" trails as I know them talking to a past snowmaker:

Lower Magic Carpet: back in the open column! Back online after 20 years of being out of commission due to pipe damage.

There are indeed pipes on Sorcerer and Matt spent a lot of time on repairs the past few years there as well. They are good to go. Maybe that will get the love soon over Talisman.

Witch to Black has pipes but my understanding is the water line above Hocus up into Witch needs substantial repairs. Maybe next on the off-season list. Pipe repairs are like wack a mole on lines that had substantial freeze damage or haven't been used in years. Tough to get equipment in up there too I imagine.

Mystery: also has pipe but my understanding is it has been scavenged for parts over the years. Likely also requires substantial effort.

Vertigo: I think there is a lateral coming over from LMC with a few hydrants on it which I was told wouldn't be too bad to get going again. Not sure if worth it?

I can't recall if Up Your Sleeve had pipe or not?

Hopefully Matt can fill in the blanks when he gets a chance (yeah right right now).

Mystery only has pipes on top section down to approximately the Green Lift - dead end, apparently used to make enough to race on that section of the trail back in the day. As mentioned, used for spare parts.

Up Your Sleeve - the map in Geoff's office shows pipe and when I questioned it (I've never seen anything over there) he too scratched his head. Not sure if Matt has gone pipe hunting.....

Vertigo definitely has pipe & hydrants, no idea whether it was tested during work on LMC. However with LMC now live, I would think it would be a great trail to hit as not much snow needed to get it open, and its a great trail.

Sorcerer, I too have heard is ready, just a matter of whether they can get to it. And they already groom it on occasion when required.

 

[MG Skier]

Vertigo with a base would just mean it can stay open longer! It gets cooked come spring time.

 

[Do Work]

Should be able to free groom Sorcerer top down, very carefully, especially because it's fairly narrow.

Status of "future" trails as I know them talking to a past snowmaker:

Lower Magic Carpet: back in the open column! Back online after 20 years of being out of commission due to pipe damage.

There are indeed pipes on Sorcerer and Matt spent a lot of time on repairs the past few years there as well. They are good to go. Maybe that will get the love soon over Talisman.

Witch to Black has pipes but my understanding is the water line above Hocus up into Witch needs substantial repairs. Maybe next on the off-season list. Pipe repairs are like wack a mole on lines that had substantial freeze damage or haven't been used in years. Tough to get equipment in up there too I imagine.

Mystery: also has pipe but my understanding is it has been scavenged for parts over the years. Likely also requires substantial effort.

Vertigo: I think there is a lateral coming over from LMC with a few hydrants on it which I was told wouldn't be too bad to get going again. Not sure if worth it?

I can't recall if Up Your Sleeve had pipe or not?

Hopefully Matt can fill in the blanks when he gets a chance (yeah right right now).

We are hoping to do Sorcerer next week as the faster way down and another new trail we haven't made snow on in about 20+ years but I have to make a trip up it with the snowcat and my work basket to add in some hydrants as many of the old ones were harvested by Ops of yore, and the plugs are now one with the pipe. The lines work otherwise, and testing has found no other issues after I finished hatching & patching last summer so I'm optimistic on that goal.

Witch to Black is still inoperable, but is a priority to repair this summer. We know where it's bad and have a plan, we just need time because it's in a SUPER challenging spot to access with the machines we need to get the job done.

Vertigo is functional, but we couldn't justify delaying the switch to head west. We want to make snow there specifically as a slalom race training venue and to bolster green/blue trails, but we are in a rush with the terrible weather, so it'll have to wait.

Mystery has pipes and the air line is live, but the water was disconnected many many years ago, and it has a lot of breaks to repair too. That will also be likely brought back online this summer though, as it's a great trail in a great spot for snowmaking to happen. Having that way down under Green would be great, and having enough snow to tame the waterbars on the runout would be really nice, as they are aggressive.

Sleeve has no pipes, which sucks because that and Kinder (also no existing pipes) would be sooooo awesome with snowmaking IMO.

Magic's long game obviously has to include increased capacity for snowmaking, and to me if we could drain the entire pond in the blink of an eye that would be ideal but obviously not realistic. Time will tell what we can truly commit to and at what pace, but we are working on not only repairing what's there and modernizing our valve houses, valves, drains, guns, staff, gear and SOPs that help us ensure efficient changeovers, but eyeing smart upgrades in an order that they can step up our production without putting the cart before the horse and spending money that doesn't net us immediate gains. The devil is in the details though- this is the first year (knock on wood) we haven't had a single freeze-up or delay on a changeover and it's helped us in a huge way to stay productive and hit our weather windows full force. That progress had a lot to do with realistic allocation of resources this summer, and tackling what seemed like smaller things as we could- but that netted us huge gains in efficiency because they eliminated major complications when worked into a solid SOP.

It's an uphill battle and the rules of engagement keep changing, but we're making solid advancements and we'll keep chipping away. Our team has never been better or worked more efficiently, and I'm really happy with what we've been able to accomplish with the reality of the operating environment and the complications we've faced as an organization.

 

[MG Skier]

Thanks for the update Do Work. You guys are truly making it happen and wearing every hat needed for a mountain to be safe and functional!

 

[Do Work]

Mystery only has pipes on top section down to approximately the Green Lift - dead end, apparently used to make enough to race on that section of the trail back in the day. As mentioned, used for spare parts.

Up Your Sleeve - the map in Geoff's office shows pipe and when I questioned it (I've never seen anything over there) he too scratched his head. Not sure if Matt has gone pipe hunting.....

Vertigo definitely has pipe & hydrants, no idea whether it was tested during work on LMC. However with LMC now live, I would think it would be a great trail to hit as not much snow needed to get it open, and its a great trail.

Sorcerer, I too have heard is ready, just a matter of whether they can get to it. And they already groom it on occasion when required.

Sleeve only has one pipe, but it *crosses the trail underground* at approximately the Sunshine Corner valve house heading east, it doesn't parallel the trail. I can only assume that it fed the Timber Ridge side, as that was the approximate location of the old connector, but I don't know for sure and that line wouldn't really do anything for us now realistically.

 

[Do Work]

Thanks for the update Do Work. You guys are truly making it happen and wearing every hat needed for a mountain to be safe and functional!

Thank all of you for your positivity! I really can't say enough good things about this whole team- from the front office to patrol to lifties and the snowmakers... Everybody is working so hard to make this season work and it is TRULY been a team effort in ways I can't even put into words. It's only going to keep getting better from here!

 

[slatham]

We are hoping to do Sorcerer next week as the faster way down and another new trail we haven't made snow on in about 20+ years but I have to make a trip up it with the snowcat and my work basket to add in some hydrants as many of the old ones were harvested by Ops of yore, and the plugs are now one with the pipe. The lines work otherwise, and testing has found no other issues after I finished hatching & patching last summer so I'm optimistic on that goal.

Witch to Black is still inoperable, but is a priority to repair this summer. We know where it's bad and have a plan, we just need time because it's in a SUPER challenging spot to access with the machines we need to get the job done.

Vertigo is functional, but we couldn't justify delaying the switch to head west. We want to make snow there specifically as a slalom race training venue and to bolster green/blue trails, but we are in a rush with the terrible weather, so it'll have to wait.

Mystery has pipes and the air line is live, but the water was disconnected many many years ago, and it has a lot of breaks to repair too. That will also be likely brought back online this summer though, as it's a great trail in a great spot for snowmaking to happen. Having that way down under Green would be great, and having enough snow to tame the waterbars on the runout would be really nice, as they are aggressive.

Sleeve has no pipes, which sucks because that and Kinder (also no existing pipes) would be sooooo awesome with snowmaking IMO.

Magic's long game obviously has to include increased capacity for snowmaking, and to me if we could drain the entire pond in the blink of an eye that would be ideal but obviously not realistic. Time will tell what we can truly commit to and at what pace, but we are working on not only repairing what's there and modernizing our valve houses, valves, drains, guns, staff, gear and SOPs that help us ensure efficient changeovers, but eyeing smart upgrades in an order that they can step up our production without putting the cart before the horse and spending money that doesn't net us immediate gains. The devil is in the details though- this is the first year (knock on wood) we haven't had a single freeze-up or delay on a changeover and it's helped us in a huge way to stay productive and hit our weather windows full force. That progress had a lot to do with realistic allocation of resources this summer, and tackling what seemed like smaller things as we could- but that netted us huge gains in efficiency because they eliminated major complications when worked into a solid SOP.

It's an uphill battle and the rules of engagement keep changing, but we're making solid advancements and we'll keep chipping away. Our team has never been better or worked more efficiently, and I'm really happy with what we've been able to accomplish with the reality of the operating environment and the complications we've faced as an organization.

Do Work, if there was true justice in this world you'd get a foot of snow this weekend, the vaccine shot, and win lotto (to of course invest back in Magic!). You guys are killing it in a very tough environment x 10.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

Do Work, if there was true justice in this world you'd get a foot of snow this weekend, the vaccine shot, and win lotto (to of course invest back in Magic!). You guys are killing it in a very tough environment x 10.

trending that direction...

 

[sugarbushskier]

Progress isn't always linear and you guys have continuously moved forward, even in a difficult environment. Keep up the great effort and do not lose faith!

Magic is pure gold and needs your commitment and drive!

 

[Newpylong]

We are hoping to do Sorcerer next week as the faster way down and another new trail we haven't made snow on in about 20+ years but I have to make a trip up it with the snowcat and my work basket to add in some hydrants as many of the old ones were harvested by Ops of yore, and the plugs are now one with the pipe. The lines work otherwise, and testing has found no other issues after I finished hatching & patching last summer so I'm optimistic on that goal.

Witch to Black is still inoperable, but is a priority to repair this summer. We know where it's bad and have a plan, we just need time because it's in a SUPER challenging spot to access with the machines we need to get the job done.

Vertigo is functional, but we couldn't justify delaying the switch to head west. We want to make snow there specifically as a slalom race training venue and to bolster green/blue trails, but we are in a rush with the terrible weather, so it'll have to wait.

Mystery has pipes and the air line is live, but the water was disconnected many many years ago, and it has a lot of breaks to repair too. That will also be likely brought back online this summer though, as it's a great trail in a great spot for snowmaking to happen. Having that way down under Green would be great, and having enough snow to tame the waterbars on the runout would be really nice, as they are aggressive.

Sleeve has no pipes, which sucks because that and Kinder (also no existing pipes) would be sooooo awesome with snowmaking IMO.

Magic's long game obviously has to include increased capacity for snowmaking, and to me if we could drain the entire pond in the blink of an eye that would be ideal but obviously not realistic. Time will tell what we can truly commit to and at what pace, but we are working on not only repairing what's there and modernizing our valve houses, valves, drains, guns, staff, gear and SOPs that help us ensure efficient changeovers, but eyeing smart upgrades in an order that they can step up our production without putting the cart before the horse and spending money that doesn't net us immediate gains. The devil is in the details though- this is the first year (knock on wood) we haven't had a single freeze-up or delay on a changeover and it's helped us in a huge way to stay productive and hit our weather windows full force. That progress had a lot to do with realistic allocation of resources this summer, and tackling what seemed like smaller things as we could- but that netted us huge gains in efficiency because they eliminated major complications when worked into a solid SOP.

It's an uphill battle and the rules of engagement keep changing, but we're making solid advancements and we'll keep chipping away. Our team has never been better or worked more efficiently, and I'm really happy with what we've been able to accomplish with the reality of the operating environment and the complications we've faced as an organization.

Thank you for the great details, and after having gone through literally the same crap as you guys, I know the pain.

Switching trails was literally a disaster every time. We avoided it like the plague. This was because there were the wrong valves for the job (cast iron gates), and no valve houses to heat. Once you get ice inside the mechanism they are damn near impossible to lower or raise, no matter how much you torch them. Also since the pipes were so old we would always have blow outs on charge.

Freeze ups constantly because there were no drains after the trail isolation valves. When we ran on one trail for a week the closed valves would piss water down the closed lines. Catastrophic once the pipe filled up.

Hydrant plugs that were in so long (because the hydrants were scavenged) we couldn't remove them. All. Over. Had to put on new weldolets almost always. No amount of PB Blaster helped.

Then there is of course the age old Mr. Vick repairs on the lines not welded. I can still cite Victaulic clamp, gasket and bolt part #s. Not something to be proud of.

On and on and on.

Great to hear about Mystery and Vertigo - those would be huge additions to have the option to cover off on the East Side.

One question I always had riding the old Black. It looked like there was pipe climbing Black Magic above Witch? Was I seeing things? Is this just from a bygone era or is this one of your uplines?

Keep the faith.

 

[Do Work]

Thank you for the great details, and after having gone through literally the same crap as you guys, I know the pain.

Switching trails was literally a disaster every time. We avoided it like the plague. This was because there were the wrong valves for the job (cast iron gates), and no valve houses to heat. Once you get ice inside the mechanism they are damn near impossible to lower or raise, no matter how much you torch them. Also since the pipes were so old we would always have blow outs on charge.

Freeze ups constantly because there were no drains after the trail isolation valves. When we ran on one trail for a week the closed valves would piss water down the closed lines. Catastrophic once the pipe filled up.

Hydrant plugs that were in so long (because the hydrants were scavenged) we couldn't remove them. All. Over. Had to put on new weldolets almost always. No amount of PB Blaster helped.

Then there is of course the age old Mr. Vick repairs on the lines not welded. I can still cite Victaulic clamp, gasket and bolt part #s. Not something to be proud of.

On and on and on.

Great to hear about Mystery and Vertigo - those would be huge additions to have the option to cover off on the East Side.

One question I always had riding the old Black. It looked like there was pipe climbing Black Magic above Witch? Was I seeing things? Is this just from a bygone era or is this one of your uplines?

Keep the faith.

Preach!! The layer cake of issues can compound quickly to make even the simplest functions absolutely brutal. Funny to think how huge an effect something as simple as an enclosed valve house and some simple safety drains have, but their importance cannot be overstated.

Steve if I hit the megabucks we all get DPS rock skis and the sinks in the lodge will flow First Drop lol

 

[Hillwalker95]

Preach!! The layer cake of issues can compound quickly to make even the simplest functions absolutely brutal. Funny to think how huge an effect something as simple as an enclosed valve house and some simple safety drains have, but their importance cannot be overstated.

Steve if I hit the megabucks we all get DPS rock skis and the sinks in the lodge will flow First Drop lol

How do you think the conditions will be at Magic this weekend?

 

[Do Work]

How do you think the conditions will be at Magic this weekend?

I’d think it’ll be great. More options, fresh snow that’ll drop some more ropes and the beers will definitely be cold.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

lol my rock skis are DPS ::ducks::

just what happens when skis get old

see y’all Monday

 

[slatham]

Steve if I hit the megabucks we all get DPS rock skis and the sinks in the lodge will flow First Drop lol

Works for me! Fingers crossed!

 

[slatham]

How do you think the conditions will be at Magic this weekend?

Serious potential. The current natural base is thin but *DENSE*. Current thinking of the Magic Weather office is 6-8" of wet dense snow (maybe slightly less at base, maybe slightly more at summit). I'm not patrol but my guess is that 6-8"of dense snow would open everything but the steepest ledgy trails (Green line, Red Line, Pitch Black, Black Magic, Magician) though some of those could be in play for rock skis, especially if the storm outperforms. **IF** the pattern verifies and delivers the next several/many weeks could be Magic season......

 

[KustyTheKlown]

Serious potential. The current natural base is thin but *DENSE*. Current thinking of the Magic Weather office is 6-8" of wet dense snow (maybe slightly less at base, maybe slightly more at summit). I'm not patrol but my guess is that 6-8"of dense snow would open everything but the steepest ledgy trails (Green line, Red Line, Pitch Black, Black Magic, Magician) though some of those could be in play for rock skis, especially if the storm outperforms. **IF** the pattern verifies and delivers the next several/many weeks could be Magic season......

fuck yea im getting ready to put my sunday pass to work in late jan and feb

 

[Hillwalker95]

Serious potential. The current natural base is thin but *DENSE*. Current thinking of the Magic Weather office is 6-8" of wet dense snow (maybe slightly less at base, maybe slightly more at summit). I'm not patrol but my guess is that 6-8"of dense snow would open everything but the steepest ledgy trails (Green line, Red Line, Pitch Black, Black Magic, Magician) though some of those could be in play for rock skis, especially if the storm outperforms. **IF** the pattern verifies and delivers the next several/many weeks could be Magic season......

Very helpful and great to hear. Sounds like the forecast has improved a bit over past 24 hours (i.e. bit more tilted to snow vs heavy rain). My wife and I are debating between this weekend vs. maybe Fri+Sat next week at Magic. Any thoughts on this? I know it is all speculative, but you guys have much more knowledge and expertise on this than I do, so appreciate any insights!

 

[KustyTheKlown]

if the forecast holds, magic will get most of the mountain open tomorrow and/or sunday. it will still be thin as fuck and you will hurt your skis, but the high density wet nature of the snow will help cover most shit up. based on the extended forecast, magic should be fair/good thru the end of january, and hopefully beyond if we avoid any more thaws.