The NEW Magic Mountain

[slatham]

Yikes, the WSJ!

I didn't realize how old Geoff was, nor that he was the founder of Magic and not Hans (what's that put him at, 120?). The things you learn in the WSJ!

 

[JamaicaMan]

Yikes, the WSJ!

I didn't realize how old Geoff was, nor that he was the founder of Magic and not Hans (what's that put him at, 120?). The things you learn in the WSJ!

I did find it, though!


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[p_levert]

Boston ski show picture:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DONss3NX0AA9uGS.jpg

I see new glades on the trail map! Who is shown there?

 

[JamaicaMan]

Chuck and Carol Ribinsky & Craig Moulton


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[slatham]

I did find it, though!


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And all the Magic faithful are glad you did!

 

[SIKSKIER]

Hats off to Magic for all the work happening at the mt.I will say though,there are a lot of ifs and hopes to come together to start the season.Good luck but thats quite a list.








READ MORE

THIS WEEK


THE LATEST


BIG Week Ahead

​

It was great to see so many people stop by and see us at the Boston Ski Show this past weekend. Lots of folks were mentioning the Wall Street Journal article this weekend with Magic as one of the five "best-kept-secret" ski resorts in the US. The others, like Powder Mountain and Bridger Bowl, were all out West. WSJ titled Magic as "Chill Seeking" and there is no doubt that the vibe and skiers/riders here make Magic special--even beyond our kick-ass terrain.

​

As you know, there have been a number of resorts starting to open and making snow here in Vermont! We here are on a different timetable right now given the many Act 250 projects going on which were finally approved in late August for snowmaking, park lighting, beginner area/lift and mid-mtn Green Lift. Our goal is to blow snow as soon as we finish some key projects this month and open the mountain for skiing and riding on December 16th, about a week earlier than usual for Magic and two weekends ahead of the Christmas-New Years Holiday week break.

​

After meeting with Matt, our operations director today, here is a rough timetable on some key projects which will make for a very busy week ahead:

​

- Installation of our 3 new LED ligtht poles is now complete and tested as of last weekend! Our tubing/terrain park will now be lighted up beautifully until 7pm on Fridays and Saturdays (plus holidays) once the ski season begins.

​

- Installation and welding of new snowmaking pipe, both air and water lines, through the pump house to base area for the 300 and 400 lines continues into the week ahead in order to dramatically improve our operating/energy efficiencies (20%+ improvement). The latest estimate is that we will complete welding and bury the pipe by this weekend. That means snowmaking can commence with our fleet of fan guns by Sunday. If that occurs, we think we can lay enough snow for the Tubing Park to open up Friday or Saturday of Thanksgiving holiday weekend! (To do this we will also be fixing the lake pump drive this week which currently has an electrical "short".)

​

- Installation of the new transformer for our switchover from diesel to more efficient electric compressed air will take place later this week and into next week. Fairpoint installed the necessary utility pole last week and Green Mountain Power will be hooking up the electric wires for service delivery to the pole this week. Then our electrical contractor will be wiring from the pole to our new transformer once it is set in place later this week. Finally, the two electric compressors are being modified to our specs out in the Midwest and will then be shipped across country by end of month so we can immediately start blowing snow with our new HKD tower and mobiles sled guns by December 1. While we work on getting the new electric compressor system up and running, Magic will be able to blow snow starting this Sunday with our fan gun fleet which does not need compressed air to operate. The base area, tubing/terrain parks, new beginner area and Show Off/Hocus Pocus trails all can be prepped with our fan guns. This important, complicated project is a little like "herding cats" with all the separate components, vendors, contractors and operations crew required, but it will reap big dividends for our future sustainability as a ski area and being a good steward of our environment and energy resources.

​

- Installation of the new Sunkids "magic carpet" style lift took big strides forward last week as the re-grading of the lift and beginner area along with new drainage was completed, wtth seed & hay put down. This week a pit will be dug and structure built at the top of the lift area for snow from skis on conveyor to be deposited into the ground. In addition later this week/weekend, electric will be run to the top of the lift area to power the conveyor, plus the beginner area warming hut (think free hot chocolate). Once all these pieces are done, then the lift will be installed by the end of the November (takes a day or two) so the new Nelson Famly Learning Center is ready to go for opening day on 12/16!

​

- Re-connectng our power lines to both summit chairs is scheduled for Tuesday of this week. Power has been out for well over a month now due to a line issue. This will enable us to put the finishing touches on a repair to a sheave train on tower 18 of Red Lift so we can get the lift final inspected this month. Power to the Black Chair also means we can get our key electrical engineer in to fix one faulty issue with the drive so we can operate the lift and complete our necessary line work over the next couple of weeks. Then we can get it inspected prior to opening day.

​

 

[urungus]

Sounds like it will be crazy busy the next few weeks ... can’t wait for opening day!! Can anyone post the text of the WSJ article?

 

[Magicsnowboard]

OVER THE PAST cou*ple of years, the cor*po*rate mam*moths of the ski in*dus*try have been on a buy*ing spree. Vail Re*sorts added Ver*mont’s Stowe and British Co*lumbia’s Whistler Black*comb to a port*fo*lio that al*ready in*cluded Col*orado’s Vail, Beaver Creek and Breck*en*ridge, for a to*tal of 11 ski ar*eas; the con*sor*tium of As*pen Ski*ing*Com*pany and KSL Cap*i*tal Part*ners pur*chased such top-shelf des*ti*na*tions as Steam*boat, Colo., Mam*moth, Calif. and Deer Val*ley, Utah.

But for many skiers and snow*board*ers, big*ger op*er*a*tions aren’t nec*es*sar*ily bet*ter—es*pe*cially when re*sorts trade their in*di*vid*u*al*ity and quirks for slick per*sonas and sticker shock. For*tu*nately, an old-school spirit en*dures at sev*eral spots across the coun*try. “We want a ski ex*pe*ri*ence that’s rem*i*nis*cent of a golden age,” said Ge*off Hathe*way, founder of Ver*mont’s Magic Moun*tain, voic*ing a widely shared sen*ti*ment among in*die re*sorts. Then again, “re*sort” doesn’t quite ac*cu*rately de*scribe the un*der-the-radar fa*vorites listed here. The on-moun*tain ac*com*mo*da*tions tend to be bare-bones, when they ex*ist at all. You won’t find fancy spas or buzzy restau*rants, and vis*i*tors in fur-trimmed puffers are a rar*ity. What these ski ar*eas of*fer are re*lief from crowds, a com*mu*nity-minded at*ti*tude and friendly ser*vice. “It makes a big dif*fer*ence when skiers are run*ning the moun*tain, and not a board of di*rec*tors,” said Rosanne Haidor*fer-Pitcher of Wolf Creek, Colo.

-----


When this south*ern Ver*mont re*sort re*cently fell on hard times, a group of lo*cal in*vestors pur*chased it—more in*ter*ested, they said, in pur*su*ing a la*bor of love than profit. They closed the deal in No*vember 2016 and re*opened just a month later. Start*ing this sea*son, they’re rolling out a se*ries of planned up*grades, in*clud*ing bet*ter snow-mak*ing. The ter*rain is fairly de*mand*ing, with plenty of steep slopes and wooded trails, and the kind of nar*rower, wind*ing runs that used to be com*mon be*fore re*sorts started bull*doz*ing wide boule*vards in the 1990s. To ap*peal to less con*fi*dent skiers, the new own*ers plan to im*prove ac*cess to more for*giv*ing mid-moun*tain trails.

In*dica*tive of its more laid-back ethos, Magic Moun*tain opens just Thurs*day through Sun*day (and hol*i*days), but it also runs the lifts on any day at least 6 inches of snow fall. Add a same-day price of $69 a day for an adult lift ticket (com*pared with, say, Killing*ton’s $115) and an an*i*mated après-ski scene at the Black Line Tav*ern, and you’ve landed a clas*sic New Eng*land ex*pe*ri*ence. For overnight digs, the Magic Moun*tain Lodge is fairly ba*sic, but a 30-minute drive brings you to the lux*ury of the Equinox Golf Re*sort and Spa (from $199 a night, equinoxre*sort.*com).


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[ss20]

Good luck with that list...

Glad they're not being overly optimistic with a 12/16 opening.

Too be fair, Killington is replacing the cable of the Snowdon Triple...today...November 15. Not like that's an important lift for the early season or anything...

 

[urungus]

@Magicsnowboard ... thanks for posting the article!

 

[JamaicaMan]

Good luck with that list...

Glad they're not being overly optimistic with a 12/16 opening.

Too be fair, Killington is replacing the cable of the Snowdon Triple...today...November 15. Not like that's an important lift for the early season or anything...

Oh there's no doubt it's an ambitious list and our multiple power outages have not helped. Just had a tree fall on our line to the Lake Pump House today and had GMP fixing the transformer. Done. And that enabled us to get in and fix the faulty VFD issue at the lake pump so we can actually pump water up to the main pump house (will need that to make snow I believe...)

Then we just heard yesterday from our supplier of the new electric compressors (as part of our switchover from diesel to electric for air) and they are way behind schedule for delivery. So, just called are old diesel compressor rental supplier and they will be shipping us some diesel rental units until the new electric ones come in. Costly, but we have to make the snow!

So yes, lots of challenges and hurdles. Nothing comes easy here. Have to claw our way to an efficient, reliable, sustainable and economically sound system. But WE WILL GET THERE.

Not sure what will pop up next, but we are determined to tackle it. The operations crew here is a great mix of seasoned vets and new blood that gets what makes Magic different and just wants to make it better. Can't ask to go to work with a better bunch of people in all our departments every day. This not a business for those that lack nerve. And that's why we ski Magic anyway...

 

[slatham]

Remember last year? You didn't even OWN the mountain yet! Fantastic progress especially given the unexpected gut punches.

 

[MEtoVTSkier]

Just little things JM, just little things. It's all going to come together fine and work out great!

 

[IceEidolon]

If any ski area anywhere has ever been ahead of schedule all the way from planning summer upgrades to opening day, I've never heard of it.

Y'all will make it, I'm sure. I hate to hear there's been more setbacks, but knowing there's a plan B and a great team to pull it off is heartening.

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[skiuterine]

Loving it!

http://chestertelegraph.org/2016/08/23/lucky-13-ski-mountain-investors-say-they-believe-in-magic/

:-oawesome!

 

[Magicsnowboard]

THE LATEST
Magic in the News
​
Certainly this last month Magic has been in the news more (Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, ThisisInsider.com, Vermont Life), and for all the right reasons, so that's a good thing. The flip side is that some fear there might be too many people now interested in checking Magic out which could change things. Understandable, but I don't think a little change is something to fear. Rather it should hopefully be a sign that maybe this great ski hill can be around for many years to come--which believe me--is not a given in this difficult industry at a time when smaller, independent areas have a more difficult time competing. But, if we're smart about it and plan for it, we can maintain and strengthen the vibe, culture and ski experience we've come to love deeply here at Magic, even as we grow.

And here's how we'll do it.

1. Magic's classic fixed-grip lifts are here to stay. High-speed lifts have changed the landscape of skiing. Often times for the better, especially at places with big-time vertical like out West. But, there are some downsides to high-speed lifts: they dump an extraordinary amount of skiers/riders at the top of mountains very quickly, and they all go down together. This makes for more crowded slopes with more opportunity for accidents to occur, or angry incidents of people being cut off. Our fixed-grip system, even on busy days, naturally regulates the flow of traffic off the lift and disperses skiers evenly. We just can't put that many at the top all at once with a fixed double versus the high-speed 6-packs. This makes (for us) a more enjoyable, stress-free ski experience no matter how many new skiers come here. But that extra 5 minutes on the chair is a deterrent to some, and I will speak to that next.

2. Magic has a natural self-selecting customer model. What I mean by this is that many people won't even consider coming here because we DON'T have those high-speed lifts we just talked about. To each their own, right? We also don't make snow on every inch of this mountain or groom every trail. My god, we even have rocks and bare ground! So there's another whole set of people who will see that and opt-out on their own. Don't even start on the lack of high-end shopping, wave pools, clubs or movie theaters in the base area. Sorry, non-skiers/riders won't find a whole bunch else to do here beyond tubing and the Black Line Tavern unless they get in their cars and visit our wonderful towns (which is a fabulous thing to do!). But you get the idea, Magic is not the typical resort experience so there is a whole set of people who will again self-select themselves out of visiting here.

"Okay Geoff, but what about all those ski lovers like us who are simply into the sport and hanging out with other folks who are really into skiing but they hadn't heard about Magic before--until all this press? There's probably still a lot of them out there and won't we be jam-packed on Holidays or busy weekends once we get snow?" Well yes. That's the point of us spending money on improving things so we can get more people here which then allows us to pay back those investments and run a successful business. BUT, here's what we're going to do to insure we don't become overcrowded at our lifts, with huge 30-60 minute plus lines that happen elsewhere which would really effect the laid-back, less crowded experience we all enjoy:

3. Magic will limit day ticket sales to just 1500 tickets on any day of the season with our current lift system. We had a day last season on President's weekend where the lift lines at both summit lifts were at about 15 minutes and growing by 11:30 am. So we decided to stop selling tickets. That number was right around 1500 day tickets and we put a sign on the road that said we were full. Yes, we could have stuffed more people in here and made more money, but it would also have started to change dramatically the experience we desire here. In the future, when we add another fixed-grip lift (like Green Chair) then that number can go up a bit, but setting a ticket limit will remain.

So that's our policy. Honestly, we hope we can have a few more days this year where we have to unfortunately turn people away (pro tip: good reason to buy tickets ahead of time on our website to reserve a spot and save money). That will mean we are doing well enough to survive; making our patrons happy; and, keeping our culture and vibe strong!

For the latest on projects and snowmaking during this dry and somwhat warmer period, be sure to click on the "read more" button below. Certainly, with only an inch of natural snow so far, we all need to "think snow" so it comes in bunches of feet by the holidays!
​
- Geoff
SKI MAGIC LLC
​


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[mriceyman]

[emoji106]


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[Not Sure]

My Favorite place in Pa. takes 9-10 min for 1K vert. I honestly don't mind the ride . Just make Damn sure you guys have some descent cushions on the seats! Hoping to check you guys out this year.

 

[ShadyGrove]

My Favorite place in Pa. takes 9-10 min for 1K vert. I honestly don't mind the ride . Just make Damn sure you guys have some descent cushions on the seats! Hoping to check you guys out this year.

Harden the F up, Bob!

 

[urungus]

I purchased a Throwback Card. Will I be affected by the 1500 ticket limit?