"Wizard" is the name of this trail that starts off flat at the top of the mountain and gently winds around the far eastern part of Magic. I thought the multi-colored icicles were interesting.
Magic Mountain, VT
February 5, 2001
February 5, 2001 brought three feet of snow to parts of Western Massachusetts and Southern Vermont. I had been planning a trip to Magic Mountain in Southern Vermont for some time now; so the next morning, I packed up and headed West! Magic Mountain is most well known for it's extremely challenging terrain, lack of snow making, and lack of grooming. It's a Skiers' Mountain without any Resort Type atmosphere. Some may consider these reasons to stay away from the mountain. For me, they added to it's appeal. Here are six pictures taken at Magic Mountain during my trip their on the 6th of February; my story on the day follows below the pictures.
WIZARD TRAIL
"Wizard" is the name of this trail that starts off flat at the top of
the mountain and gently winds around the far eastern part of Magic. I thought
the multi-colored icicles were interesting.
Further down the "Wizard" Trail
Middle of the "Wizard" Trail, a view of this Southern Vermont Valley
that also hosts Bromley to the west, Stratton to the south, and Okemo to the
north.
TREE SKIING!!!
Magic Mountain is home to some of the most wonderful glades in New England. The following three pictures are of the Glade Double Diamond called "Twilight Zone." Simply the best tree skiing I've ever enjoyed.
MY MAGIC MOUNTAIN STORY
My alarm clock goes off at 4:30AM and I jump out of bed. Two and a half feet of snow lies on the ground and my back still hurts from shoveling last night. After a shower and breakfast, I head out to finish shoveling out my car which has been plowed in. I'm ready to roll at 6:30, but I'm hesitant to go because of the road conditions. I watch the news for an hour and a half before I'm satisfied I'll have a safe drive. I leave home around 7:30AM; I originally planned to leave two hours earlier so I could get first tracks.
The roads are mostly clear, with the left lanes slightly bumpy with hardened snow; making passing trucks an adventure. I decide to take the back roads off Interstate 89. Bad mistake. "Short cuts make for long journeys," as quoted from Pippin in "The Lord of the Rings." I finally get to Magic Mountain at 10:30AM, an hour later than I had planned. Snow cats are still plowing down the parking lot and for good reason! As I turn to enter into a parking spot, my car gets stuck in the snow. I get my stuff, buy my lift ticket, and wait for the Magic Mountain staff to assist me in getting my car unstuck.
At exactly noon time, I take my first run of the day; 3 hours after the lifts have opened, and 3 hours after I planned to get my first run. "Oh well" I say, it's a beautiful day and plenty of untouched snow every where. It's a joy to ski on! Three feet of fresh powder with minimal grooming is fun stuff! By 1PM I've gotten three runs in, on my fourth run, I go down the "Wizard" trail. About 4/5 the way down on a flat section, I hit a spot that's half powder and half groomed in just the right way to snap my ski. I've been skiing one hour, on a pair of skis only two years old, and my skiing day seems to be finished. The skis are un-repairable.
Let's review: My back was hurting from shoveling before I even went skiing, I left two hours late, took a very long and un-shortcut on the way, passing tractor trailer trucks was a "life flashing before your eyes" experience, I finally get there 3 hours after the lifts open, I get my car stuck and wait an hour in the lodge for help, only get 3.5 runs in, and my ski breaks! What gives!
Fortunately, I got down to the lodge and found one of the guys who runs the shop. The shop is closed, but he goes into the shop and allows me to snag a demo ski. For $40!!! Yikes! Oh well, the lift ticket was only $15 any ways... but too bad the demo ski sucked! It was about 175 in length, I'm used to 198. A little different. Plus it was a really heavy ski which didn't work well in powder. But hey, at least I skied till the lifts closed.
Of course I never learn, and decide to take the more direct back roads home instead of the highway. This delayed my arrival home by about one hour. Oh well, not much more could have gone wrong that day. Around 7PM, I made it back home alive! Despite the pains and problems, it was still a fun day of skiing with some great powder.