# Magic Mountain VT, 24-Feb-10 Uber-Pow-Day



## billski (Feb 25, 2010)

Here are the pics. The story will have to wait.  The other guys may want to fill you in should they be able to shake powder rigarmortos.


Route 11, 8AM






One foot and getting better:





First chair for me.  No need to rush for first tracks.















Where's Waldo?





The green trail I hit by mistake was impossible to ski.  I can't believe I'm saying it needs to be groomed!




















Cutting 2' first tracks was common:





It snowed relentlessly, about two inches an hour all day.










Porch could take no more:





The infamous "avalanche" - That cut is two feet+ deep.  It was a natural break - no tracks in that entire section.





Where's the liftie?   Is it Matt?





The only time I touched bottom was on the lower runout (not shown).





Too shallow a pitch to navigate:





You needed the blacks to deal with the massive amounts of pow.  I'm glad I had 96 underfoot, but at times wished 
for more.





Continued...


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## billski (Feb 25, 2010)

*Continuing*

Pics Continuing:

no, I was not crouching.  I believe I was about waist deep when I flicked this one:










Day's end chop, but places to make fresh tracks abound.  I overdosed.





The woods are waiting for you.










The bus that couldn't.  If only Ms. Frizzle was driving.    Matt the Tractor Man to the rescue. 





The best way to clear 26" of pow off the road:





What I found at day's end.  No, I'm not plowed in.  The lot was clear at the beginning of the day.


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## salsgang (Feb 25, 2010)

There we go. Shoot! Score! Win!


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## riverc0il (Feb 25, 2010)

Never thought I would ever be saying this, but 96 underfoot was not enough for yesterday. How does a 130 tip dive?  Truly bottomless. I might have hit one rock on one of our two trips down Master (which were both simply unreal). First time I have skied Black Magic and it was practically a joke. roark and I skied what I would consider to be the hardest shot on the mountain without batting an eye, a shot that I needed to sidestep down a few feet here and there and take measured 'one turn at a time' jump turns just a month ago. We just blasted it. Everything was go go go and everything was epic. Sucked getting stuck in completely untracked when the pitch was not steep enough. Never thought I would see that day that someone would _need_ to break trail on a black diamond before it would be skiable. But once that first track was laid, it was game on, big time.

I do hope Magic takes this opportunity and grooms out the run outs, green circles, and most of the blue squares. Firstly, they are not skiable unless you ski someone else's track. But more importantly, they need to do it for snow preservation. Even if Magic gets any NCP from the second round of this storm cycle, they have enough snow to last to the end of March and beyond at this point.


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## pepperdawg (Feb 25, 2010)

Glad you guys got some!!!  - great stuff!!!!!.     X-rossing finger/toes it doenst crust up today.(antijinx)


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## sledhaulingmedic (Feb 25, 2010)

No understatement here, it was the best East Coast Ski day for me and really one of the top three anywhere.  (That being said, I wish it came in a season that I had more days in on real terrain...damn I miss being able to get 30 days a year in at Magic.)

Even late in the day, upper Black was super-skiable (although my legs had long since clocked out).  

I'm pretty beat up.  I think I'll have a second helping of ibuprophen for breakfast.


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## TheBEast (Feb 25, 2010)

Outstanding!!  Any hints of NCP through the day??


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## Warp Daddy (Feb 25, 2010)

Wow -------------just freakin wow-- good 4 u guys


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## bvibert (Feb 25, 2010)

I think I'm gonna be sick...


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## roark (Feb 25, 2010)

Even a dedicated powder ski (praxis powders) couldn't cope if there wasn't enough pitch. Absolutely unreal day, best I've had on the EC.


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## billski (Feb 25, 2010)

*more pics*

Roark's Pics 
and 
Sledhaulingmedic's

http://forums.alpinezone.com/showthread.php?t=72534&page=3


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## rocojerry (Feb 25, 2010)

way to get after it, thanks for the pics and stories!

If yesterday wasn't my first day back in the office after being out two weeks, I would have been there!


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## Greg (Feb 25, 2010)

Congrats billski and others. Looks like you all picked the right day to hit Magic.


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## billski (Feb 25, 2010)

I will write up something on Magic later today.  I'm too bogged down at work right now.


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## bigbog (Feb 25, 2010)

Greg said:


> Congrats billski and others. Looks like you all picked the right day to hit Magic.


+1

HA!...so much for _Black Phantom's_ "Stick with the mid-fats for this trip"..
..What are friends for on a powder day!!


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## billski (Feb 25, 2010)

*My words*

The best restaurants get plowed first. On powder days, that matters.
I arrived in Chester VT, the night before the anticipated dumpage, having seen the rain change to snow along the way. As pulled into the driveway of Motel in the Meadow and stepped out of the car, it became immediately clear that hiking boots would be insufficient. The car door pushed away the snow as it opened. 

The motel was perfect for the purpose at hand: a good night sleep in a quiet locale, fresh linens, clean and warm. Awaking the next morning early, I peeked out the window like a kid awaiting Santa. About a foot of snow was down, no snowplow to be seen. The clock was blinking; power had already been out at least once during the night.

Needing a full breakfast before a busy day ahead and since the lifts don’t start at Magic till 9, I headed back towards Jacks Restaurant, on the east side of Chester. The lot was jammed with plow drivers, utility crews and locals. The place had been hopping since 6AM. I ate a hearty breakfast and spent far too long talking with electric crews who had spent the night restoring power throughout the region. The power went out again for a few minutes. I had not been served, but the crew laughed and said that's OK, they’d already gotten their breakfast!  I swapped stories with Louie about how dairy farming has changed since the 60s. A real interesting group. I lingered far too long, said goodbye and headed up the road. 

Route 11 was covered in loose snow, probably 2-4” on the road, my company was mostly pickup trucks out plowing and other maintenance trucks. School had been canceled. The plows had operated all night to keep on top of this. My snow tires earned their keep, as I bobbed and weaved my way through the snow to the mountain. As I arrived at Magic, there were already 40 or so cars in the Magic lot, but the pace seemed less frenetic than most powder days. Matt was already out on the mountain “checking out things” while Jim sold tickets. The snow was already half up the ski racks. It appeared that those who had that Viking need to “slay the pow” were already out and at work. I was in no hurry, as it was pretty clear at the rate it was snowing; there was no need to hurry. I’d be burnt out soon enough anyways.

Magic is very generous on weekday powder days with regard to grooming. In general, they leave most of the mountain alone for the day, since most who cancel their day’s plans to be here are looking for the ungroomed. While they had made a pass along the green and select blue trails, by mid morning, it was clear the grooming had been lost between several inches of new fallen. One AZer had recommended midfats, but with the entire quiver in the car, it was a no brainer to pull the widest boards I had out.

Heading to the lift, the snow continued to fall steadily, at a rate of about two inches an hour, which continued until about 2PM. Do the math. That’s a lot of new snow. The snow did not look as heavy or moisture-laden as I feared. My acid make-a-snowball test failed, giving me certain relief. The snow moved under foot, although this was not blower-powder. On the ride up, everything looked delectable. A few tracks were here and there across trails, but nothing had yet been chopped. I selected Witch, a double-diamond trail for my warm-up run. Hell with the warm up, I was looking for the biggest gift under the tree first! And indeed it was. The pow was to my knees in most places as I smashed pillows left and right. These old bones run me at a slower pace than the folks half my age, but even at that, I began to experience something long since forgotten in the east: face shots. Down through black line. What was all over my face? Could it be true? Am I in a movie? Again, and again. 

Could it get any better? It did. Every hour, more, and more snow came. Tracks were covered quickly and the snow built deeper. Talisman, Sorcerer, Twilight, Heart, again and again, with tons of places to make first tracks. As I stood trailside on Black Line to catch my breath, a guy pulls up to me and says “There’s more snow here than back home in Utah!” That’s great I thought to myself, I need the practice for my trip out west next month. By early afternoon, I was hitting snow that was thigh and waist deep consistently. On all the blacks there were pockets of snow that were chest-deep. When I hit them, the snow exploded above and around me. The warm 30 degree temps made the melting snow on my face not at all uncomfortable; though keeping the goggles clear was a constant challenge. My ski clothing was not up to the challenge – it was pretty soaked fairly early on. Even my gloves wrung out water, though the inside remained dry and toasty.

Stopping in the lodge for breaks, the mood was not at all like the uber-competitive tone I so often see on a rare east coast powder day. There was plenty of snow for everyone. Everyone was smiling and laughing, ready and willing to talk to a strange face; many new acquaintances were made that day and AZ was well-represented. Sledhaulingmechanic was brave enough to don a Patrol Jacket, though he did warn me “Don’t make work for patrol on a powder day”, making it clear he was enjoying himself as much as anyone. 
I met a couple of refugees from Stratton who were turned away when cars couldn’t make it up the access road. I have the impression things were great at all the resorts. 

While we grabbed some grub, the conversations were brief and nobody lingered long in the lodge. Families started to show up around noon, as school had been canceled in the region. 

Back to the lift, another 2-3” of pow on the chair, just like every ride up. A nice “problem” to have. The run outs posed a problem, as Rivercoil suggested: you had to sustain a long single track or risk stalling. I was still getting used to my 96-under foot skis and lost it on one point on the run out, wandering off and getting sucked into about 3’ of pow on the side, making as nice Michael Phelps dive as the tips dove. Even 96’s had a hard time keeping tips up. 96’s were not feeling very fat on Wednesday. I shared Rivercoil’s sentiment on desiring greater width. But an old fart like me has limited strength, and indeed the wider the skis the heavier, while holding you higher, still require more strength. 

Like river, I became bogged down in snow when I misjudged the pitch and stalled. It was one of those days when skiing double blacks was no cause for concern. If you fell, there was little worry about getting hurt. The biggest issue was how to get back up!
I decided to go a bit afield and explore the rest of the property, feeling like I might have been missing something. I took on some blue trails, which surprisingly seemed to be more effort than the black trails due to the lesser pitch. There were a few novices out; including one woman taking what appeared to be a lesson. What a great day to take a lesson and learn the pow – although I suppose the instructor might not have been too pleased that he couldn’t be free-skiing!

A mis-judged turn landed me on a green trail, which was a huge mistake. Steady at first, but soon the pitch was too shallow. Try as I may the tips just pointed down and stalled. It was a long 15 minutes on fixed heels to get myself back to something steeper. I oddly thought to myself, this needs to be groomed! OK, back on black.
Mid day power was lost for several minutes. 

I was particularly pleased to see the aforementioned “avalanche” under the closed section of Red Line. The avalanche, about a two-foot deep break, was naturally caused, which made it noteworthy.
As the day went on, my legs began to turn to rubber. I didn’t want to quit, I was enjoying the day too much. The spirit was willing but the flesh was weak. 

And for those who find powder a bit much - there IS GOOD NEWS in all of this. All of this snow is the basis for a substantial base at Magic. Once they get those greens and blues groomed, you WILL have an uber-good time. It will be an excellent opportunity for you to get out there and see just how good Magic can be for novices and intermediates - uncrowded, pleasant trails, accessible and inexpensive. There is snow for EVERYONE! 

Huge props to Magic for opening on a closed day, quickly assembling a crew and even getting the kitchen operating. Matt was taking on all jobs, from marketing, reporting, web updates, filling in for lift ops, running the machinery – all those “little things” needed to keep a place running. It hummed all day. Staying ahead of the snow was nearly impossible.

I am going to hold off on using the word “epic” and use the word “orgasmic” to describe the day. It’s only because I’m defining “epic” to be a nearly once in a lifetime experience, nearly unrepeatable. I’d like to think days like yesterday are repeatable. It gives me something to look forward to. However, it does rank up there as one of my best ski days anywhere, at any point in my 32 years of skiing. 

As the day ended and skiers stumbled inside, it was clear Magic had a lot of snow to deal with that night. I got out to the parking lot and a full-sized school bus, painted white and repurposed, had slid sideways in front of the lodge, blocking the road perpendicularly and wedged into snow banks on both sides of the road. In the can-do spirit that Magic has, Matt brought the tractor and yanked the fellow out. If you’ve never been to Magic you owe it to yourself and to all of us. We need to preserve this gem of a mountain.

I got to my car and found a new foot of snow on the car, and snow up to the doors. It was still snowing. The ride down route 11 was fun- there were some pretty moderate frost heaves, combined with 2-4” of loose snow made for a no-admissions amusement ride. As I got down to about elevation 500’ nearing I-91, the rain changeover began to. I-91 was generally wet to the south, with few cars. As I approached Boston on Rte 2, it got browner, wetter and uglier. 

Northeast weather is fickle. As I fished around my trunk this morning for an umbrella, I found it remarkable and surreal to recall that yesterday I was standing in waist-deep snow. The rain is pouring sheets across the windows right now. It seems the best strategy in the northeast is to be opportunistic. Few can actually do that; I’m a little lucky that I have a window of life that permits this. As Matt said, “this one will go down in the collective memory.”


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## WoodCore (Feb 25, 2010)

Awesome!!! Looking forward to harvesting some powder myself out in the Catskills tomorrow.


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## riverc0il (Feb 25, 2010)

Excellent write up billski.

Reading that report makes me reflect back on yesterday and suddenly realize it was one of the few days in which every run just kept on getting better and better. Until that last run at least. :lol:


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## roark (Feb 25, 2010)

Great write up Bill!

vvv I especially liked this vvv


billski said:


> I am going to hold off on using the word “epic” and use the word “orgasmic” to describe the day.


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## billski (Feb 25, 2010)

Thank you Rivercoil and Roak. You guys were there, I can count on your peer review and know you'll call it as you see it. I tried to capture it accurately, so a compliment from two accomplished skiers who saw what I saw, is the highest of compliments!

And for those who find powder a bit much - there IS GOOD NEWS in all of this. All of this snow is the basis for a substantial base at Magic. Once they get those greens and blues groomed, you WILL have an uber-good time. It will be an excellent opportunity for you to get out there and see just how good Magic can be for novices and intermediates - uncrowded, pleasant trails, accessible and inexpensive. Go for it!  
(Think I'll insert this in the TR body - gives a better balance.)


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## Euler (Feb 25, 2010)

Great trip report Bill!  What an amazing day...


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## jrmagic (Feb 25, 2010)

Damn I am so bummed I couldn't get up there for yesterday or today.Hopefully there will be some sloppy seconds for me this weekend.  Great writeup and I'm glad you guys had a fantastic day.


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## MommaBear (Feb 26, 2010)

billski said:


> It seems the best strategy in the northeast is to be opportunistic. Few can actually do that; _I’m a little lucky_ that I have a window of life that permits this.



No, sir, you are VERY lucky.  Count those blessings before they are gone.  :beer:

Nice write up!


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## reefer (Feb 26, 2010)

Great pics Billski! Sweet memories..............


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## dmc (Feb 26, 2010)

riverc0il said:


> Excellent write up billski.
> 
> Reading that report makes me reflect back on yesterday and suddenly realize it was one of the few days in which every run just kept on getting better and better. Until that last run at least. :lol:



Re-freshies!


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## polski (Feb 26, 2010)

Great, awesome, pics & report, Bill. Sorry I did not have the flexibility to catch this one, but I'm reasonably (surprisingly?) sanguine about it - my time coming any day, as the saying goes.

Love this quote: "Don’t make work for patrol on a powder day"

One thing though:



> an old fart like me has limited strength, and indeed the wider the skis the heavier, while holding you higher, still require more strength.



Is the weight difference between say a 94 (your Wateas) and a 105 (my Gotamas) really enough to make a noticeable difference? (Not talking about skinning up here, just the downhill.)  And might the additional float of the fatter ski - i.e. possibly easier skiing, especially in wet snow - at least offset any weight differential in conditions like you had Wednesday?

As I've noted previously, this season I jumped from 66 underfoot (quiver of one) to 105s that I now use under all but predominantly hardpack/groomer circumstances. My legs get beat after a while but they used to get beat with the skinny boards too. The Gotamas actually have pretty good range (ok on groomers for instance) and since I've gotten accustomed to them, I haven't noticed the weight making them any harder to work. Of course there are other variables involved in the weight of the ski, and I'm not looking up specs now to know the real differences on that score.


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## billski (Feb 26, 2010)

polski said:


> Is the weight difference between say a 94 (your Wateas) and a 105 (my Gotamas) really enough to make a noticeable difference? (Not talking about skinning up here, just the downhill.) And might the additional float of the fatter ski - i.e. possibly easier skiing, especially in wet snow - at least offset any weight differential in conditions like you had Wednesday?
> 
> As I've noted previously, this season I jumped from 66 underfoot (quiver of one) to 105s that I now use under all but predominantly hardpack/groomer circumstances. My legs get beat after a while but they used to get beat with the skinny boards too. The Gotamas actually have pretty good range (ok on groomers for instance) and since I've gotten accustomed to them, I haven't noticed the weight making them any harder to work. Of course there are other variables involved in the weight of the ski, and I'm not looking up specs now to know the real differences on that score.


 
I began wondering as well. I know I'm not in as good a shape as a year ago. However, it seemed to be a bit much. So I took the bathroom scale out the the garage. My Volkl 724s with bindings weigh in at 12 lbs, the Atua are 15 lbs. So I'm not convinced it the weight of the ski. Big diff is the 724 length is 163, Atua length is 186.  I think it's more a matter of increased surface area, which means, on powder days, a lot more snow to push around, since "skid turns" become more effective in pow. Just an observation, I'm no pro on theory of operations here, I'm a user.


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## DoubleEject (Feb 26, 2010)

Awesome Billski, just awesome! Does anyone know how Magic is fairing after the rain on Thur? Any frozen crust on top of the Packed Pow?


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## billski (Feb 26, 2010)

DoubleEject said:


> Awesome Billski, just awesome! Does anyone know how Magic is fairing after the rain on Thur? Any frozen crust on top of the Packed Pow?


 
Matt's reports have been brutally honest IMO.  See what he was saying this morning
http://magicmtn.com/snowreport.php


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## billski (Feb 26, 2010)

Matt this afternoon posted this:

*SNOW! SNOW! And more SNOW!!*​
That is the name of the game this week as it seems Mother Nature wants us to be skiing well into March and hopefully April.  We have picked up anywhere from 34-48" of new snow over the past 4 days and there is more on the way tonight and tomorrow.  It has been an amazing stretch of weather and it will lead to the best conditions of the season.  This weekend we will be 100% open with powder and packed powder skiing mountain wide.  Our biggest dilemnma is how to get it all groomed in time, but our grooming team is going to be working around the clock to get as much terrain buffed out for the weekend as possible.  We will have more details on the grooming and conditions in the morning snow report as well as (hopefully) another report of 3-6 more inches of snow by first tracks Saturday.


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## RootDKJ (Feb 26, 2010)

Glad you guys up north are finally getting some pow time.


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## riverc0il (Feb 26, 2010)

Glad to hear that they only had a brief hit of rain followed by about half a foot of fresh to freshen things up. Good to hear also that they plan to groom a lot of their terrain. I love Magic all natural but they need to pack down that base on at least the greens and the blues and perhaps even some of the blacks like Talisman.


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## polski (Feb 26, 2010)

Appreciate any firsthand reports from Magic today. Think I've narrowed my choices to 1) tomorrow rather than Sunday, and 2) Magic or Wildcat (which apparently got no rain but sold out today with their $9 special, so bound to be skied off - which may not be a bad thing if it was cement-y, but still, could be crowded with the second-day-for-$39 folks).  Another consideration: NWS forecast for lowlands in Magic area: 3-6" tonight and 1-3" tomorrow; Wildcat, 1-2" tonight, 1-2" tomorrow.


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## polski (Feb 26, 2010)

Trigger pulled. Magic it is. Hitting the road asap.

I asked the proprietor at Motel in the Meadow about snow vs rain and she told me what she'd heard from people who skied Okemo. I told her I'm headed to Magic and she said "Oh we had a fellow here the other day who skied there." "Yeah, Bill," I said. She laughed and said you're welcome back anytime, as long as you bring 20" of snow with you. :lol:

ktnxbye


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## jrmagic (Feb 26, 2010)

billski said:


> Matt's reports have been brutally honest IMO.  See what he was saying this morning
> http://magicmtn.com/snowreport.php



Absolutely. i spend 35+ days a season there and the reports are usually spot on.   I may have to stop down at Snow Wizards and rent his real fat skis. I think they are 110 or 115 underfoot... forgot the make.


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## riverc0il (Feb 26, 2010)

Thinking Magic again for tomorrow. Was going to go NoVT where ever the lifts were held. Looks like SoVT will get the snow AGAIN! That drive down to Magic kills me and I rarely do it more than once a season. Twice in one week and the third time in one season would be a true testament to the snow down there. Rare is the day I drive south to ski!

Still looking for a solid updated forecast with a little more info. I'll go for 6" or more overnight for sure if it is not going to expand northward. I think tomorrow may be a good day to avoid the crowds as well. Not sure if the epic reports of snow will entice people or the heavy rains will keep people away. What a crazy season... all the normal "go to plays" in the book are straight out the window.


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## polski (Feb 26, 2010)

Steve or anyone else who may be there - I'll be the Man in Black (or charcoal gray) from helmet to '09 Gotamas, with one of my sons, who'll be mostly in blue. Say hi if you spot us. Offline now until tomorrow night. WOOO HOOOOO!


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## roark (Feb 26, 2010)

I'll be there tomorrow with djspookman. Currently puking large wet parachutes in SW, presumably the same a bit to the northwest


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## billski (Mar 2, 2010)

In case the collective memory fails one day, here are links to copies of the National Weather Service Snowfall for the two days Wed-Thurs. from last week.
I've copied them to my private web, because they will be gone by this Thursday, they recycle the dates.
Note that the time 12Z refers to 12 noon Greenwich Mean Time, which is 5 hours ahead of us.

Wednesday:






Thursday:





You'll need to add the accumulations for both days to get the two day snowfall total.

It's pretty obvious where the bulls eye is, which is what make these charts so interesting.


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## billski (Mar 2, 2010)

Congrats to Winnchill's www.snowforecast.com for nailing this one cold!


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## billski (Mar 2, 2010)

Boston Globe Picture stoke, from all over the east coast:
http://www.boston.com/travel/explorene/specials/ski/gallery/recent_storms/

FIS Magic Storm Stoke
http://www.boston.com/travel/explorene/specials/ski/blog/2010/02/a_magic_day_in.html


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