Trip Reports
Magic Mountain, VT
February 5, 2001
February 5th 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; the big dump made the decision on where to ski that weekend very easy. Magic Mountain is most well known for extremely challenging terrain, lack of snow making, and lack of grooming. It is a Skiers Mountain without any Resort Type atmosphere. Some may consider these reasons to stay away from the mountain. For me, they added to the appeal of Magic Mountain.
The alarm clock went off at 4:30AM and I jump out of bed. Two and a half feet of snow fell during the previous 24 hours and my back still hurt from shoveling the previous night. After a shower and breakfast, I went out to finish shoveling. I was ready to roll at 6:30AM, but I was hesitant to go because of the road conditions. I watched the news for an hour and a half before I was satisfied that the drive would be safe. I left home around 7:30AM; I had originally planned to leave two hours earlier so I could get first tracks.
The roads were mostly clear despite the left lanes being slightly bumpy from hardened snow which made passing trucks an adventure. I decide to take the back roads off Interstate 89 which was a bad mistake. "Short cuts make for long journeys," as quoted from Pippin in "The Lord of the Rings." I finally got to Magic Mountain at 10:30AM, an hour later than I had planned. Snow cats were still plowing the parking lot and for good reason! As I turn to enter into a parking spot, my car gets stuck in the snow. I got my gear, bought my lift ticket, and waited for the Magic Mountain staff to assist me in getting my car unstuck.
At exactly noon time, I took my first run of the day; three hours after the lifts had opened and when I had planned to take my first run. "Oh well" I said, "it is a beautiful day and plenty of untouched snow every where." It was a joy to ski on! Three feet of fresh powder with minimal grooming is fun stuff! By 1PM, I had gotten three runs in. On my fourth run, I went down the Wizard trail. Nearing the bottom of the trail on a flat section, I skied into a drift off the groomer track that snapped my ski in half. I had been skiing for only one hour on a pair of skis that were only two years old and my skiing day seemed to be finished. The skis are un-repairable with a crack spitting the top sheet from the core under one of the bindings.
A quick review of the adventure so far: My back was hurt from shoveling before I even left home, I was delayed two hours due to shoveling and safety concerns, I took a very long and un-shortcut on the way, passing tractor trailer trucks was a life flashing before your eyes experience, I finally got to Magic 3 hours after the lifts opened, I got my car stuck and waited an hour in the lodge for help, I 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 their ski shop. The shop was closed, but he went into the shop and allows me to snag a pair of demo skis. For the low, low price of only $40! Yikes! Oh well, the lift ticket was only $15, I figured. But the demo ski sucked!
Of course I never learn and decided to take the more direct back roads home instead of the highway. This delayed my arrival home by about one hour. Not much more could have gone wrong that day. Around 7PM, I made it back home safe and sound. Despite the pains and problems, it was still a fun day of skiing with some great powder.
