Late Season Magic

This season I’ve been a dedicated New Yorker. I’ve managed to log 50+ days without crossing any state borders. The last storm delivered some late season magic in April. I had options in New York but I was ready to try something new.

Magic was in the 12-18 inch zone on the NWS maps being published before the storm, and the mountain’s reputation for low key and crowdlessness piqued my interest. I planned to ride solo on Friday and meet up with Tiffany and Evan for Saturday and Sunday on my Indy Pass.

At 5:30 a.m. Friday morning I was on the road and moving along, pleasantly surprised how clean the roads were given the storm that had just passed through.

By 8:15 I was pulling into the lot in front of Magic’s Red Lodge. I quickly made my way to the lift and found myself first, with one other skier. We joined a father and son as we hopped on the Black quad to the top. On the ride up we debated on where to start and I intently listened for recommendations.

I settled on the West side and headed down Wizard promptly off the lift. The powder groomers were unreal and as I come to the top of the Wardrobe glades, I dove in. I ripped the untracked powder through the trees with no fear of the bottom.

As I popped out of the trees back on to Wizard I was already gassed. Maybe a bit ridiculous to make Wardrobe my first run of the day, my first run at Magic. It was epic. I wanted more powder for less work, so I pointed ’em down Sorcerer for faceshots all the way.

I ventured over to the East side. The Seance Glades into White Tiger glades provided the same thrills as Wardrobe. Up top I saw the skier from first chair checking out the map. I asked what he knew, and he smiled saying it’s all good. Jeremy the ski patroller, was enjoying his day off from Berkshire East.

We rode the East side glades like White Kitten and Disappearing Act. The only trails we took connected us from glade to glade. By 2pm our legs were screaming and we took a break. We enjoyed beers in the lodge and shared stories of powder days past. Before long I thanked him and headed to Manchester VT to check in to the Airbnb.

Tiffany and Evan arrived later that night ready to go. There was no partying or late night shenanigans, the first chair was on the docket.

Saturday we pulled into the same spot I had the day before and quickly headed to the lift. No first chair today but we were only a few groups back. I heard my name called out and saw Dave, a work colleague and ski patroller at Bristol.

Dave and I have been trying to link up this season so this worked out great. I introduced him to the group and we headed up for more. We cruised the packed powder groomers occasionally dipping into the glades as we saw fit. There was plenty of stash left, especially in the glades under the Green Line.

By the afternoon the temperature had warmed up to the 30’s and things were getting thicker. I was the weakest link and tapped out around 1. Tiff and Evan joined after a few more runs. We ate lunch and vibed out on the legendary deck.

Dave was a beast and kept skiing until we were done with lunch. When he finally came down I stopped him and said one more. We had to ski down to the tiki bar and celebrate. I used everything I had in the tank and took the easiest route I could to get to the bar, and the drinks tasted so good when we got there.

On Sunday Evan and Tiffany were feeling my pain. We made a pact that we would take it easy and cruise mostly the East Side. The views for our final day were awesome with the sun finally making an appearance and peeking through the clouds. In the distance you can see Bromley and Stratton, and fully understand why it’s the golden triangle.

Up top the snow was still cold enough to be packed powder, so we sprayed snow and layed our edges in carelessly. The warmup was imminent and by noon the warm temps made the snowstorm on Thursday seem like a lifetime ago.

Magic was 100% open with soft snow in the trees, bumps on the steeps and rippable groomers everywhere else, on one hell of a closing day. It was exactly what I was looking for, it satisfied my longing for a new experience. Over three days of riding, I explored the entire mountain and felt accomplished.

Magic feels more like the skiing I’m used to in NY. On the ride home I wondered, why it took me so long to get there. There’s nothing like some late season Magic.

---

NYSkiBlog is joining with The Indy Pass to bring exposure to independent mountains.
This piece is part of our effort. For more information visit the Indy Pass.

---