Magic Mountain, VT!!

I'm not sure Laz would buy Magic.  He's big on controlling his debt always ready for that "one" bad year.

Plattekill is in position to make money next season.  Is that true at Magic? (It's a sincere question but my impression is no?)  In the near future, Magic seem riskier than Plattekill, to me.

I never said he should buy it. I said the new owners should look to Platty as a model on what and how they should make upgrades while keeping a cool, laid back vibe and being able to ski kick-ass terrain all while staying in the black.

Marcski wrote

Magic definitely needs beginner and family friendly terrain. This is one thing that Laz strongly believes in from my conversations with him and what he has done with Plattekill over the years.

During my one day at Platty, I definitely got the sense that it was a family place.  It was a Friday.  There is enough beginner/intermediate terrain for kids to go from never-evers to confident intermediates who aren't scared of little bumps.  The few kids who I saw were having a great time.  The sense of community was obvious.

Any adults who want to learn to ski aren't too likely to head to Platty to start with because of the location.  But I keep trying to get adventurous intermediates within a few hours drive who have to ski on weekends to consider Platty.

marznc wrote

But I keep trying to get adventurous intermediates within a few hours drive who have to ski on weekends to consider Platty.

This came via email yesterday:

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=7aa25df3430f5fd8a6aacf087&id=083a689330&e=f1d46d4195

With the magic carpet, I think Platty is a legit option for never Evers. As far as magic, I dig the new pass offerings and prices.

Magic is getting the SnowBowl lift from Stratton.  It's replacing the Black Chair this summer.

Green Chair work has started and it should be finished by July.

Stratton’s Snow Bowl Poma Quad Lift Heading to Magic Mountain

Another Major Upgrade by SKI MAGIC LLC Will Replace Magic’s Current Black Chair Summit Lift
 
Londonderry, VT, May 9, 2018 – Magic Mountain is purchasing and installing Stratton’s current “Snow Bowl” Poma fixed-grip quad chairlift as a new base-to-summit lift for the 2018/19 season. The Poma quad lift will replace Magic’s current “Black Chair” which had been operating as a double passenger capacity lift. The new lift at Magic will follow a similar lift line up the Black Line trail to the summit with a slightly higher terminal station in order to access all trails at Magic.

Magic’s new Poma quad lift, originally built in 1986 and installed at Stratton’s Snow Bowl area, comes with 148 chairs, a 2,000 skier per hour capacity, and has an excellent performance and maintenance record at Stratton. It will service approximately 1,500 vertical feet with the lift line stretching about 5,000 feet long. The lift will add significant uphill capacity in combination with Magic’s current “Red Chair” double summit lift and another new installation to be completed this spring of a base-to-mid mountain Borvig double passenger lift (“Green Chair”). The current Black Chair, which the Poma Quad will replace, only had 113 chairs, was approved as a two-person carrier, and therefore had a maximum capacity of just 620 riders per hour. The Poma Quad therefore effectively triples Magic’s uphill capacity over the current lift.
 
“When we heard Stratton was replacing their Snow Bowl lift with a new high-speed detachable, four-passenger lift, our investor group jumped on the opportunity to try and purchase their Poma fixed-grip quad”, said Geoff Hatheway, President of SKI MAGIC LLC. “For our ski community, this lift is a huge upgrade that meets and manages our current and future growth expectations, better fulfills customer desires for quality, reliable lift service at Magic, and sustains our reputation as an area with both minimal lift lines and low on-slope skier density.”
 
Stratton is taking down the Snow Bowl lift this month and then Magic will have the lift transported across the valley (about 15 miles) to its Londonderry location.
 
“It’s great to see this dependable lift live on in southern Vermont, and I want to acknowledge Bill Nupp, President and COO of Stratton, and all our neighbors there for making this purchase happen”, continued Geoff Hatheway. “We occupy a very different place in the industry than Stratton, but Bill and his team really wanted to make this possible for us. It’s a true example of the big guy on the block helping the little guy out and supporting the diversity of experiences uniquely available here in southern Vermont—all within just a few miles of each other.”
 
Magic plans for its lift contractors to begin work this summer and fall on the new summit Black Line Poma Quad, after the installation is complete on the mid-mountain Green Lift. Magic will operate the new quad as the primary summit lift every weekend and holiday period, with the famed Red Chair continuing as an additional lift on busy weekends plus pulling main duty on lighter traffic weekdays.
 
In total, this will be a major $1 million capital investment in the new lift by SKI MAGIC LLC which will help attract more skiers and riders to the southern Vermont and Windham County region who are interested in a classic, old-school mountain vibe.

You scooped Snoloco with lift news!

Nope, I posted it first.  Look above Harvey's post.

The only reason I don't have the press release is because I'm not in Magic's "inner circle" like Harvey is.  I actually have to go around and look for announcements.  I've known about this for weeks.  Regardless I still need an actual announcement to confirm which we have now.

snoloco wrote

Nope, I posted it first.  Look above Harvey's post.

Oh geez......

So you basically admit that I was first but you're still going to give Harvey all the credit.

http://liftblog.com/2018/05/09/magic-mountain-to-build-two-new-lifts/

Lift Blog wrote a post about it.

The conspiracy here is imagined. The press release came from Magic's Alpine Update, it's an email newsletter. There is no magic (lol) to getting it. Just go to the website and sign up.

These deals for used lifts are sensitive.

Because transportation costs for big pieces of steel are high, very often these deal happen between "competitors" or ski areas that are close to each other. There is usually some kind of legal agreement between the parties, and until it is signed nobody wants to announce it. The press on a successful deal is great, but if word gets out and the deal goes south, you could be looking at a lot of negative fallout.  Worse yet leaks could piss off the either mountain and kill the deal.

As Sno implies, it's fun being the first to share something.  If NYSB had published what we knew when we knew it, it would have been a huge story for us. I was asked weeks ago not to discuss this or publish about it. To me Magic actually getting a new Black is far more important than NYSB getting a big story on this.  Sno, that's why I never really responded to your emails or posts on this topic.

snoloco wrote

So you basically admit that I was first but you're still going to give Harvey all the credit.

Harvey wrote

... There is no magic (lol) to getting it....

Need to throw a flag here. Pun-abuse is no joke, bro. Not LOL'ing at all

Harvey is actually wrong.

Larger ski areas frequently sell off equipment to smaller ones.  When any ski area is removing a lift they tend to try and sell it off.  Sometimes the receiving ski area will get it for free but be responsible for removing it.  That's what's apparently happening with the Windham triple.

The idea that it's so sensitive and a leak can jeopardise the project is ridiculous.  Until there's a real announcement, anything is just a rumor, and what's going to happen is going to happen regardless of whether someone like me finds out about it.  Would Stratton really scrap a lift that they could sell just because someone there was a rumor about it before a real announcement?  Think about that for a second.  I always spread the word unless I'm told not to because I know how hard it is to get this info sometimes.

When I first heard of this project, I was told that Magic wanted the Stratton lift but it wasn't set in stone as there were other interested parties.  Now we know that it's set in stone and is happening.  I'll be heading to both Stratton and Magic this summer to check things out and take pictures, but I will most certainly not be posting about it on here because Harvey would probably delete it for scooping him.

snoloco wrote

Harvey is actually wrong.

Larger ski areas frequently sell off equipment to smaller ones.  When any ski area is removing a lift they tend to try and sell it off.  Sometimes the receiving ski area will get it for free but be responsible for removing it.  That's what's apparently happening with the Windham triple.

The idea that it's so sensitive and a leak can jeopardise the project is ridiculous.  Until there's a real announcement, anything is just a rumor, and what's going to happen is going to happen regardless of whether someone like me finds out about it.  Would Stratton really scrap a lift that they could sell just because someone there was a rumor about it before a real announcement?  Think about that for a second.  I always spread the word unless I'm told not to because I know how hard it is to get this info sometimes.

When I first heard of this project, I was told that Magic wanted the Stratton lift but it wasn't set in stone as there were other interested parties.  Now we know that it's set in stone and is happening.  I'll be heading to both Stratton and Magic this summer to check things out and take pictures, but I will most certainly not be posting about it on here because Harvey would probably delete it for scooping him.

Finally in college and still acting like a preschooler.

This is great news. Magic stabilizes their uphill capacity in one move and big kudos to Stratton for supporting a competitor in the neighborhood. I wonder if they will take the towers from Stratton by helicopter and fly the towers across the valley and install the towers at Magic. That would be fun to watch.