WHEN IS OLD NEW AGAIN? ​ OR...THIS AIN’T YOUR FATHER’S MAGIC...EXCEPT WHEN IT IS

There is a particularly large chunk of southern Vermont rock 2850 feet tall that has been the object of more rumor, neglect, devotion, confusion and unconditional love than any similarly sized mountain in the state, maybe anywhere.  The mountain, literally and often figuratively is Magic.

Driving east on Route 11 from Manchester you first catch sight of Magic Mountain from a dramatic vantage point near the foot of Bromley that also yields an unobstructed view of Stratton. The easternmost of this skiing “golden triangle,” Magic looks unimposing from here. However, ten miles further, driving up the short access road, brings you face to face with the startling realization: this rascal is steep! 

The ski industry is in the midst of dynamic change, ostensibly dictated by economic necessity. The new trend is conglomeratization, a two-headed monster gobbling up resorts at an unprecedented rate. Head number one comprises large corporations, whose primary businesses are not skiing, busily diversifying their portfolios. The other, major resort operators like Vail and Aspen who control a significant percentage of winter sport venues from Whistler, BC to the recently acquired Green Mountain resorts of Stowe and Stratton.

There are still a few small independent ski areas making a go of it with Mom flipping burgers and Pop running a rope tow or two, but none of them are like Magic. For one thing, Magic’s legion of supporters seems outsized and fanatically passionate in comparison to its neighbors.

Also, few resorts can boast such a unique and colorful history, dating back to its remarkable founder, Hans Thorner. A legendary ski instructor and filmmaker, Thorner moved to the US from his native Switzerland in 1932. He had a remarkable pre-Magic career which included running a ski school at Mt. Rainier, WA, opening a ski shop in Hollywood, teaching skiing on a borax slide at Saks Fifth Avenue and building the iconic Thorner House Inn near Cannon Mt., NH. Perhaps most impressive were a series of ski films he produced for Swiss Air including four skiing murder mysteries! His crowning glory as one of the first ski movie entrepreneurs was his production of the 1948 Winter Olympic Games which he took to audiences on the road, complete with a music soundtrack and live narration.

Moving to Manchester, VT in the early ‘50’s Hans dreamed of starting his own ski resort. His first attempt at Stratton failed, but nearby Glebe Mt. in Londonderry caught his eye, reminding him of his native Switzerland. In 1960 Magic opened with one t-bar lift and a totally original business plan: an alpine resort with a Swiss themed village complete with inns, restaurants and homes all in the shadow of the most challenging ski terrain in southern Vermont. There was nothing like it then and, nearly 60 years later, Magic remains unique. The ski area’s fortunes, however, have often been as rocky as its legendary cliff-studded terrain.

The Thorner family sold the mountain to Boston Concessions, the owner of neighboring Bromley, in 1983. In 1986 Magic took control of Timber Ridge Ski Area on Glebe Mountain’s east side, creating one large combined resort. However, consecutive lean winters coupled with a faltering real estate market forced Boston Concessions to close Magic in 1991.

For six years it became the largest of Vermont’s “lost” ski areas. Literally dozens of areas ceased operating in the decades following the high water mark of 1966 when Vermont boasted more than 80 ski tows. Sadly, few of these lost areas have reopened, but in 1997 Pennsylvania dentist and skiing ​devotee,​ Michael Boraski, brought Magic back from the dead. It has operated continuously under different ownership and management teams with wildly diverse effectiveness since that time. On several occasions Magic has teetered on the brink of foreclosure, but it became a resort too good to die.

Following several close calls with permanent closure in the early 2000s optimism began to build when Connecticut lawyer, Jim Sullivan, took over day-to-day operations in the fall of 2006. Sullivan grew up in Mt. Snow’s racing program and had skied events at Magic. He was driving a client to Ludlow one day in the mid-90s and remembered Magic’s uniqueness as he drove past. The nagging thought, “one of these days...” only grew as time went by. He finally contacted the ownership group and within six months was offered a lease for the ski area with a purchase option. Jim left his legal practice and moved his young family to Vermont. Uprooting a family and a lifestyle to be close to Magic is a common theme. The Sullivans were not the first, nor the last.

Geoff Hatheway, an athletic 57-year-old native of Chappequa, NY, is President of Ski Magic LLC, an ownership group of passionate skiers that finalized the purchase of the mountain in late November 2016. Geoff represents the latest chapter of devotion to Magic Mountain and the commitment to maintain the qualities that make it unique.

 

In the early ‘60’s his family embraced the warm sense of alpine community that predated Vermont’s mega resorts. They bought a ski home in the area and frequented the tows of southern Vermont, including Magic, every weekend. Geoff learned to ski on the backside of Magic, the rolling slopes of Timber Ridge, when he was five. A Dartmouth graduate with a career in marketing and entrepreneurship, Hatheway became reacquainted with the mountain when he started looking for a family ski experience reminiscent of the early ski culture he loved as a kid.

The Hatheways have been season pass holders since 2000 with Geoff and his wife volunteering for the Magic Alpine Club and their kids joining the race and freeride programs. In 2011 Jim Sullivan suggested that Geoff take charge of marketing and promotion for the mountain, allowing him to become more intimately involved in the day to day business of running a ski resort. When Magic’s ownership proposed selling in spring 2015 they approached Geoff to see if he was interested. Without hesitation he created a business plan and built an investment group that included a diverse mixture of the Magic community – both full time and second home residents, as well as old friends from Dartmouth. The closing culminated a two-year process confirming that Magic’s traditional virtues would continue to inspire new generations of skiers looking for something different.

Since 1960 thousands of kids have learned to ski and ride at Magic, later bringing their own kids, who in turn brought their kids. You’ll find them scouting their own lines through the woods or challenging the 45-degree steeps of ​Master Magician.  F​ew people realize that snowboarding took its tentative first steps here, just three miles from Jake Burton’s workshop. In the mid-80’s he was given permission to build a half pipe at Magic, long before other ski areas had even acknowledged the sport existed. Magic truly

is steeped in history and the beat goes on.

Sharon Wagner has been a passionate Magic skier since the 1990s. She has been among the continuing faithful who have supported the mountain through its darkest times and welcomes the new business plan with open arms. “In the past it was always the people who skied here who demonstrated all the love helping to bail it out again and again. It almost seemed like management was disinterested and out of touch, at times. Those of us who ski here never were. We’ve always loved it and finally a group of Magic skiers, people who get it, are in charge!”

                                                                                                          Craig Moulton is Magic’s food and beverage manager and a 30-year veteran of the ski industry. Moulton sums up the Magic mystique as he gazes at the lower slopes through the large windows of the comfortably retro Black Line Tavern. “Caring about this mountain connects you to so many people from so many backgrounds. Stockbroker, carpenter, chef and CEO, they’re all here. It doesn’t matter what people do for a living, we’re all part of a big extended family. Magic is a feeling, it’s addictive.”

Hatheway agrees. “Part of what makes Magic unique is the community involvement. People are interested in helping any way they can. There has always been a significant number of volunteers who show up on weekends to perform various tasks, but the number doubled when word of a sale was released.” Moulton adds, “people from all walks of life helping to paint, clean or cut brush, does that happen anywhere else?”

Why the love? It’s often said that Fenway Park, with its traditions, quirks and history somehow captures baseball’s soul. In much the same way Magic Mountain’s unapologetically slow lifts and much-cherished terrain seem to enshrine some true spirit of skiing. There is a freedom that has always existed here not readily found at other resorts. This is best exemplified by an official ‘border-to-border’ policy allowing skiers to use the entire mountain, named trail or not. Tree skiing was an accepted way of descent at Magic decades before more famous resorts dipped their toes into the woods. Mountain Operations Manager Matt Cote explains, “The idea has always ​been to encourage skiers to access as much challenge as they want; snowshoeing or skinning uphill, exploring the side country, skiing the trees. We’re here to maximize their enjoyment!”

This enjoyment is palpable on the mountain where shouts of joy and enthusiasm are everywhere on a powder day. It fills the base lodge where families enjoy a lunch that is often more picnic or tailgate than the food corral common at other resorts. And it is the beating heart of the mid mountain outdoor bar at a trail junction known as Sunshine Corner where Magic regulars and first timers gather on busy weekends to bask in the afternoon sun.

Love for Magic is evident in the folks who work there, as well. Mountain operations personnel work long arduous hours in difficult conditions. Their efforts are evident in the snow they make, the trails they groom and the lifts that keep turning. At Magic these are truly labors of love.

“I was hooked on the tree skiing right off the bat.” Tim Garvey worked in mountain ops at five different resorts before finding a home at Magic. “I used to live in Winhall Hollow and my porch looked out at Magic. I had a telescope and I would look around the mountain and realize, WOW, that’s really steep! There’s nothing like it. You go to a big resort and they’ll cut a glade, but spend as little money as possible doing it, just enough to get it on the trail map. We’ve got glades that aren’t on the map that have had 50 volunteers walk through them cleaning them up!” Barely in his 40’s Travis Richmond is Magic’s most experienced mountain operations employee. He understands the corporate mentality and finds its absence an important part of the Magic vibe. “Whether you’re skiing or working here you’re not just a number. It makes for a better work environment and you can actually make a difference here. That’s why I plan to stay and be a part of helping Magic sustain itself.”

Don Gillespie moved to Magic from Texas in 1999 learning to make snow and becoming a certified ski instructor. “I’ve dedicated 17 years of my life to Magic because it’s a beautiful mountain. You can’t beat the terrain. My goal is to help make Magic prosper and have lots of people want to come here and love the place.”

During Don’s tenure he has learned every aspect of mountain operations, as has the entire ops crew. This is vital to the profitability of a ski resort. Matt Cote, who moved from Massachusetts to work at the mountain he loves, says “everyone here is a swiss army knife.” Matt also acknowledges the importance of community in his department. “When we run into a problem we start networking for resources and invariably someone will say, ‘I know a guy...’”

Cote’s department has made the most of the new ownership group’s financial commitment by making repairs to existing infrastructure, as well as, focusing on new projects like a conveyor lift for the Learning Area. In addition, work continues on a mid mountain chairlift which will broaden Magic’s appeal by making beginner and intermediate terrain more accessible. As Hatheway explains, “We can attract younger families and have people who are not expert skiers enjoy Magic by providing access to terrain designed for them.”

The long-term goal is to double the current skier visit count (the number of people to ski a resort per year) to around 50,000. A modest goal when considering nearby Okemo records over 600,000 annual visits. Hatheway surveys the mountain from the expansive outside deck which is the main off-snow attraction on sunny days. “One of the beautiful things about Magic is the freedom you feel here rather than a place where you always have to watch out that you don’t get hit by someone on crowded weekends. We have a product that naturally disperses skiers around the hill, so slopes and trails will remain uncrowded.”

                                                                                    

The term “bygone” is often associated with Magic. The irony is that what makes Magic feel so fresh and different is exactly what causes it to be a magnet for anyone seeking the so-called bygone values of community, freedom, respect for the environment and enjoyment measured less by quantity of runs than by their quality. At Magic Mountain old has become new again.