The last week of February brought record snow fall to the Catskills of New York while leaving most of New England with moderate snow at best and rain at worst. After consulting the radar and weather reports, Magic seemed like the safest bet with the best combination of snow, lack of rain, and good terrain. I was not alone in coming to this conclusion as Magic Mountain saw record crowds and long lift lines.

I awoke extremely early to ensure I made first chair at 8:00 A.M. New snow was variable throughout the mountain. The base area picked up about two inches of very heavy wet snow. The upper mountain was densely powdery with about 4-6″ on the trails and 6-8″ in the woods. Most of the mountain skied great but the lower mountain got more and more manky as the day progressed. Groomer run outs on the lower mountain were the best option skiing back to the Red Chair.

Red Line was my first run of the morning and conditions continue to be amazing. It is in the best shape I have ever seen it. Skiers were skiing straight down the cliffs and the big ledge actually had a few bumps on it due to the amount of snow this season. The two fences under the Red Chair are completely buried.

Master Magician is almost laughable in regards to difficulty due to the amount of snow and its soft and fluffy consistency. Soft powdery pillows made for a freaking sweet run! I did Green Line at some point which was still really fresh and skied well. Otherwise, I stayed in the woods which were well covered and powdery at upper and middle elevations until just after noon time when some tree shots began turning to mank.

By Magic’s standards, the crowds were intense and the life lines were long. Without having a watch, I estimate that the line for the Red Chair was fifteen minutes at its worst. I noticed almost ten people standing in line for lift tickets at 10:30 A.M. when I took my lunch break. Ten people is normally the maximum wait for the Red Chair, let alone an exceptional wait just to get a lift ticket more than two hours after the lift began turning! Way to go Magic!

I was glad I got my best runs in early. Between the crowds, the mank, and already having gotten my fill, I opted to leave around 1 P.M. In the nine years that I have skied Magic, I have never seen the mountain so chocked full of snow. You could not find a thin coverage spot any where on the mountain.