Northern Vermont hasn’t been able to catch a break since before Christmas. Another storm slammed into southern New England and southern Vermont’s Golden Triangle was the big winner for ski areas. Magic picked up a foot and a half which opened everything except the trees.

Due to the cold temperatures, I expected light fluff over a questionable base. However, the powder was supportive though not bottomless. Supportive enough to merit excitement but the powder hid a thin base that occasionally punished said excitement with treachery. It was a sporting kind of powder, encouraging reckless abandon but rewarding cautious exuberance.

A very small crowd gathered at the Black for first chair. Patrol was still inspecting the west side, so everyone was sent towards the east side. Since I was a few chairs back, I bypassed Witch to Black Line in favor of a completely untracked Twilight Zone. The powder was great but cautious skiing took a little of the excitement away.

With the west side open, I dropped into Talisman for more cautious exuberance. The thin base required not charging and occasionally necessitated delicate turns. But the powder was excellent and fun. Sorcerer was up next where I found top to bottom knee deep untracked despite being on my third run. Sensational!

Fortunately for those of us skiing but disappointing for Magic, not many people showed up. Perhaps it was the cold, bad travel conditions, or skiers digging out from two feet of snow in the Boston metro area. But whatever the reason, Friday at Magic was as relaxing as a boot to knee deep powder day can be with ample untracked lasting all day.

I completed working over the west side with runs down Magician top to bottom, Broomstick to Black Line, and Witch to Black Line. The Witch to Black Line run came well after lunch time with substantial untracked lines down skiers left under the chairs. Mystery, particularly its headwall, held surprising untracked powder late into the day. Despite the limited number of runs and early onset of fatigue, I left extremely satisfied.

My day ended when my body couldn’t take any more abuse rather than when the untracked lines ran out. After only nine runs, the lurching and jerking involved with tricky snow over thin coverage took its toll. As did the excessive cold but only my feet were at issue, due to constantly being in boot deep snow.