Magic Mountain
Magic Mountain is a smaller ski area nestled on Glebe Mountain near Londonderry in Vermont. The ski area covers 135 acres on the northwest side of the mountain. Peak elevation rests at 2850 feet, with the base lodge at 1150 feet, giving Magic a respectable vertical of 1700 feet. The average snowfall at Magic over the last ten years has been 180 inches (4.6 meters) per year. For the lean years, Magic has snowmaking coverage over 95 acres.
Lifts and Trails
There are 43 named trails on Glebe Mountain with 30 percent of them rated as green, 30 percent marked blue, 15 percent single black, and 25 percent double black. There are only two chair lifts on Magic, one double and one triple. There are two surface lifts for use with the tube park and the learning center.
The ski area is generally marked into the East Side and West Side. The East Side has the gentler slope and easier trails, including the gentle groomer, Wand and the long cruiser, Magic Carpet. On the West Side, Wizard (the longest trail on the mountain) runs 1.6 miles from peak to base. For expert skiers, stick to the middle of the mountain for the best steeps. Black Magic has a 45-degree slope near the peak, which makes for one fun drop in.
Don’t forget that Magic has the border-to-border policy, where everything inbounds is skiable. That’s a ton of glade skiing if you enjoy dodging squirrels and low branches. For freestyling, the hocus pocus terrain park has become the learning park while the brand new Dark Arts Terrain Park has the new obstacles and lines to find.
Other Bits
If you’re craving somewhere to hang out and enjoy watching others ski as you unwind, head up to the second floor of the lodge. The Black Line Tavern offers live music, great beers on tap and tasty food. The locals are always friendly and willing to share stories of the mountain. There are also races on most weekends. For families looking to include Magic on their ski vacation, there is a special kid-centric program that is built for kids 5 to 12. One thing that Magic offers is an “earn your turn” program. Basically, if you’re willing to hike up the mountain, you can ski it for free.