Once upon a time, three skiers traveled to Londonderry VT to avail themselves of the legendary ski resort founded by the internationally acclaimed Hans Thorner. There was a beginner, a intermediate and an advanced skier in the partee.

The beginner skier, actually a very under-confident, skid-turning intermediate, skiing maybe 2-3 days per year. The beginner stayed the entire day on the greenies and absolutely loved it. She had skied at Okemo the day before and found the Thorner area to be vastly more enjoyable. Her review: Consistent, wide, groomed trails were perfect for remembering what she forgot, building up the gumption to go faster. But to her, the most important reason was the lack of people on the greens. If you think Magic is uncrowded on the blues and blacks, check it out. It pleased her not to have to worry about who was coming down behind it. She found quicker Okemo skiers frightening. She probably spent more time waiting for the trails to clear than actually skiing at Okemo. In fact, so few people that she would like to see patrol make more passes down the trails. She would come back in a blink of an eye. (note to management - take this to heart - you don't promote Magic as a place to advance, but you should, for all these reasons.

The intermediate skier, is a very confident. nearly advanced skier who can carve a fine line, but does not like powder or loose snow. That's why I don't put her into advanced, she limits herself to predictable conditions. She is an Okemo pass holder. She loves to rip. We broke off from Ms. Beginner and began to rip the blues with abandon. She found Magic to be so interesting and fun. Most of the trails were designed before snowmaking. This means the trails were designed for mountain, not designed for the people. They follow mountain contours, they are oriented to preserve the snow on the trail and limit the winds. She loved the pitch and roll of the trails. There are as many as three variables with regard to trail angle and direction. It makes it way more interesting, it keeps you on your toes and it is a lot of fun without having to take risks. As the day went on, she kept saying "this is a great little mountain". The intermediate resisted the move to some of the black trails, as things move around too much.

The advanced skier with the White helmet and red jacket was a real bumbling Gomer. How he could attract such a harem is beyond this writers understanding. He has skied Magic many time and enjoys the black trails a lot, but can have fun anywhere at magic. This day gave him an opportunity to really "get to know" the blues and greens. He found some really sweet spots where the blues were half-groomed, so a nice bump/powder run could be had.

So there you have it lurkers, there's something for everyone here, and not just a gratuitous blue or green trail. You can spend the day as a beginner and have a delightful time. Pay no attention to all the shred heads who think the best thing about Magic is the gnarly. It ain't so.

A couple of side notes. The intermediate skier skies on straight skis that must be from 1970. To complement the outfit, are a pair of classic, very retro, but post-bamboo poles. She refuses to let go, even after 25 shaped ski demos. Anyways, the basket broke one of it's three thingys (a technical term), she went to the rental shop and they repaired it to her prescription - duct tape. It's Vermont, right?

Oh, and to top it off, they found an empty table at the black line pub, which was absolutely mobbed at 5pm.