Magic Mountain heads into its tenth winter under Ski Magic LLC with a pass change that has drawn a lot of attention. The discounted Senior pass now starts at 65 instead of 70, and a new Super Senior pass covers skiers 75 and older. The change is real and it is generous. For an adult who lives full time in Londonderry, though, it isn't the cheapest way up the hill. The Vermont-resident tier is.
That says a lot about how the mountain at 495 Magic Mountain Access Road works this season. The new pricing, the new snowmaking and even the operating calendar are built around people who come back again and again. The deals that pay off most go to people who can drive up on a Thursday morning without planning a trip around it.
The Two Price Tables, Side by Side
Magic's season pass page lists two sets of 26/27 unlimited passes. As of November 2026, the general passes are priced at what Magic calls its Tier 3 pre-season sale. The Vermont-resident passes require proof of full-time residency.
| Skier | General 26/27 pass, pre-season | Vermont-resident pass |
|---|---|---|
| Young adult, 18–29 | $689 | $379 |
| Adult, 30–64 | $939 | $459 for ages 30–69 |
| Senior, 65–74 | $689 | $459 for ages 65–69, $349 for ages 70+ |
| Super Senior, 75+ | $399 | $349 on the 70+ resident pass |
The resident tier also includes a $179 pass for skiers ages 6 to 17.
Take a 67-year-old skier in South Londonderry. The new Senior pass costs them $689 pre-season and $739 once the season starts. The Vermont-resident adult pass covers the same skier for $459. At 76, the gap is smaller but runs the same way: the Super Senior pass is $399 pre-season and $449 in season, and the resident 70+ pass is $349.
So the new age bands mostly help out-of-state passholders, especially the second-home owners and weekend regulars who drive up from Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts. For year-round Vermonters, the resident table that already existed is still the better price. Magic also lets any unlimited pass holder buy an Indy Add-On that opens more than 300 other ski areas. On its pass page, Magic says that combination costs less than an Ikon or Epic pass.
A Four-Day Mountain in a Seven-Day Town
Magic runs Thursdays through Sundays. This season it also runs every day of the December 26 to January 1 holiday week, February 15 through 19, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 18. On non-holiday Mondays and Wednesdays, the mountain can be rented for private use.
That calendar suits people who live close by. A Thursday or Friday at Magic falls on a regular workweek for most visitors, so the passholder who can get there in minutes gets the most out of the open days. Someone who lives off Route 11 can watch the snow report, pick a Friday and be on a lift without booking a room or rearranging a weekend.
The calendar also explains why the mountain cares so much about how long its trails last. With four operating days a week, every day lost to thin cover counts for more.
Where the Summer Work Went
This year's on-mountain upgrades are mostly about holding snow, and most of them are hidden. Magic's November 1 snow report says crews put in more than 1,000 feet of new snowmaking pipe and hydrants this summer in key areas of Wand, Trick and Wizard. They also placed snowmaking guns from the summit down to Trick so they can start "when temps are in the 20s." The same report says Magic bought more mobile HKD Phazer snow guns and has new SMI demo equipment on its way. It also says every lift is due for its full state inspection by mid-November.
Ski Vermont's season preview describes the same work. It says the added lines and guns sit at "crucial intersections" across the mountain to give "more snow stability" and keep more trails open longer. That ties straight back to the four-day week. More reliable snow where trails meet means fewer Thursdays when a regular finds a route closed.
The one upgrade you can see is on the deck. Ski Vermont reports that Magic has a new deck bar to "keep the apres parties going" this season. Magic is also replacing its point-of-sale equipment and adding self-service kiosks that print RFID cards. In a base lodge this size, that should mean less time in line at the ticket window on a busy Saturday.
The Deals Aimed at Repeat Visits
The ticket products outside the season pass point the same way. Each one rewards coming back:
- Throwback Card. It costs $129 and includes a free ski day on your second visit. After that, cardholder lift tickets are $79, which Magic says is 30 percent off all season.
- Freedom 4-Pack. This online sale runs November 20 through 30.
- Indy Learn-to-Turn. Magic is part of Indy's beginner program, which bundles three lessons with lift tickets and rentals for under $179.
- Youth programs. Devo, Race and Freeride coaching runs every weekend starting Christmas week.
The Throwback Card is a good fit for a resident who doesn't want a season pass. Two visits more or less cover the card. After that, every $79 day costs well below a walk-up ticket at a bigger resort, and Magic's snow report puts those prices at "$200+."
Opening Weekend, Then the Party
Magic's snow report says the mountain plans to open "the 1st weekend of December depending on the weather," and earlier if temperatures allow good snowmaking. Ski Vermont's opening-dates list, last updated October 30, gives Magic a projected opening of Saturday, December 5, and notes that every date on the list is tentative.
One week later, on Saturday, December 12, Magic holds its Ski Magic 10th Anniversary Celebration from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the mountain. The event page lists a French- and Swiss-inspired menu and live music from the Lustre Kings, and describes the night as a celebration of "the 10th year of Ski Magic LLC's ownership and management of Magic Mountain."
Here's the early-season calendar in order, as of publication:
- Mid-November: full state inspections due on every lift, according to Magic's snow report.
- November 20–30: the Freedom 4-Pack online sale.
- Saturday, December 5: Ski Vermont's tentative projected opening date.
- Saturday, December 12: the Ski Magic 10th Anniversary Celebration.
- December 26 through January 1: the holiday week, with the mountain open every day. Weekend youth programs begin the same week.
The Stop on North Main
For anyone driving an electric car to Magic, there's a new stop in town on the way up. West River Coffee Barn, at 2309 N. Main St., has added a dual-port Level 2 ChargePoint station in its parking lot. It charges two vehicles at once and is available 24/7, The Chester Telegraph reported on October 5. A Charge Vermont Workplace EV Charging grant paid for the project, with support from Green Mountain Power. According to the Telegraph, it roughly doubles public charging in Londonderry, adding to the chargers at Neighborhood Connections in the Londonderry Marketplace.
In the same Chester Telegraph story, managing co-owner Kristin Nelson explained what the charger is for:
"It is our hope that this new charging station makes it easier for people to live here, work here and visit."
If you split your winters between Londonderry and somewhere else, and you're figuring out which pass and which home base make sense for how you actually ski, the team at Wohler Realty Group knows the drive from the Magic Mountain Access Road to every village around it, and we'd be glad to talk it through. Contact Us.
