Skiing can be really fun. I would compare it with swimming. At the beginning you're a little terrified of it, but once you dive in, it becomes more and more fun. This can be an expensive activity, but there are ways to save big. First, decide what type of skier you are. Are you going no more than twice a year? If so, then maybe renting out equipment is best for you. Still, expect upwards of $60 for equipment rentals and lift tickets, and a quick search on kijiji can yield skis under $100. This is a very kijiji-friendly item that you should have no worries buying there. There is absolutely no excuse whatsoever to buy skis at retail price if you're not professionally involved in the sport.

Only excuse allowed for buying retail.

This year once more I had the opportunity to test a few more slopes and resorts, and can thus provide a rough guideline of my findings. I will use the skifree dude to rate the different places on a scale of 1-little-scared-skier to 5-most-awesome-little-scared-skiers. Not to imply I am the little scared skier or anything. I'm really not, I swear. If you are not familiar, skifree was one of the first ski-themed video games out there and I do remember playing it on my 386 ibm and thinking it was the coolest thing ever on my computer.

Dagmar Ski Resort (TO East)

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Pros: Ease of access for folks living in the east end. Great beginner hill with carpet lift, no more dreaded ski lift for the inexperienced rookie and the terrified little girl. Great parking right next to the slopes. Nice open lodge for chillin and warming up.

Cons: Small hill, short runs. Lack of snowboarder dude music.


Glen Eden Ski Resort (TO West)

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Pros: Ease of access for folks living in the west end. More challenging slopes for the experienced. Tubing hill.

Cons: Beginner hill segregated from the actual ski hill - slope too gentle to learn anything. Awful parking far away from the slopes, they run a shuttle tractor to get you there, no joke - judging from the CN railroad lines that run basically thru the middle of the lodge, they had a tough time securing land over there. Lodge is small with poor ventilation reeking of toddler sweat. Tubing hill sucks.


Horseshoe Resort (TO North)

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Pros: Least expensive, not counting gas getting there. Fun runs. Great beginner area. Great parking right next to slopes. Cross-country skiing.

Cons: Food and drinks expensive. No carpet lifts.


Blue Mountain (TO Way North)

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Pros: Cross-country skiing. Great views on your way down. A lot of runs to choose from.

Cons: Most wallet-breaking expensive, not counting gas getting there. Way way north. With our traffic takes forever getting there and back, which makes overnight trips a must, which are insanely expensive, which leaves a bigger hole in your wallet, which causes stress, which ruins your trip, which ate the cat, who ate the mouse, who lived in the house that Alex built!!! Phew.

Cost: Varies