Category Archives: Ski

Easterner skis Whistler

06 Friday Mar 2015

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I thought I better finish this one before the ski season is over!

It was my first time west to ski and I knew it would be bigger, better, more challenging but wow are those mountains humbling! My skiing got better as the week went on but day one wasn’t my best skiing and it was a bit cold by Whistler standards and the wind was blowing.

It is steeper than it looks! And it looks steep, no?

It is steeper than it looks! And it looks steep, no?

We saw this great run from the restaurant – The Saddle. We looked it up and it was a blue square and I can do those, not with my eyes closed, but I am pretty good at ’em! Well this blue square, on that specific day, kicked my butt. I won’t go in to all the boring details (and by boring I mean embarrassing for me) but one warning is to be prepared for some challenging blue squares and even green circles!

More to come on our Whistler adventure with tips on what to do, where to eat and all that good stuff! You can use them for next season.

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Planning a trip to Whistler

25 Sunday Jan 2015

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Sunrise at the top of Whisler

Sunrise at the top of Whistler

Almost exactly a month ago we took off for a week in Whistler. This trip was almost 6 months in the making from booking flights and figuring out where to stay and I have to say, for someone who hadn’t stayed at Whistler before, it was not an easy as you would think. So my first post is going to provide some tips for those newbies who are hoping to head west this ski season for the first time.

Where to stay

We wanted to be close to the lifts so there was minimal effort on the days we planned to ski. Nothing worse than having to walk half a kilometre back to your place at the end of ski day! So we picked Blackcomb instead of Whistler. Blackcomb is quieter than Whistler too. We knew we could walk over to the action but when we wanted quiet we could retreat back to our condo and relax. Now if you have a big budget go with Four Seasons or Fairmont and you get to drop your skis at the base of the hill to be shlepped back to the hotel by someone else!

Since we didn’t have $1,000 a night to spend we picked the Aspens which was a ski-in, ski-out complex on Blackcomb. It was perfect for us. We got dressed in our room, walked down, grabbed our skis and headed down to the lift. It was superb!

Aspen's lobby

Aspen’s lobby

From the hill

From the hill

Rent or Pack

We rented skis instead of bringing our own and I am not sure whether or not we made the right decision! The pros – we didn’t have to haul skis from home to airport and airport to hotels and on and on. We also saved the fees for packing but of course did pay for rentals. The big benefit would have been if we had a powder day. At Whistler they let you trade in your rentals for a different pair depending on the conditions.

A friend of ours made a good suggestion – ship your skis. Then you don’t have to worry about carrying them around. Of course you run the risk of the skis getting lost!

Edge Card

At Whistler, as residents of Canada you can get a discount on your Edge Card which allows you to go directly to the lifts. Of course ours just arrived last week. A bit late but it was easy to go and get replacements.

Whistler knows how to do customer service. In fact, if you have any questions there is a chat function on their site or you can use email and they do reply.

I absolutely loved Whistler and am already hoping I can get back this season. More to come on the blog on places to eat, where to ski and things to do. If you know and love Whistler please share some tips for my next trip out!

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Skiing at Le Massif

26 Sunday Jan 2014

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Last weekend we headed out east to Quebec City (more on that in another post) and wanted to get a day of skiing in. Le Massif was recommended over Mont Ste. Ann by several people and even some locals we met in a pub the night before.

I have to say that it was an amazing hill with great snow, stunning views and just top notch!

Enjoying the views and the powder!

Enjoying the views and the powder!

When you arrive you are actually at the top of the hill – a first for me. You don’t get the usual lift ticket you attach to your jacket but a card that is scanned by the electronic gates – how cool is that!?

 

Now there are only a few green runs, most are blue and black, even triple black diamonds but if you are there for just a day or two it there is definitely enough acreage for an average skier like me. The time skiing vs the time on the lift is just perfect. There were no lines so it was right on the gondola that was practically brand new!

I can’t say enough good things about this place and I can’t wait to return. Only downside is how far it is from Toronto!

Skiing at Peek’n Peak

12 Sunday Jan 2014

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As a skier I was pretty happy to have winter start as early as it did. We were booked to head to Gore Mountain for 3 nights. Sadly when I checked the conditions at Gore, the day before we were about to leave, I learned that they weren’t even half open! Since the drive is 7 hours we looked for a closer spot with some great snow. Now if you follow my blog you know I love Holiday Valley but we like to try new spots and HV would be crammed for the holidays. So we settled on Peek’n Peak close to Erie.

Quaint lodge

Quaint lodge

We booked ourselves in to the Holiday Inn Findley Lake – closest accommodations to the mountain outside of the resort that was full. We drove down on the scenic trail along the lake and would have stopped at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Graycliff if it had been opened.

Enough for 3

Enough for 3

We stopped for lunch at Aunt Millie’s Kitchen and Bakery thanks to my Foodspotting app. We had a delicious lunch and took one of these gigantic cream puffs to have on new years eve.

And while we drove down it rain it snowed over night and all the next day we skied. It was a great little spot. Not a super high hill but very scenic and lots of spots for enjoying a snack and a bite to eat. Wood burning fireplaces in the lodges too.

And Findley Lake is a quaint little town that is very scenic. Don’t expect any fine dining if you do go down for ski weekend.

Ski Review – Bristol Mountain

08 Friday Feb 2013

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Last weekend (don’t I wish I was somewhere skiing today!) we made the trek down to Bristol Mountain in NY state. It is almost a 4 hour drive from Toronto – depending on how fast you drive.

Now the trip wasn’t very scenic and we worried about the lack of snow on the ground but when we got to the hill we could see that it was high and in some cases quite steep!

Bristol Mountain

View from the parking lot

Skiing was good, lots of hills, lots of variety but the mountain sadly lacked any type of character.  While I love to ski I do enjoy the apres and there wasn’t really a spot to sit and enjoy a drink.  We compare everything to Holiday Valley and most places just can’t compete!

One thing that Bristol has over Holiday Valley is the accommodation options within a 20 minute drive.  We enjoyed our time at the new Holiday Inn Express in Canandaigua.  It was opened in December and has great rooms and free DVDs.

While I still love Ellicottville it is nice to try new places – I am open to any recommendations you might have – Kilington? Peak n Peek? Where should I ski next?

Calabogie just doesn’t cut it

08 Tuesday Jan 2013

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En route to Calabogie

As promised here is my review of Calabogie Peaks just over an hour outside of Ottawa.  Now before I begin I should preface that this was my first time out of the season which is sometimes tough no matter where I am.

Calabogie has so much potential! The drive there was stunning, it was a winter wonderland and the hill is actually quite high making it obviously good to ski on.  Even the hotel looked nice as we pulled up. After the free parking all the goodness ended…

  • We waited over 30 minutes in line in -13 weather to buy our lift tickets
  • The hills were not groomed so everything was covered with moguls which made every hill a black diamond
  • In the pub there was just one bartender, one server and one cook (did I mention we were there December 28th during the holidays) so you had to wait in line for a drink then try and flag down a server and clear your own table to make a clean spot to eat at

We skied only a couple runs and packed it in and hoped that Tremblant would be better (which it was, Tremblant did not disappoint)!  We overheard someone saying that they were caught off-guard but I am in awe of how that could happen since:

A – they are a ski resort that was hit with a windfall of snow AND

B – it was the holiday season

The Calabogie experience continued with an okay room at the manor but with nothing else around we were stuck with the expensive hotel restaurant that looked much like the breakfast area at the Holiday Inn (and we actually like the Holiday Inn and the free breakfast but imagine if it was $32).

So we’re getting back together…

30 Sunday Dec 2012

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Skiing and I are reunited and it feels so good! We owe it all to Mont Tremblant. 

This is what skiing at >-15C looks like!

This is what skiing at >-15C looks like!

Today was our first day here on the mountain and it reminded me what I love about skiing. Conditions were superb on the slopes with a 167cm base and 5cm of fresh snow and surprisingly not as busy as I thought it would be (that might be due to the -15 degrees celsius at the village without a windchill).

We got a couple of hours in with the help of feet and hand warms, stops at the top and an early lunch of Poutine and B52s at Bistro Bar de la Forge!

Some tips if you are a first time visitor to Tremblant and staying outside the village (and you don’t need to be in the village to have a good time – we actually prefer having our own place in the old village outside of the craziness).

  • Do the free parking – we pulled up to the main booth, got our lift tickets and drove back to the free lot (you can actually ski down without a lift ticket if you head in the direction of the booth).
  • If you have been collecting Air Miles for years like I have – use them for your lift tickets! Today’s tickets would have been $93 making us feel very pressured to stay out and enjoy the extreme cold.
  • Make sure you have lots of clothing – I had layers and neck warmers and a face mask and a hood and helmet and still needed the fun little chemical packs to keep my extremities toasty and the skiing bearable.  This cold is nothing like the cold in Western New York.
Tomorrow looks balmy!

Tomorrow looks balmy!

I rewarded myself with a hot bubble bath soak with a glass of wine and am spending the evening by the fire preparing for day two tomorrow, the final day of this wonderful year.

Life is good.

Check out about.com Canadian travel post on Tremblant for even more tips and things to consider before you book your trip.

The love affair might be over…

29 Saturday Dec 2012

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With skiing that is…

Cold but scenic at Calabogie

Cold but scenic at Calabogie

Last season ended with a great day of spring skiing (read more about it here) so I couldn’t wait til summer ended to be back on the slopes.  Well it wasn’t as wonderful as I remembered and I hope this is just a short falling out I have had with the winter sport.  Things I forgot:

It is cold out! Now you are thinking ‘yes, to ski it has to be cold’.  Well where I am is -13 degrees celsius and waiting in line for 30 minutes to get a lift ticket felt like torture.

It is a workout to just get dressed. Because it is so cold out there are 2 layers before the ski pants and then a neck warmer a hood, a helmet a face mask.  And don’t even get me started on how hard it is to get your ski boots on. It is reason enough to change over to snowboarding!

I am sure hoping that the awkwardness and lack of joy comes from it being the first ‘date’ of the season and over time my love for the winter sport will return since it is one of the few ways to survive a Canadian winter!

Watch for my next post which will be a review of Calabogie Peaks!