Best Ski Resorts

So I am determined to get out there this winter.
I want some recommendations that are within an hour or 2 from the GTA.
I would love to go to Tremblaunt again but would rather not do the drive.

It's been way too long for me!

I'd rank them, best at top..

Blue Mountain
Mount St. Louis Moonstone
Horseshoe Valley

Also happens to be farthest at top.

Ok well I think we may do Blue than.
I have been once and it was terrible, but there hadn't been snow in a while so it was icy and we went night skiing.

They probably have the biggest challenge when there is less snow because it's the biggest resort.

Haven't been out in a few seasons (guess I'm getting too old). I use to normally ride a Mt St Louis, as I snowboard & their park is superior. Haven't been to Blue in years, they have a good selection of runs but I always found their conditions to be not as good. Being they have night skiiing & being close to the water, seems to mean poorer condition. Louis doesn't have night skiing, so they get lots of grooming time.

I've been to Blue a few times, it was a 50/50 split of good days to bad.

Living close to the border, I tend to just go over to Holiday Valley. Conditions have always been great and the town it's in is great, lots of great pubs and stuff.

Glad you added that Jay, one of my Mom's friends always goes to holiday valley and I have been looking at going there, plus it would be nice to get some shopping in too.

Honestly...it's not even worth it to ski/board in Ontario. You pay the same for a day pass that you would at any REAL mountain like Tremblant, Whistler, Boulder, Banff, etc. for slopes that are for the most part pretty mediocre both terms of size and snow conditions, and all those places (Blue especially) are so ridiculously busy.

You spend the entire day on and/or waiting for a lift.

There isn't any major mall or anything in Ellicottville (that I know of), but they have quite a few little shops down their main strip.

You can always hit on of the major malls on the way though (Galleria, Boulevard Mall, McKinley Mall).

I went to Kissing Bridge just this past Friday because I finished work early and it was snowing like a bas*ard out. Conditions were good, they have a lot of snow.

We both prefer Holiday Valley, but the Duty Free in Fort Erie sells lift passes to KB for $22 (good from Mon-Fri)

I think if you go to Holiday Valley, you won't be disappointed. I love the town there, plenty of great nights!

See that's what I am worried about.
I love tremblant and would love to go but really am not down for the 7.5 hour drive to get there.
I have heard that Holiday Valley is up to par with Tremblant so I think we may do that.

Cool Jay, looks like the place to go.

I guess it all depends on your plans Bryan.

I've treated most of my outings as day trips, so I'm only willing to drive 2 hours tops (KB is 30 mins from my place, HV is just under an hour).

If I was going to make a weekend of it, I'd definitely go to one of those big fancy resorts.

It will be a weekend, I figured Holiday Valley would be a good choice for something like that.

Tremblant is awesome and well worth the drive if you like Skiing and Boarding. Most of the Laurentians have good resorts. Southern Onterrible has sh!t for skiing and that is why I quit skiing. It's too bad it's 7.5 hour to some of the best skiing around here. Killington and lake placide are some great mountians. To me everything around here is a hill. Never been to Holiday Valley though.

After you've been to Tremblant, every other hill seems like a bunny hill. I'm heading up there for 4 days in Feb and can't wait.

I usually board at Blue, unless I just want to spend a day in the park in which case I'll head to Mount St. Louis.

Glen Eden apparently has stepped their game up with the features in their park, so I might try to head over there on a week night when it's empty and check it out.

See that's my problem, and that fact that there so small is just enhanced by the fact that I have a slalom board so it take me no time at all to get down the hill.

I think I may also pick up a normal board for the dinky hills so at least that way I can mess around on them.

I think I will do Holiday Valley this time around, if it's not up to standard than Next year will probably make the drive to Tremblant.

Go to Mont Tremblant! Just take a bus there (it's super cheap) get your gear and sleep on the way there to enjoy more ski time. If you really must, just rent a crap car there, if you're there just to ski/snowboard, stay in a resort and ski away. Then come back via bus. This way you can even drink if you go with buddies.

Oh and there's a St-Hubert restaurant very near...just in case you'd want to go

Been a while since I skied; mainly because the lack of decent Hills and time. I pretty much come from the Laurentian area. Their is a few more interesting Hills (smaller) in those necks of the woods.

Eastern Township have a few interesting hills. Sutton, Bromont and Orford to name a few. They are pretty accessible since Highway 30 has been completed; it allows you to avoid driving through Mtl and those Mounts are a stone throw away from the US border if one chose to drive across for cheap gas, boose or shopping. Jay Peak is also not that far.

Ghislain

Have any of you guys been to Hockley Valley? I thought it was a lot further...

Might go there Mon or Tues cuz I'm off and it probably won't be busy.

Hockley is week, that's where I learned to board.

It actually in orangeville so not far at all.

The one that's in Milton is probably a better bet and closer to you.

If I was going to go to tremblant I definitely wouldn't be busing, it's fun when you know everyone on the bus and you know there is extra space for boards.

Anyone who comes to any of these better give me a shout and come for a visit

Jay Peak in VT is a great place, most snow east of the rockies and a huge indoor water park. Smuggler's Notch is also a very good place.

Glen Eden... better than Hockley?! Whoa, okay pass on that idea.

It takes like 5 min to get down Glen's longest run.

Yeah Hockley is about the same, unless they have made some big improvements since I had last been there.

Grew up skiing a lot of the ski resorts in the east, Ontario skiing is pretty much a joke, stand in line for a 30 sec run. Going into Quebec, Hated Tremblant, always to cold and icy, heading into Quebec City to ski Mont St Anne and Stoneham was always a better choice, the increased savings on pretty much everything made it worthwhile.

Vermont, not really impressed with Killington but Jay Peak was favorite.

But, sorry nothing beats the west.

We will be making a trip out west hopefully sometime in the next year. My cousin is in Alberta so we will be stopping there and then heading over to BC for some real stuff.