Drive
Ontario's ski resorts may be small but they're mighty. You don't have to hop a plane and jetset it across the country to access good skiing. Nor must you pay out huge lumps of dough to spend the night at a ski resort. There are at least 15 ski areas within a two-hour drive from the GTA -- resorts experiencing excellent snow conditions this season and exciting new "stuff" to check out.
Barrie's Mount St. Louis, for example, has a new easy-load lift on a recontoured slope designed specifically for beginners (mslm.on.ca). Sir Sam's in Haliburton has installed a new covered surface lift -- nicknamed The Tunnel -- for kids to protect them from the wind and cold. It's the first of its kind in North America (sirsams.com). Both Louis and Sir Sam's are easy drives from the GTA.
Ski midweek
If you can score a day off work to go skiing you may save yourself a bundle. Lift pass prices often dip by as much as $10 from Monday to Thursday, and lift lines are shorter, too. One of the best Ontario deals going is Blue Mountain's 5x7 Pass that offers five days of midweek skiing and seven nights of skiing per week all winter, all for $279 plus taxes. Purchase a 2012 Early Bird 5x7 Pass this spring or summer and save an extra $100 (bluemountain.ca).
Pack a Lunch
I've been floored by the astronomical cost to buy lunch at a ski area for my family of four. Food as simple as a grilled cheese with fries can ring in at $13 each. My advice: Avoid paying through the nose for lunch just because you're too distracted to pack one. Picnic lunches are fun for the whole family and a whole lot cheaper. Every Saturday I pack bread, cold cuts, tuna, soup, drinks, cheese, crackers, fruit and cookies in a soft-sided cooler bag, plunk a table cloth on top and haul it to the hill. (Skiers at Ontario and New York state private ski clubs have been spotted plugging in slow cookers, raclette warmers and panini toasters!)
Most ski areas have designated brown bag areas, some with microwaves and toaster ovens (ask ahead). In the spring, find a quiet spot slope-side -- the food tastes so much better.
Score a deal
The Canadian Ski Council (CSC) is pumping out programs designed to get people skiing and snowboarding and nearly all of them can save you money. The CSC's Snowpass for children in Grade 4 and Grade 5 is a no-brainer: A plastic card that can be swiped for three free lift passes at each participating ski area (94 in Eastern Canada), all for a $20 processing fee (snowpass.ca). The CSC's Discover Skiing and Snowboarding programs offer a beginner lesson, and lift and equipment rental packages starting from $35 at participating ski areas across the country (skicanada.org).
Follow Lori's adventures on snow at loriknowles.com or on Twitter @LoriExploring
High franc takes gleam off Swiss slopes
