Oh Canada

gprsh924 · 01-15-2009, 01:55 PM

Alright so I got back from Canada on Saturday and since then it has been a whirlwind of activity getting back to school and going through my first week of the new semester. Now that the week is over (no friday classes) I can finally post some pics, as well as start relaxing again (having a Rolling Rock right now).

My buddies and I drove from Chicago up to Blue Mountain in Collingwood, Ontario. We stayed in a condo at the base of the hill. Now after going to Colorado last year, no slopes can ever again compare. However, given the low cost and the fact that the drinking age was 19, the trip was well worth while. We had fresh powder the first two days of skiing and the groomed trails on the third made it feel like we were skiing an entirely different mountain. It was very satisfying to be able to walk into a store or restaurant and be able to purchase alcohol. Sometimes we did not even get carded. At first I was mad because I had valid ID, but then I was glad that I looked older than 19. Overall we had an awesome time on the slopes as well as a great time at the bars. Rusty's at Blue is an awesome place. On Friday night they had a live band that covered everything from current rock hits to 80's power ballads. They really played a great "bar music" set. We also hung out with some fine members of the Ontario Provincial Police that night (at the bar, they were off duty). I don't think I would make the trip all the way up there again for the skiing, but it was a great experience to have. Oh, and to you Canadians, how the hell do you afford the beer?? The prices in the restaurant weren't terrible, but at the Beer Store and LCBO? $28 for a 24 pack of Lakeport Pilsner?? Almost put me in the poor house. And one last thing, Canadians really do say eh after everything and only watch hockey...but at least all your waitresses were really hot.

Friend Catching some air

Me at the top of the world

Band on friday night at Rusty's

The group and some members of the Ontario Police (I'm in the striped button down)

The bar tab for 3 of us Friday night (doesn't include the 3-4 drinks we each had at dinner)

GWN7 · 01-15-2009, 02:00 PM

Your bar tab shows how we pay for our health care

Glad you had a good trip...

gprsh924 · 01-15-2009, 02:01 PM

Yea look at that tax...15%...outrageous!

GWN7 · 01-15-2009, 02:10 PM

That's 15% on top of the other taxes that make up the cost of the booze that you bought. It's like the beer you bought for $28.....Take $2.40 off that for the deposit on the bottles, that makes the case worth $25.60 ...there is about $10 worth of taxes on that and the retailer and the manufacture split the difference........

Oh I forgot....... Eh!

jeffgrant · 01-15-2009, 02:15 PM

Yeah, but don't forget that you only have to drink about 1/3 as much, as our beer actually has alcohol in it. Eh.

gprsh924 · 01-15-2009, 02:22 PM

The beer we all bought was only 5% alcohol by volume...here in the states it is 4-5%...doesn't make up for the difference in price.

old man neri · 01-15-2009, 02:29 PM

Glad you had a good time. Next year I recommend Quebec for skiing. You can either do the Mont Tremblant thing or hang out in Ottawa and just ski on the other side of the border.

Ya, everything is more expensive up here. Just deal with it.

gprsh924 · 01-15-2009, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by old man neri

Glad you had a good time. Next year I recommend Quebec for skiing. You can either do the Mont Tremblant thing or hang out in Ottawa and just ski on the other side of the border.

Ya, everything is more expensive up here. Just deal with it.

I would have gladly dealt with it...if it were up to me, we would have been in Vail this winter. The problem was, I was willing to spend over $1k to go skiing, while my friends did not want to come close to matching that budget. We ended up spending between $500-600 a guy for Canada. That was much more reasonable for them. Also, really good skiing is at least 15-16 hours away from us in any direction we travel. It was kind of nice to drive home in snow almost the entire way home from Blue and make it back in just over 11 hours.

billybek · billybek's Garage

Next year, come to Alberta. You can bring your 18 year old buddies or ski bunnies and they can drink legally!
Oh ya, some pretty amazing skiing to boot!

Zef · Zef's Garage

Eh....

imcarthur · imcarthur's Garage

Syl

Shouldn't it be éh in Québec?

Ian

slow&rusty · 01-15-2009, 04:29 PM

Cool! I have done alot of work in the Collingwood area many years ago (10) and enjoyed it very much. Never skied there or been there during winter but summer is very nice as well. I like that part of Ontario it is unspoilt.

Yasin

Brian 162 · 01-15-2009, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gprsh924

Yea look at that tax...15%...outrageous!

If you didn't already know the government controls ALL beer and licquor stores in Ontario.
I'm glad you enjoyed Blue Mountain. It has pretty good terrain for Ontario.You should try Western Canada next time. Lots of choices and terrain.

ruf-porsche · ruf-porsche's Garage

How would you compare this resort with the resorts in Wisconsin or U.P? Vertical Drop?

Quote:

Originally Posted by gprsh924

The beer we all bought was only 5% alcohol by volume...here in the states it is 4-5%...doesn't make up for the difference in price.

You're drinking "Imported Beer"
LOL

gprsh924 · 01-15-2009, 05:54 PM

I haven't been to the UP, but from what my friend who goes there every year tells me about it is that Blue is relatively comparable to the UP (maybe a bit bigger with a few more runs). It is a little bit bigger and with more interesting/fun runs than some of the bigger Wisconsin hills like Cascade Mountain and Devil's Head Resort (both of which I have been to). It was nice though that they had 4 6-person lifts and they have plans for expansion. It was also great to have fresh powder, that really raised the status of Blue for us.

Going all the way to Canada for skiing alone would not have been worth it when we could have had 80-90% of the skiing only 3-4 hours away vs 10-11 hours away. However, when we combined the entire experience, Canada was/is the clear winner. I would love to make it to Whistler next year. We will see what happens in terms of a job/internship for my friends and I this summer.

GWN7 · 01-15-2009, 09:25 PM

Whistler is nice, but it's a tad overhyped. You can find just as good sking (or better) on the East side of the Rockys and at better prices with a lot more people who are closer to your age. If money is no object go to Whistler.

911Rob · 911Rob's Garage

Canadian Luxury Tax!

Thanks for the great post, come back soon!

Zef · Zef's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by imcarthur

syl

shouldn't it be éh in québec? :d

ian

hé...hé....

Dave L · 01-16-2009, 04:39 AM

Im glad you had a good time at Blue, I snowboarded there last year about 20 times and always had a good time. Depending on your drving distance I would suggest Mt. Tremblant in quebec, its a bigger hill and will have a good night life as well. eh

billybek · billybek's Garage

Consider some of the mountains in SE BC.
Fernie, Kimberly, Red Mountain, White Water and Kicking Horse. It has been awhile since I have been to some of these, but they have a big bang for the buck skiing wise and a different feel than the big destinations...