Which ski hill can we actually buy tickets for?

Blue Mountain Resort. It is the public hill in this area, it sells lift tickets and passes, it is on the Ikon Pass, and it runs night skiing through the winter. Georgian Peaks, Craigleith, Alpine, Osler Bluff and Beaver Valley are private member clubs that do not sell day tickets.

Can we book the house for a whole ski season?

Seasonal and long bookings are something we would like to talk about. Terms depend on the dates and the length of the stay — send us what you have in mind and we will come back with a proposal.

Yes, on the rooftop terrace, alongside a gas fire bowl and lounge seating, with the escarpment across the horizon. It is the reason most people book a second night.

What is the driving like in winter?

This is snow-belt country and the escarpment generates its own weather. Roads are cleared, but proper winter tyres matter here in a way they do not further south, and the last stretch to the house is a private gravel drive.

The rooftop hot tub with the sky turning gold over the tree line beyond the glass railing

Ski and winter stays

Ski all day. Then get in the hot tub.

Ski the largest hill in Ontario, then come back to a fire that is already lit and a hot tub on the roof. The ridge across the horizon is the same escarpment the runs are cut into.

Check winter availability

On the roof: Hot tub and fire
Fires inside: Great room and bedrooms
Drying out: Laundry on site
From Toronto: About 2¼–2½ hours

After the hill

A house that handles wet gear.

Winter is hard on a rental. Everyone arrives at once, everything is wet, and a group of ten wants hot water, somewhere to put boots, and somewhere to sit that is not the same room as the boots.

Here there is laundry on site, more than one kitchen, several bedrooms with their own gas fireplace and television, three separate places to sit, and a rooftop hot tub with the ridge in front of it. The great room fire lights from a switch. The dining table takes the whole group at once.

Lounge seating facing a linear gas fireplace and wall-mounted television, with the dining table and kitchen beyond — The great room fire, which is on before anyone asks.

A steel-lined bedroom with a lit fireplace beside the bed and a window onto the fields — A fireplace in the bedroom, which reads differently in February.

The fire bowl lit on the rooftop terrace with the hot tub and pavilion behind

Planning the skiing

Where you will actually be skiing.

Blue Mountain Resort is the hill you want. It is the largest in Ontario, it sells lift tickets, rentals and lessons, it sits on the Ikon Pass, it runs night skiing through the season, and it has a village at the bottom for when the legs give out. Plan around it and you will have a good week.

It is worth knowing the rest, because most listings in this area will not tell you: Georgian Peaks, Craigleith, Alpine, Osler Bluff and Beaver Valley are all private member clubs. They do not sell day tickets. If you are not a member and no member is hosting you, you cannot ski them, whatever a photograph might suggest.

None of which makes this a worse base. It makes it a better-informed one — you will know exactly where you are going before you leave home.

Blue Mountain Resort: Public. Lift tickets, rentals, lessons, night skiing and a village at the base. On the Ikon Pass. The default for anyone visiting.
Georgian Peaks: Private member club, on the escarpment just outside Thornbury. The highest vertical drop in Ontario at around 250 m.
Craigleith · Alpine · Osler Bluff: Private member clubs along the same escarpment face toward Collingwood.
Beaver Valley: A private club inland, in the valley the Beaver River runs through.
Cross-country and snowshoe: The Georgian Trail runs flat between Collingwood and Meaford and is used all winter. The Bruce Trail follows the escarpment for something harder, and Scenic Caves has trails on the escarpment itself.
The day after: Scandinave Spa sits in the woods below the escarpment — outdoor hot pools, cold plunges and steam, with a silence rule. It fills up on winter weekends, so book before you arrive.
Drive times to the hills: Being measured and confirmed before publication. We would rather say nothing than repeat an estimate you would plan a morning around. (detail to be confirmed)

The full front elevation at dusk: stacked charcoal steel and concrete volumes lit by warm soffit lights, with a round porthole window and a rooftop terrace above

Before you book

Three things worth knowing.

Getting around: A car, with proper winter tyres. The last stretch to the house is a private gravel drive on a rise.
Holiday dates: Christmas, New Year and March Break minimum stays are set with the booking provider. Ask early — these go first. (detail to be confirmed)
Winter photography: Everything you can see here was photographed in late summer. Winter stills are being commissioned rather than borrowed from somewhere else. (detail to be confirmed)

Check winter dates.

Tell us the week and the size of the group. Holiday weeks and March Break move early, so it is worth asking sooner than feels necessary.

Check winter availability Or take the whole season

Keep reading

Ski and winter questions

Which ski hill can we actually buy tickets for?: Blue Mountain Resort. It is the public hill in this area, it sells lift tickets and passes, it is on the Ikon Pass, and it runs night skiing through the winter. Georgian Peaks, Craigleith, Alpine, Osler Bluff and Beaver Valley are private member clubs that do not sell day tickets.
Can we book the house for a whole ski season?: Seasonal and long bookings are something we would like to talk about. Terms depend on the dates and the length of the stay — send us what you have in mind and we will come back with a proposal.
Is there a hot tub?: Yes, on the rooftop terrace, alongside a gas fire bowl and lounge seating, with the escarpment across the horizon. It is the reason most people book a second night.
What is the driving like in winter?: This is snow-belt country and the escarpment generates its own weather. Roads are cleared, but proper winter tyres matter here in a way they do not further south, and the last stretch to the house is a private gravel drive.