BLUE MOUNTAIN TRIP - BOARDS AND BEERS

***NOTE BEFORE READING. This trip was done safely and responsibly. It was a day trip to Blue Mountain, a ski resort within a couple hours of home, mostly spent outside. All safety procedures were followed. Please, always practice safe and responsible travel and be sure to do your research before booking a trip, during a pandemic or otherwise.***

I remember staring at the empty shelf where the Guinness should’ve been at the local liquor shop on St Patricks day in 2020 thinking “it’s just a two week lockdown, I’ll celebrate my Irish heritage in the most stereotypical way at the pub when it’s over.” Oh silly me. As St Patricks day 2021 approached, my city was still in a seemingly never ending “takeout and delivery only” lockdown and my 25% Irish blood longed for a pint of Guinness.

When I found out Blue Mountain Resort had not only their ski lifts but also their pubs (safely) open, a little lightbulb went off over my head. Me and my boyfriend had been discussing going on a snowboard/ski trip to end the “Groundhog Day” feeling of lockdown for a few weeks. Granted, the plan was to go to Whistler in British Columbia where there are real mountains not the Ontario “mountains”, but hey, still a step up from pillow mountain on the couch.

Decision made, Blue Mountain trip was a go! Time to hit the slopes for some social distance fun and relax our exhausted bodies with pints of Guinness on a patio. Sounded pretty good to me. So two days before St Patricks (we decided this in case others had the same idea) we did the three hour drive to Blue Mountain for some pre St Pats fun.

Blue Mountain resort is a year round mountain resort and spa in a small town called Collingwood. You can easily spend a couple of days there enjoying the outside hot tubs after a long day of skiing before hitting up some bars a short walk from your boutique suite. There’s also snowshoeing, snow tubing, snow biking and apparently snow and wine tasting which I did not know about and which I wish I did. Though you can easily spend several days (and a lot of money) on an awesome mini vacay, we decided to do an express day Blue Mountain trip.

The idea was to wake up super early and hit the road at the crack of dawn… which of course didn’t happen. We ended up on the hill ready to go a bit before noon. Prime conditions are right when the lifts open, and not just for the fresh snow we learned. The end of winter approaching means the sun melts the snow faster, which then refreezes, which then means a hill of ice, which means a very sore butt for Rae. Hard to do badass carves on ice or looking badass on your butt. If you’re a somewhat newbie boarder, go early in the morning, save your butts. (I’m writing this a few weeks afterwards and am happy to report my buttocks have made a full recovery for all those concerned.)

For covid safe activities, snowboarding and skiing is a pretty solid choice. You’re outside, as a general riding rule staying at a distance from others, and usually people wear face coverings anyway. Blue was great about making sure that there was space between riders on the chairlift which as someone who always struggles to get off the damn thing without crashing into others, is something I wish was always the case even outside of a pandemic. They also sold less lift passes in general and have plenty of staff around to assist with any lines. We felt extremely safe our entire visit, which is more than I can say for some trips made to Walmart.

After a particularly nasty fall it was decided the best way to turn my bruised butt frown upside down was a beer. I’m no doctor and this isn’t medical advice, but pretty sure Guinness has healing properties. And I’m sticking with that regardless of what science may say, thank-you-very-much. I definitely felt a shit ton better sitting on a patio with the sun on my face and a pint of the good stuff in my hand. Life is full of little moments and that was one of them.

If you’re tagging along with a friend to Blue and fall two runs in and decide your done boarding cause you hurt your thumb then have no fear, there’s still lots to do. (This was my friend on a trip a few years back, there was nothing wrong with their thumb, I’m not being a dick) You can still keep yourself easily entertained by the various shops and restaurants in Blue Mountain village, literally at the base of the mountain. Sports gear, clothing, pottery, toys, quirky gifts, beauty, home decor.. there’s even a little shop that sells genuine leather ottomans shaped like moose and elephants, if that’s your thing.

And if you go up a chairlift and decide damn, I really should have taken a break before getting up here, I could sure use some deep fried deliciousness before tackling this double black diamond, then also have no fear. There’s a Beaver Tail booth at the top, just for you and your taste buds. Don’t know what a Beavertail is? Beavertails are “are fried dough pastries, individually hand stretched to resemble beaver’s tails, topped with either sweet or savoury ingredients”. They’re basically 500-1000 calories of deep fried topping covered doughy goodness and you should definitely indulge in one when you get the chance.

A nice warm meal after a long winter day is a beautiful thing. We had previously decided not to dine indoors as a safety precaution, even though it was allowed in Collingwood. However, once the sun began to set, the joints started to get stiff, and the shivers started creeping in, we reconsidered our decision. After a thorough check of the indoor situation (creepily peeking in through the window) at MJ Byrne’s Irish Pub, where we had our afternoon beer, and were impressed with how they were handling the pandemic situation.

I am a bit ashamed to admit that I passed on another Guinness, as I was chilled to the bone. So I went with a boozy hot chocolate that tickled the taste buds and I think may have even warmed my very essence. My boyfriend chuckled at my drink order at first as he ordered a beer, but he ended up sneaking a few cheeky sips of my glass of warm happiness. Highly recommend. MJ Brynes isn’t a fancy establishment by any means and the food wasn’t amazing but it had the standard Irish pub charm and some lovely staff who were actually all Irish or just really good at doing the accent and we had a great time

Leaving the pub we decided to go on a little stroll through the village, something I suggest everyone do. At this point the sun had completely set but there was a glow coming off from the lit up mountain which was kind of cool. The village was also filled with lovely Christmas style lights and I’m not going to lie, I’m a bit of a sucker for pretty lights. At this point most of the shops were shut and the area fairly quiet which was quite fine with us on our little romantic wander through the not so winter wonderland.

At this point we decided it was time to head home. But oh no! We forgot dessert. Beaver Tail time! We debated “sharing a Beaver Tail” since sharing is caring and splitting the calories felt responsible. Then we said fuck the calories and decided to share two, hazenut pecan something and triple chocolate or something. I totally meant to include a photo of the Beaver Tails but may have forgotten until they were completely devoured except for traces of chocolate on our faces because we are disgusting animals. Oops.

During a fucking crazy year with very little travel, it was an absolute treat to be able to leave the city for a quick day trip and it’s something I’m very thankful that I was able to do. If you ever find yourself in Ontario during a pandemic, the winter, or whenever really, Blue Mountain is a sweet little spot. And not just for skiing and snowboarding either, in the summer it’s great for hiking or mountain biking. For those who prefer less strenuous fun, the village is a cute little place with lots to check out (including a store selling just hot sauces which was sadly closed while I was there).

I look forward to travelling more as opportunities become available and making another Blue Mountain trip next year for hopefully less falls on the butt and always more Beavertails.