The heart of Ontario's downhill ski areas is the Blue Mountain ski resort near Collingwood, about two hours drive north from Toronto.
It faces north toward Georgian Bay, on Lake Huron, so the snow arrives early and leaves late -- making for a long season.
There are three resorts along the 'mountain (it's a ridge really) -- Blue Mountain, Toronto Ski Club (a private club), and Georgian Peaks.
Blue Mountain has become so popular that Club Intrawest, one of the largest leisure developers around, has built a European-style ski village at the base of the hill, which contains all the ski resort amenities you'd expect or want.
Blue Mountain is the biggest resort and, including the Toronto Ski Club (TSC) ski area, has 36 runs, of which 9 are for beginners.
To be sure you get back to the top as quickly as possible, it also has 14 lifts, seven of them for beginners.
Nowadays there's also an extensive Snowboard Park.
The runs and lifts are open to both Blue Mountain and TSC guests.
Down in the village, you'll find restaurants, clothes and sporting supply shops, as well as bars and clubs to while away the apres-ski hours.
The village also provides indoor and outdoor entertainment for kids, with events around the fireplace in the village square and swimming pools with slides and other features to work off any energy left over from skiing and boarding.
For adults, there's also an outdoor sports rental store that rents snowmobiles and All-Terrain-Vehicles for those who aren't totally focused on the slopes.
Away from Blue Mountain are other Ontario Ski Resorts such as: Talisman Resort, near Kimberley in the Beaver Valley, a UNESCO Heritage site, is about two hours drive north of Toronto off Highway 10 or by taking Hwys 400, 89 and then 10.
Its slopes provide for skiing, snowboarding and tubing, with dogsledding also available from the resort.
There is a good mix of beginner, intermediate, and expert runs -- something for all the family.
Just north of Barrie, Ontario, and also about two hours drive from Toronto is Mount St.
Louis Moonstone, a great family Ontario ski and snowboarding resort.
It boasts the largest beginner ski area in Ontario.
Intermediate and experts are also well-served with over 40 runs and twelve lifts, of which three are high-speed express lifts.
For snowboarders, there are two Terrain Parks and also Super Pipes for the boarders and extreme skiers.
Hidden Valley Highlands ski area is in Ontario's Muskoka region, near Huntsville -- three hours drive from Toronto on Highways 400, 11 and 169.
Hidden Valley is smaller resort with 12 runs and one Terrain Park.
There are three chair lifts and one tow at 'Beginners Hill'.
Deerhurst Resort is also nearby and both resorts provide a range of winter amenities and events for the whole family, such as snowmobiling, tobogganing, skating, and spas.
Calabogie Peaks resort is farther away to the east, nearer Ottawa than Toronto.
It's about a four to five hour drive from Toronto or an hour's drive from Ottawa.
The mountain there has an almost 800 ft vertical drop and a 2 km longest run.
With three lifts serving 20 runs and two Terrain Parks, there's plenty of capacity to get you quickly back to the summit.
For those who prefer their winter fun on the quieter side, a chance for some winter wonderland photos maybe, snowshoeing is also available.
For an hour's skiing, the local ski hill will do.
For a week or a weekend, you need a bigger resort and these all fit the bill.