One of my best snowboarding moments of the 2024–2025 season happened during a surprise Southern Ontario snowstorm over the Family Day long weekend. On February 16th, I braved the whiteout conditions and made my way to Blue Mountain.
As you can see in the photo, visibility was almost nonexistent—the horizon had completely vanished.
When I arrived, it was a solid Ontario pow day. Now, it wasn’t on the same level as a big-mountain resort powder day, but conditions rarely get better than this around here. In fact, snowboarding conditions in Ontario are usually much worse, so this was a rare treat.
While at Blue Mountain, I rode the groomers, dipped into the trees, and hit a few features in the terrain park. I also brought my GoPro Hero Session action camera to capture footage. Check out my snowboarding video recap below!
Best Snowboarding Moments of the 2024-2025 Season
Season Overview
Best Snowboarding Moments
Why I Didn’t Get an Ikon Pass Again
Favourite Runs and Locations
New Gear I Got This Season
Looking Forward to Next Season
Season Overview
The 2024–2025 snowboarding season was a memorable one, packed with standout moments.
First, it was my daughter Juniper’s first snowboarding season, and I couldn’t be more proud of how she progressed. We kicked things off at the Toronto Ski & Snowboard Show, where I grabbed a new jacket and gloves, and we picked up some new gear for the family.
We also made a trip to Corbett’s to grab the last few essentials and get all our snowboards waxed and tuned.
This season, I rode at both Blue Mountain and Horseshoe Valley. And notably, I chose not to buy an Ikon Pass this year — more on why and how much money I saved below.
Best Snowboarding Moments of the 2024-2025 Season
The season really began when we attended the Toronto Ski & Snowboard Show. (You can read more in my Toronto Ski & Snowboard Show 2024 Review.)
My first day on snow was December 14th, 2024. It was a beautiful, sunny winter morning. My wife and I packed the car and headed to Blue Mountain. I wasn’t planning to ride myself — the goal was to introduce my daughter to snowboarding for the very first time.
First Time Snowboarding with Toddler
She’s only a year and a half old, so I wasn’t expecting much beyond pulling her around the flats, spending time on the bunny hill, and letting her slide down a few gentle inclines. I wanted to focus on building a positive association with snowboarding and being outside in the Canadian winter.
Right now, she’s not a fan of her snowboard boots. I think she finds them too restrictive and doesn’t quite understand them yet. She still prefers wearing her regular winter boots in the bindings — we’ll work on that next season!
I didn’t buy a lift ticket that day since I didn’t use any of the lifts. We stayed around the base of Easy Rider — the bunny hill just north of the Grand Central Lodge at Blue Mountain. I brought my snowboard along, but mostly rode it with just one foot strapped in. Check out my recap post to see how action-packed the day actually was!
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Why I Didn’t Get an Ikon Pass Again
I got out for five snowboarding days this season — the same number as last year when I had an Ikon Pass. The year before that, I had the Ikon Pass again and managed eight days on snow.
The main reason I didn’t renew my Ikon Pass for a third season is the cost vs. value. The 2023–2024 Ikon Pass cost me $1,039 CAD. At that price point, I’d need to go at least 8–10 times in a season to make it worth it. But there just aren’t that many weekends in Ontario with conditions good enough to justify a 2-hour drive to Blue Mountain — that’s a 4-hour round trip.
The Ikon Pass made more sense back in the 2022–2023 season, when I took a trip out west to Red Mountain, BC. That year I rode three days at Red Mountain and five at Blue Mountain. When you compare the cost of individual lift tickets to the price of the pass, it paid off.
Is the Ikon Pass worth it for Blue Mountain Ontario?
This year, I bought lift tickets as I went. In total, I spent about $620 CAD on five days of riding.
If your local mountain is Blue Mountain, I don’t recommend buying the Ikon Pass unless you’re confident you’ll go at least 10 times. Especially now, with the Ikon Base Pass costing $1,359 CAD, the math just doesn’t make sense unless you’re also planning a trip to another Ikon resort.
Favourite Runs and Locations
During the Toronto Ski & Snowboard Show, I picked up a 2-for-1 lift ticket coupon for Horseshoe Valley and decided to check it out. It was my first time back in nearly a decade. Honestly, I found it a bit underwhelming. I was starting to get bored within a few runs. There’s not much terrain. A small amount is steep and then the rest of Horseshoe feels like you’re cruising around on flats.
In my opinion, Blue Mountain is hands-down the best resort for snowboarding in Ontario. It has the most terrain, plus the Blue Mountain Village offers bars, restaurants, an arcade, and even a cannabis shop.
If you’re lucky enough to catch a fresh snowfall, head to the North Side of Blue Mountain. That’s where the steepest terrain is, and on a powder day, it’s the best riding Ontario has to offer. Untracked lines on the North Side? That’s peak Ontario snowboarding right there.
New Gear I Got This Season
This year I had a new pair of leather gloves. You can read my review of the Men’s Burton Gondy GORE-TEX Leather Gloves.
I thought they were a solid pair of warm, well-insulated leather gloves. They’re durable, featuring a pull-on loop at the base of the palm and a Velcro® strap that ensures a snug fit around the wrist. I’m hoping that by taking care of them they should last for a few seasons.
I also got the Volcom Men’s Brighton Pullover Hood jacket. You can read my review here.
My favourite thing about this jacket is the pockets. I was specifically looking for an anorak style jacket, so that I would have a roomy front pouch over my belly to stash and carry my GoPro camera and retractable selfie stick. You also get 2 pockets on the left and right side of the chest and a smaller kangaroo pocket that opens from the front.
However, I do wish the sleeves ran maybe an inch longer. I found with an outstretched arm, the sleeve would fall a bit short at the wrist. What the Volcom Men’s Brighton Pullover Hood jacket really needs is wrist gaiters. If it had wrist gaiters I would say this is a near perfect anorak style jacket for resort riding.
Looking Ahead to Next Season
My family is considering buying one of the bungalows in the Windfall Blue Mountain developments. We were thinking it would be nice as a secondary property we could use on the weekends to go to Blue Mountain more consistently. It would be a few years before the home is ready, but as my daughter gets older it would be a great place for family and being closer to nature compared to our primary home west of downtown Toronto. Until the Windfall home is ready, I don’t think I would consider buying the Ikon pass again. I’m fine with just paying as I go.
What was your best snowboarding moment this year? Drop it in the comments below.
