Every year I try to think of something cool and fun to do for New Years that is kinda different but won't be annoyingly expensive or crowded; believe me it's a hard thing to do. I'm a kid at heart who loves to play outside no matter the season. I pretty much taught myself how to ski. It began as a school trip several years ago to Snow Valley in Barrie, which is about 45 min. north of Toronto. I enjoyed it so much I went out and bought my own equipment and it has been a love affair ever since. So on New Years day I got up at the crack of dawn to drive to Barrie so that I could get in two hours of skiing before the crowds woke up and I'd be home by lunchtime. It was a sunshiny day but cold! So cold that when I took my ski boots off there was steam radiating from my feet. Snow Valley is still trying to create a solid base of snow so several of their runs were closed in order to make new snow. It didn't matter to me because I had fun going down the runs that were open. I ended the morning in the terrain park feeling pretty good about myself after completing a few jumps. However, after watching the video I actually look like one of those 4 year old beginners. You feel pretty cool at the time though.
Tobogganing in Toronto
We don't get much snow here every winter and when we do it doesn't last long. I really like snow and believe that it's the one part of having a Canadian winter that makes it fun. I know it's generally annoying and can be dangerous but it's just so pretty and fun to play in. I don't have access to the school toboggans this year so I went out and bought my own. They're expensive! When I was a kid we used cheap crazy carpets and had a great ol' time. Nowadays the common toboggan is made of Styrofoam which is fun and safer, but costs a mini fortune. The one I bought at Sport Check was originally $40 but I got it on sale. Growing up in New Brunswick I was spoiled with the vast outdoors to play in. In Toronto many people don't even have driveways so you can imagine how tiny their back yards are. For my own amusement, my first use of my new toboggan was in a backyard on a hill that had been created after shovelling snow out of the driveway. When you watch the video you'll see how pathetic this hill is. So afterwards I set off to try out a real hill before the snow melts in a few days. There's probably a good reason why we are the only ones who toboggan in the area we chose; it's a steep hill that ends abruptly onto the street across from a water treatment plant. Beggars can't be choosers, right? Anyway, I had great fun and it was a good workout to climb up the hill each time. I totally recommend tobogganing at any age. Get out there and enjoy winter!
The story of your steep hill with an abrupt ending brings back fond memories of the hill I use to go down as a kid... a steep hill with a wrought iron fence at the bottom. My friends and I were always the only ones on that hill. We got very good at all bailing off the wooden toboggan or quickly stopping before we rammed into the fence. Surprisingly enough we never had any injuries.
ReplyDeleteDenise
Those are the best memories of all!
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