Two weeks ago, a few friends and I made a last-minute decision to ski Mount Pakenham on their opening night of night skiing. A large storm has come through the region the day before, dumping 25cm of fresh snow-making for some amazing early season conditions! 3 runs off the Mika Chairlift were open, including a mini park. The snow conditions were packed powder, with lots of untracked fresh stuff to be found on the sides of the trails! Not a single patch of ice to be found! While the glades were open, they were still too sketchy to ski with the thin coverage! Lines were minimal, so we were able to enjoy many quick laps, making use of the many features and jumps found on the sides of the trails.    IMG_2537.MOV  After a wonderful first night ski spent  under the stars, we packed up our things and drove home.

After 20 centimeters of fresh powder fell upon us, some friends and I decided to spend an evening night skiing at Mount Pakenham. Though the temperature was -20, the phenomenal snow conditions made for some amazing glade skiing. Due to my friends' ability to push me out of my comfort zone, I began skiing gladed runs much more frequently, and am much less terrified of the idea of zooming through and around trees. My newfound confidence can honestly be attributed to the glades at this hill! Pakenham is an interesting mountain when compared to others in the region due to it designating all off-bounds terrain as "glades". Most of the 10 marked glades are unmaintained, making for some terrain not for the faint of heart. I had always considered Pakenham to be a "beginners" or "boring" mountain, and in many ways (groomed runs for example) it can be stated that it is not the most interesting. However, the amount and variety of gladed terrain at Mount Pakenham really su...

Last week, Ski Mount Pakenham announced that they would be open on the weekend of the 4-5 of December. The cold nighttime temperatures allowed them to make enough snow to open up one intermediate trail (The Loop to Lower Exhibition), serviced by one quad chairlift (Mika). Their magic carpet and learning area was open as well. Below is a map of the resort with the open terrain highlighted in yellow. The tickets were priced at 34$, and provided access to the mountain from 9am-4pm. On the drive there, the snow started falling. 2-4cm had been forecasted. The conditions quickly deteriorated, with visibility being low.  When we finally arrived at the mountain half an hour late, the busy opening day we expected turned out to be a mere 15 cars in the parking lot! An idyllic setting, large clumps of snow were falling from the sky. The snowmaking appeared to have been successful, as the snow base was advertised to be over 30cm thick. From the chairlift, the open run was nearl...

This family-friendly mountain is widely known as one of the premier institutions of learning how to ski and snowboard in the province of Ontario. "It All Starts Here" is Mount Pakenham's motto, and it quickly becomes clear why. Thanks to many lifts and trail choices, as well as a fantastic ski school, all ideally suited for beginners, Mount Pakenham has everything to ensure a beginner's experience on snow is the first of many to come. The Mountain and the Ski Trails The mountain has 10 trails (9 marked glades), for all skill levels, and a terrain park. The mountain is laid out in such a way as to ensure everything is available to have a proper progression while you learn, from a first-time beginner to an advanced skier. From magic carpets and a rope tow at the base of the mountain to the summit chairlifts, everything is made simple, accessible and comfortable. The main trails have plenty of smaller trails crisscrossing throughout, in other words, each trail has different paths you can ...

It may not have been the warmest day of the year, neither the sunniest, but when there is fresh snow on the ground, the rest doesn't matter. A visit to Mount Pakenham was in order. This family friendly mountain is widely known as one of the premiere institutions of learning how to ski and snowboard in the province of Ontario. "It All Starts Here" is Mount Pakenham's motto, and it quickly becomes clear why. The mountain has 10 trails, for all skill levels, including some glades, and a terrain park. The mountain is layed out and setup, in such a way to ensure everything is available to have a proper progression while you learn, from a first time beginner to an advanced skier. From magic carpets and a rope tow at the base of the mountain, to a t-bar and chairlifts, everything is made simple, accessible and comfortable. The chalet, recently...