Collingwood's Winter Wonderland

Remember when winter was fun? Remember the thrill of a snow day?
It’s time to take a break from the grown-up world of winter hassles and relive the excitement of winter as a family. Create snow-filled memories in Collingwood – South Georgian Bay’s Winter Wonderland.

From December 27 to January 4, there will be plenty of free fun to keep you and your family entertained and active after the holiday rush. The full schedule is included with this release and available online at www.collingwoodswonderland.com.
Enjoy bonfire bliss at the FIRESIDE LOUNGE, the height of coziness in snow belt weather. Roast marshmallows, warm your fingers and toes, and enjoy story time every day leading up to New Year’s.

Visit the SNOWFLAKE CHALET for all things frosty this holiday season, including ice block building, snowshoe trials, the Marshmallow World Series of snowshoeing and a New Year’s Eve family scavenger hunt.

The SUGAR PLUM PAVILION is the place to be for arts and crafts for the whole family. Whether you’re an amateur photographer or your child is sure to be a brilliant artist, you’ll have fun at the Sugar Plum Pavilion with balloon sculpting, arts and crafts, the Great Northern Gingerbread Build-off, pottery painting, and the Joy Rediscovered Photo Contest.

No winter is complete without a nice mug of steaming cocoa to keep you warm and cozy while the snow is falling. Come to the COCOA CABIN for tasty treats and hot beverages that will warm your hands & hearts this season.

CELEBRATION STAGE is the place to be to cozy up in the Muskoka chairs next to the bonfire! Enjoy the music of Kelly’s Heroes (Saturday, 5 p.m.), then cheer on the professional ice carvers as they compete to create the best sculpture in the time provided during the Battle of the Chainsaws (Saturday – Monday, 1 p.m.). On Tuesday afternoon, root for your favourite in the Celebrity Carve-Off; smaller tools but higher stakes! (Tuesday, 1 p.m.)

Get ready for big screen adventure and family fun at the Collingwood outdoors MITTENS & MOVIES! Bring your friends, your family, or your date to this free event.
Frosty fun in Collingwood’s Winter Wonderland

Movies start at 5:00 p.m. Join us on December 29 for Disney’s Frozen: Sing Along Edition, and on December 30, enjoy 24 of the best Pixar animated shorts.

The annual Collingwood Downtown Ice Sculpture Festival returns, and will feature more than 30 stunning sculptures. Don’t miss the exciting carving demonstrations, free wagon rides, and other fun family activities.

The Collingwood/Blue Mountains Transit Link will be operating extended daytime hours (7 a.m. – 7 p.m.) from December 27 – January 4 to help you easily reach your Collingwood’s Wonderland destination. You can view the holiday schedule for all Collingwood Transit at www.collingwood.ca/HolidayTransit .

Theatre Collingwood for Christmas

Don't Miss Theatre Collingwood's Presentation of RENT

RENT is on stage with Theatre Collingwood this week on December 12th and 13th.  Call the box office to get your tickets!  705.445.2200. Or purchase tickets on-line at http://theatrecollingwood.ca/buying-tickets 

Blue Opens Dec 5th - 2014

The 2014-15 season is just days away as Blue Mountain prepares to open their slopes on Friday December 5, 2014.  To celebrate the season, lift tickets will be priced at $19 plus HST for all ages. 

Around the Resort, the signature woosh of snow guns could be heard all week long.  Blue's non-stop snowmaking efforts coupled with consistently cold temperatures felt this week can be credited with getting the slopes open sooner rather than later.

"We were fortunate enough to see ideal snowmaking conditions in the short term forecast," said Peter Sutcliffe, Director of Mountain Experience, Blue Mountain Resort.  "We were able to focus our efforts on the Village pod and open the slopes'for December 5th."

Provided that the current weather conditions remain steady throughout the coming days, the Resort will be on-track to open the Silver Bullet Chair with access to Tranquility, a blue square run, for day operations between 9:00am and 4:30pm.  In addition, the Easy Street Learning Centre will be operational offering beginner ski and snowboard lessons between open hours.  For those that require equipment, Blue's Rental Department in Activity Central will also open for the season.  Night Skiing is set to begin on December 18, 2014.

Opening Day is one of the most anticipated days of the year for Blue Mountain's many guest and Season Passholders.  With memories of last year's record-breaking season close at hand, interest in skiing and snowboarding peaked early for the 2014-15 Season.

"Speculation regarding Blue's anticipated open began when early season snowstorms blanketed our region in mid-November," said Paul Pinchbeck, Vice President, Marketing, Blue Mountain Resort.  "While we had to weather a few mild spells, our snowmakers were still able to mass-produce the snow needed to get our slopes open.  With continued help from Mother Nature and successful snowmaking operations, we're looking forward to what we hope will be another long season at Blue Mountain."

Updated daily, snow and condition reports can be found at www.bluemountain.ca, or in real time on Blue Mountain's Facebook Page  and Twitter Page.