Since last summer, a lot has changed in the world; there’s another new iPhone, Britney is free, and we have images of space that we’ve quite literally never seen before. The same goes for Blue Mountain this year! (Well, maybe not the Britney part…) Our teams have been hard at work this summer building some epic new attractions that you won’t want to miss. I’m going to take you on a fun adventure showcasing the best ways to Play All Day in 2022, so let’s begin!
They say the early bird gets the worm so I went online and pre-purchased my Play All Day Pass and Add-On Adventures about three days before I was going to visit. Why did I do this? Well:
- I’d rather get to the “playing” part of the day rather than the “waiting in line” part. Forget that same-day walk-up life, I’m here for the fast and easy online ticket pick-up life!
- How am I supposed to write about the process if I don’t experience it like you? I didn’t want any special staff treatment. This is for Science!
Since I wanted to get the most value, I showed up early on resort shortly after 9:00am and went right to Guest Services in Activity Central. After a quick “oh hey!” to the friendly Guest Services team, I put on my Play All Day Pass and walked up to Timber Challenge High Ropes add-on adventure, and entered the virtual queue.
I wanted something a little more lowkey before I did the Timber Challenge, so I went down to the Coca-Cola Millpond Activity Centre first for a wee little float. There are Aqua Trikes that are super fun, plus they’re a pretty good leg workout. The pond is so tranquil and quiet compared to the hustle and bustle of the Village. I went out for about 20 minutes and kept to the Westin shore line where I saw a variety of frogs, a snake (yes I SCREAMED) and so many birds. I take for granted how lucky we are to have so much wildlife in the area.
I still had some time to kill, so on the way up to Timber, I headed to the new Lumber Lanes Climbing Centre located right below our Wind Rider Triple Zips to practice my climbing. Since it was so early in the day, there was no line and I was able to grab my harness right at the base! I chose the lane with the traditional rock climbing holds first and went up the grey path, which is considered medium difficulty. Lemme tell you, that wall is tougher than it looks! I’ve done some bouldering in my time, and the grey path was definitely maxing out my skill level. Once I reached the top (40 feet up!), I jumped off and auto-belayed down to safety. I wanted to raise the challenge, so I moved to one of the lanes with wooden grips. I could feel my forearms burning on the way up, but it was so worth the view from the top and the feeling of accomplishment as I auto-belayed down.
After Lumber Lanes I got the notification that my time slot was open at Timber Challenge, so I went to Ground School to get harnessed up. I spent the next hour and a half up in the canopies reminiscing of my childhood playing in treehouses. I was also reminded that the Black Course is so freaking high off the ground and that the ladder really messes with my jelly legs. I’ve done the ropes course probably 4 or 5 times now and it’s always a different experience. Every time it pushes me out of my comfort zone and I go a little bit farther or try a little more challenging route.
After I finished the ropes course, I grabbed some McFadden’s Ice cream from the Grand Central Lodge and went to enjoy it from the Gondola. If you haven’t enjoyed your ice cream this way, you are missing out! I like to lean on the back wall of the Gondola and watch the Bay as I go up.
From the top, I decided to wander over to the hiking trails and gently meandered my way around Memory Lane hiking trail loop. The trail has a beautiful memorial garden made up of iron flowers that bear the name of those who have passed, with lots of resting spots. I love to come here to experience a bit of peace and be among nature, and of course admire the terrific views. Once I reached the end of the loop, I hopped back on the Gondola to head back down the Mountain.
Once I got back to the Village, I was feeling pretty gassed from a big day on hill so I made an impromptu stop at my car to search for anything that would resemble a bathing suit. As luck would have it, I didn’t unpack my bag from the weekend so I grabbed my towel and bathing suit and headed to Plunge! Aquatic Centre for a swim. I wasn’t prepared for a full day by the pool, but I spent maybe 30 minutes there which was more than enough to cool down. The main indoor/outdoor pool, waterslides, rope swings, and splash pad were fully open. I was just thankful to have some water to cool off and enjoy.
I left Plunge! and headed to my last stop of the day, The Ridge Runner Mountain Coaster. Is it really a trip to Blue if you don’t use the mountain coaster? The line-up was only about 5 minutes long, and as I watched the safety video in line, I was getting super excited. I zoomed through the course at full-speed once my time arrived, and screamed on the way down. The Ridge Runner is still filled with laughs, and it’s always fun to watch the goats (who are our natural lawn mowers!) as you leave the station.
After that it was around 3:45pm and I was HANGRY so it was time to head to the outdoor Cascade Patio for some tacos from the mighty smoker bbq and an adult beverage. If I had extended this trip to a two-day stay (which I would highly recommend doing!), I would have made sure to pick up a Play All Day Pass for the next day as well to take advantage of some more of my favourite attractions, like the Woodlot Low Ropes, the new extended Canopy Climb Net Adventure, and our private Blue Mountain Beach area, which is just a short 10 minute drive from the Village. Who wouldn’t want to spend a few hours on this beach?
I’ve played all day before, and I will play all day again! Hope to see you around the resort this summer, and don’t forget to tag us @bluemtnresort in your upcoming adventures.
