A selection of photos from our ML Blue Mountains Winter ’21 and ’22 editions.

Will Tam Derek Onyx ice climbing Ontario — Derek Lanthier, Diamond Lake, Ontario. photo: WILL TAM

Beaver stick torch on Turtle Lake Atikokan Ontario ALAN POELMAN photo — Beaver-stick torch on Turtle Lake, Atikokan, Ontario. Photo: ALAN POELMAN

Ryan Carter surfers walking Lake Huron Ontario — After driving for 2 hours during a snowstorm, lake surfers Brian McElroy (left), and Curtis Eichenberger approach Lake Huron, january 2021. photo: Ryan Carter

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Dyers Bay Ontario SUP WINTER 2021 Scott Parent — dyers Bay, bruce peninsula. photo: scott parent

“When all the Ontario resorts closed in December of 2020 I scrambled to get touring gear for my son. Before I knew it we had more friends than usual. Everyone wanted to go ski touring. Even my sister was keen to earn turns. They wanted to know where to go, when to go and how to get there…. Skiing became a community event. I didn’t get the usual number of days on snow, nor cover the vertical, but every day out there was unique. For lack of a better word, every day on snow was special. Finally reaching the top of the hill, the adults cracked a celebratory beer, while the kids chugged away at a bubly. We pulled off our skins, put on our helmets and got ready for the main event. The descent. How good was it? That was dependent on skill level. It was a tracked out, lumpy, bumpy mess by the time we skied it, but I had a killer run. The kids were all over the place; some were falling every other turn, some charged right along with the dads.”
from “The Shutdown Season”, MLBM Winter ’22.

Kyle Easby getting the goods. Photo: Colin Field

Ice Flow Making Connections on Frozen Waterfalls climber Bre Robertson photo by Kristin Schnelten copy — Bre Robertson hacks in. Haliburton highlands, Ontario. Photo: Kristin Schnelten

Ryan Carter surfer Collingwood Ontario — Brian McElroy surfs in Georgian Bay off Collingwood, March, 2021. photo: Ryan Carter

Surf Beach Georgian Bay Ontario Colin Field photo — Aaron Philips, Georgian Bay. photo: COLIN FIELD

“Over the summer we adopted a pandemic puppy, Kona, who it turns out loves the snow. He reaped the rewards of the long days not spent at the ski hill. He chased us on XC skis (naturally not on track-set trails) and bombed after us on backcountry snowboard missions. When we left him at home, we hit the trails in the Kimberley Forest—which my husband groomed while the resort was on pause. We logged plenty of kilometres, ate lots of trailside snacks, enjoyed many frosty local brews and an endless stream of hot chocolate.”
From “Shutdown Season”, MLBM Winter ’22.