Activities For Everyone: Ontario Winter Getaway At Horseshoe Resort Barrie!

As you are driving along Horseshoe Valley Road in Barrie, your breathing automatically slows as nature overtakes you.  It feels like the vehicle, is on a roller coaster ride, trees and nature line the rolling hills and off in the distance you can see the snow-covered slopes, you know at that moment your family is about to embark on an exciting adventure together.   

Winter Activities For Everyone!

There is no shortage of family activities for you to enjoy at Horseshoe Resort during the winter months. You can experience a body transformation during a treatment at Shizen Spa or adventure when Fat Biking with Ride Guides, maybe pushing your limits on one of 27 runs offered to the Alpine lover has your attention? 

Do Book Kids Korral Ski School.

If you are planning your winter getaway with Horseshoe Resort, I highly recommend you book the kids a half or full day at the Kids Korral Ski School. Our children only have been on skies once before this year and improving their skill was the first step to fully enjoying a winter getaway together.

I cannot say enough about our positive experience with Kids Korral Ski School. All the ski instructors were top notch and truly love what they are doing.

All four of our children started out at the same level and, quickly they were divided up into more advanced groups as needed. Our kids did have a total of 4 Kids Korral Ski lessons over the course of the month, which allowed them to gain confidence in the sport. The progress we have seen in all four children was mind boggling. In one month they went from doing pizza only down the bunny hill to spinning 360 turns down a blue hill.

After only 4 Kids Korral #skilesson 3/4 children are doing 360 tricks. That’s how you #DoTheShoe @HorseshoeResort pic.twitter.com/sqAEcTgRh8

— Tammy (@inRdream) February 6, 2016

Our four-year-old isn’t doing 360 turns yet, but he has no fear and takes every jump down the slopes without fear. He doesn’t think twice about heading down a blue run, and his parallel turns are not far away.

After only 3 #KidsKorral #skilesson @HorseshoeResort DS4 surprises me #Fearless. This is how to #DoTheShoe! pic.twitter.com/xv22e7BQDD

— Tammy (@inRdream) February 8, 2016

Private Downhill Ski Lessons A Must!

The kids are confident, and Daddy is a natural skier and boarder, what about Mommy? I could sit in the warmth of The Crazy Horse restaurant and watch from afar, but I want to be in my children’s memories, not a passer by.

Along with the kids, I took lessons to help me get over the fear of skiing (that is a whole other post). After three private lessons and many miles of practice (we all know practice makes perfect) I can officially say I am a skier, and I woke up this morning skiing in my thoughts!

Learning to ski was a mental process for me, and I will be writing more on that is a future post on inRdream.com stay tuned.

Tubbing Brought Out The Giggles!

We’ve been tobogganing at our local hill before but never have we experienced tubbing like this before. I will be honest I was scared at first for myself and my family, the tubbing hill was huge, and the speed people were getting on an inflatable tube was fast!

Quickly, I got over it.

What a thrill it was to be going down the hill at top speeds ( I did drag my feet to slow down a bit.) It was completely safe, not once did I see a wipeout or anyone upset about the ride down.

We had 2-hour unlimited ride passes and used them entirely, riding up and sliding down. I took a few breaks to warm by the fire, but for the most part, our whole family was racing together up and down the hill. We laughed and giggled like kids together; it felt great to make these memories with our children on our side.

Fat Biking Peaceful & Challenging!

You may remember my post about Seeking Adventure during the summer at Horseshoe resort where Sarah from Ride Guides Bike Tours took Hubby and me on an Introduction to Cross Country biking. This time, around Sarah, gave us an introduction to Fat Biking.

As excited I was about experiencing Fat Biking, I will be honest I was nervous. Was I going to be fit enough to Fat Bike through the Copeland Forest in the winter? Cross Country biking in the summer push me to my fullest, will I need to be rescued half way through?

As you can see, I was smiling. Yes, Fat Biking pushed me hard, but at the same time, it was peaceful.

Surprisingly peddling in through the snow wasn’t as challenging as I expected. It was hard, don’t get me wrong but the trails were groomed and packed down nicely making it a workout that I could handle. Halfway through Sarah broke out some warm hot cocoa which added a special touch to our ride.

It was at our 9 km mark where it hit me, and I wasn’t sure I could finish. I downed a bottle of water topped with Orange Naturals MagPop to give me the last kick to complete our 10 km ride! I’d do this again in a heartbeat!

Snowshoeing By Moonlight

Horseshoe Resort offered an Introduction to Snowshoeing experience one evening well we were there. They lined the path with lanterns and supplied snowshoes for all. And when we finished our 20-minute hike we enjoyed warm hot cocoa and smores by the fire. 

I will be honest snowshoeing is not one of my favorite sports, but enjoying a stroll by moonlight was very peaceful. Little O (4) did struggle with snowshoeing and took a ride on Daddy’s back instead, however, the older children enjoyed the race to the finish line. 

Learning To Cross Country Ski

I was surprised by how popular Cross Country Skiing was. Cross Country Skiers come looking the part, and they mean business, they are here for a workout and to find Zen in their day. Horseshoe Resort offers up over 40 km of groomed track set trails for Cross County Skiiers to do exactly that. 

If you’re new to the sport, I highly recommend you book a lesson. Our family had a private lesson and were able to learn ways to make the experience much more enjoyable. Tips and tricks to get around on Cross Country Skis are important for you and your children before you set out.

The kids fell a lot, but they kept pushing themselves a little harder each time they got up again. I was very proud of them and the determination they showed.

Personally, I enjoyed learning how to Cross Country Ski. The boots and skis are much lighter than downhill skis, and I found the whole experience to be peaceful and Zen. 

Ontario Winter Getaway = Success! 

Before we were off Horseshoe Valley Road two out of four kids were passed out. That is a sign of adventure filled winter getaway. By the time we got home, they all were asking when we can go back to Horseshoe Resort again for our next Ontario winter getaway!

How will you #DoTheShoe during your next Ontario winter getaway? 

Horseshoe Resort Twitter | Horseshoe Resort Facebook | Hashtag: #DoTheShoe | Horseshoe Resort Website

Thank you for reading In R Dream!