Hudson Bay Mountain

The praise centres on the absence of crowds - long lines and busy runs are rare. Reviewers like the friendly small-town feel and the fact that lodging, food and skiing all come cheap. They also mention genuinely interesting terrain with hidden stashes, good backcountry next door, a strong cross-country and ice-climbing base, and a run down to town that is a pleasure in itself.

The ageing lifts take most of the criticism: they are slow, and putting in a full day of vertical the way you would elsewhere does not work. The terrain is small, snowfall totals fall short of hopes, and grooming is called poor. Beginners are pushed onto T-bars, with nothing left in the legs for the ride up. Wind is its own problem - the hill shuts, and regulars advise staying away when it blows harder than about 35 km/h. Service complaints appear too, and the verdict is that it suits locals more than travellers.