Yeah, no idea about ski life, but Hamilton is less expensive than Toronto, which is a plus. I have a bunch of friends in my dept. that actually commute from Hamilton. Has a decent music scene - people will stop through on their way to Toronto some times, but it's not as good as Toronto. Mac is a very good school - and like most universities there's decent student partying. I've been in the summer with some friends and we skateboarded downtown, and we didn't get hassled at all. Literally right out front of city hall.