I live in Northern Ontario, and I quite honestly am pretty content skiing where I am now. I live in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and we have one of the larger vertical drops in Ontario at my home hill, with a 750 ft rise. Granted, that is nothing compared to out west, but it is pretty good for the midwest and stacks up fairly well compared to Eastern Canada. We are somewhat far north, so the cold temperatures and snow usually come pretty early. The local hill opened last weekend, and we are starting to get some light snowfalls now, while just north of town has had snow for a few weeks now. Last year we continued getting snow well into May.
Now of course, skiing in my region cannot compare to skiing out west, I'm not arguing that. I will always dream about trips out west. However, as a university student, my area allows me to maximize my ski time with limited funds and time. Out west, if you are going to school or trying to hold down a "real job," chances are you won't be living in the mountains, and might have to commute a fair distance to get to your mountain, perhaps limiting you to more of a "weekend warrior" style. Where I live, my home hill is a mere 10-15 minutes from my house and school, allowing me to ski half days, or even just a few hours after or between classes. Out west, I would be facing less ski time due to time and money constraints presented by further commutes.
Like I said, I'm not trying to say the skiing is better here by any means, but I think there is something to be said for the accessibility of skiing in the midwest.