Month: July 2019

Posted on

Long Trips

Charter Trips

So many members registered for our first 2 charter trips on June 20 that all available spaces were sold out within the first minute! Quite surprising for a June trip signup! To the extent possible, we will be expanding the number of seats in order to accommodate many on the waiting list. But spaces are limited. Those who wish can still add their names to the waiting list and you will be called if there is a cancellation.

For the other places we’ll be skiing in 2020, full information about the resorts, hotel accommodation and prices will be posted on the website in mid-summer, or as soon as we have it ready.  Registration will open up in October as usual. You will be quite pleased as we have secured some great group prices for the club’s 2020 season!

See places and dates on the website here. Prices aren’t yet finalized so they are not listed. Check back in a few weeks when all prices should be posted.

Become a Trip Leader

Trip Leaders are very important volunteers for the club. Every season we need 18 to 20 TLs to lead our charter and overnight bus trips. If you have been on a long trip, you’ve seen a TL in action. If you want to contribute to the club in this way, please consider it now so you’ll be ready when we ask for volunteers in August. If you feel it might be too much work for you alone, you can team up with a friend and share the task. You’ll get training, lots of support and a reimbursement for your efforts.

Posted on

Now that’s spring skiing!

At the start line in Iceland!

Jean-Émile Paraïso (J-E), a level 2 instructor with HPSC, perhaps broke a club record and cross-country skied in May, a full month after skiing ended in Southern Ontario! He participated in the final WorldLoppet of the season – the Fossavatnsgangan – held in the Westfjords region of Iceland on the first weekend in May. A 25km classic race awaited his arrival…

Unfortunately, warm weather hit the country two weeks before the event, melting part of the race course. Organizers had to slightly shorten the course (to 21km), but they forged ahead. Cross-country skiers are hardy and can handle anything nature throws at them. And that they did on race day.

Conditions, J-E reports, were challenging. A warm +5 degrees Celsius meant soft snow, and the weather just got wilder throughout the race, with hail, freezing rain, sleet, snow, rain and finally brief spot of sunshine. Throw in some strong winds with gusts up to 40km/hr just for fun. No grip going uphill, no glide going downhill….

Despite all this, J-E did fantastic! He completed the 21km course in 1hr 54min and finished 33rd overall (out of 107). He finished 9th in his age category (35-49).

All smiles during the race!

As a reward for finishing such a gruelling race, the event provided a cake buffet in the afternoon and a seafood dinner and dance in the evening.

Reward.

In addition to the race, J-E said he had a wonderful trip visiting Iceland, meeting other like-minded skiers and is motivated to do it all again at other international events.

A huge congratulations from all of us in the club.

Check out this video if you want a taste of what J-E experienced. You don’t have to go this far to experience some fantastic loppets. A number of club members have completed the Gatineau Loppet (a WorldLopppet event in Gatineau Park), and there are a number of local loppets, such as the Muskoka Loppet (Arrowhead Provincial Park) and the Hardwood Loppet (Hardwood Hills).