Ski swap season is almost here

A couple of our favourite resorts are holding their annual ski swaps this year, but have modified procedures to comply with physical distancing rules. Plan early if you want to attend.

If you need equipment, look at Hardwood Hills and Highlands Nordic. While the equipment is second hand, they know their stuff and can help fit you.

(We do not have any affiliation with these swaps; if you have questions, please contact the resorts directly).

The pre-season is heating up!

President’s Message

As September turns to October, the HPSC pre-season is starting to heat up. 

SkiFit has been running for a few weeks now (with registration filling up early each week), the AGM was held on September 23rd to review last year and vote on a few changes to the By-laws, charter and long trip sign up is open or will be in the next few week, a special shopping event with Skiis and Bikes has been arranged (and for those uncomfortable about coming in person or those out of town a special discount code will be available for online shopping) for Wednesday October 28.  People in general are starting to prepare for the cooler weather.

I personally want to thank all of you who have show your faith in the club by already renewing your 2020/21 membership.   Our members are the reason we on the board are doing all the work to make sure we are ready to run a season under whatever guidelines we face.

This coming winter it is anticipated people will need and want to find ways to get outside, and snow sports will be a prime activity.  Much like many who got back on bicycles this summer after long layoffs, we anticipate a lot of former skiers will once again turn to our sports for winter fun. One of the best ways to find new HPSC members is by your word of mouth, so if you have family, friends, or colleagues who are former skiers or boarders, tell them about the club, show them the website, or have them to email info@hpsc.ca for more information.

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club

Our first and hopefully only pandemic era AGM

2020 HPSC AGM via Zoom – September 23, 2020

Our first and hopefully only pandemic era Annual General Meeting was held viz Zoom on Wednesday September 23rd

We want to thank all of those who registered and who logged into the AGM.  While the meeting went off without a hitch, we sincerely hope that next year we will be able to get together in person to raise a glass to our fantastic club.  

A special thank you to long time member, snow school instructor, and former board member, Laura Shephard for acting as this year’s AGM Chairperson.

Thank you to past president Stella Rossovskaia and the rest of last year’s board for leading us through the review of a very successful year.  A year that helps set us up to better deal with the coming season.  The 2019/20 AGM Report is available for review on our website under About Us/Club Documents.  You need to be logged in to access the documents. 

We also want to thank the attendees for all of the questions submitted and asked during the meeting regarding last year and this year. A list of all questions and answers will be posted in the next few weeks on the blog. 

And finally, congratulations to Karen Snow for being approved as our new Director of Administration.

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club

A Hint of Fall in the Air!

Fellow HPSC members

Labour Day has come and gone, which means our fall activities have begun!

This past weekend we had our first SkiFit of the season in High Park, with a good mix of old faces and a few new ones participating.  I look forward to meeting and catching up with a lot of you at SkiFit over the next 12 weeks.  Registration opens each Tuesday.

With the fall also comes anticipation of the unveiling of our overnight and charter trips for the season. Read up in this week’s SnoBiz regarding the trips and the different approach to trips we are taking to ensure our member’s safety. Take a look and decide what trip or trips you want to go on this season and note when sign up opens. 

September also means the club’s Annual General Meeting.  Which this year will be held virtually via Zoom next week.  In addition to hearing about last season – which was very successful despite the abrupt end – you will have a chance to ask questions of the Board about the club.  Please register online – the event is listed on the home page.     

Finally, I want to sincerely thank all of you who have already renewed your HPSC membership!  It is extremely satisfying to know how many have confidence and faith in the approach we have taken to ensure a great season despite the challenges we are facing.   

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club

Get Ready for 2021 Registration

With summer over, the excitement of ski trip possibilities is upon us. Our 2021 lineup includes 6 charter trips and 5 overnight trips. To register for a charter or overnight trip, you must begin by reading over web page TRIP SIGN UP 2021. This page gives all the information about how to register and when to register.

Registration opens sooner than you think. Whistler is already open and at the end of this month, registration will open for St Moritz-Switzerland. As in past seasons, registration will open at precisely 8:00 PM on the dates listed. So don’t look for the Register button before those dates; the button won’t be showing. Although registration for overnight trips doesn’t happen until October 29, you will find it helpful to understand the procedure so you can ask any questions now about particular trips you may be interested in.

Note: You must have paid your membership fee for 2020-21 to be able to register.

Safety, Safety, Safety

Skiing is still great! But due to the pandemic, we had to make several changes this year to be able to run long trips in a safe manner. Safety was our primary consideration. A major change is that we cannot match up roommates for those who don’t already have one. Thus if you do not have a pre-arranged roommate, you will be required to pay the single room supplement. Another change is that all overnight trips will be u-drive. There is no bus transportation available this year because we could not guarantee social distancing on a long distance bus for the number of hours it takes to get to the resorts. A further change is that our normal après ski receptions cannot be held. Instead we will create opportunities to meet and mix with fellow travelers during the ski day. Skiers will be grouped up according to ability, and on all overnight trips HPSC instructors will provide guided touring as they have done in the past.

A final change you will notice is that while a supervisor has been appointed to organize each trip, they may not actually accompany the group to the resort. Supervisors are well-versed in the trip parameters and will respond to any questions you may have. The web page for supervisor name and email address is found by hovering over the Charter 2021 landing page or Overnight 2021 landing page. The supervisor page is a member-only page so you must login first.

FOTL Pass

Coronavirus cancelled charter trips C7 France and C8 Taos last March affecting 84 members (boo hoo!). These members received a Front-of-the-Line (FOTL) pass for 2021 to help them through their tears. They have the privilege to reserve a seat ahead of the rest of the membership. Thus when you are looking at the trip page, you may see that some seats have been sold before the registration night. These are the FOTL passes.

HPSC Charter trips for this coming season!

1. Whistler – Early Bird Offer

For a very limited time, HPSC is able offer early bird pricing on our trip to Whistler!  Until September 14th.

This special all-inclusive price of $2,380 (per person, double occupancy) must be booked and all deposits paid by Sept 14.  The trip is already open on the website for registration. Hurry if you want this discount.

The trip includes 7 nights at the Listel hotel with hot breakfast, 2 Queen or 1 King bed, 5 day lift pass, 6th day $85 extra, direct flights on Air Canada to Vancouver and shuttle from the airport to the hotel in Whistler.  The resort will be raising its lift prices next week, so our prices must increase at that point as well. 

The Listel hotel is located in Whistler Village, steps from the main gondola lifts and includes the award-winning Bear Bistro restaurant.  The trip departs Saturday March 6 and returns Saturday March 13, 2021, right in peak season.   This is a fabulous chance to ski with reduced crowds this year, at one of the top ten resorts in the world.

2. St Moritz Club Med

St Moritz Club Med trip opens for registration on September 30.

Sign up for our Club Med St Moritz March Break trip is September 30.  The trip will depart on Saturday March 13 and return on Sunday March 21.  As those who have travelled to Club Med before know, it is truly all inclusive and offers a fabulous opportunity to experience exceptional guided skiing in the famed Swiss resort of St Moritz at the unbeatable price of $3,055, with a limited number of single rooms for $565 extra. As a reminder, HPSC will not be assigning roommates this year.   

For those concerned about travelling during the pandemic, Club Med has included their own Club Med Covid-19 medical insurance within the pricing of all of their trips (details are available on their website). Spots are first being offered to those members whose Club Med Les Arcs trip was cancelled this past year due to the COVID shutdown, but all of the remaining seats will be available on Sept 30 to the membership. 

3. More Charter Trips

Other Charter Trips include 2 IKON destinations and 2 BC Interior resorts

Canadian destinations in this year’s line-up besides Whistler include the usual favorites, Banff and Sun Peaks, but we also arranged trips to Revelstoke and Panorama.  Registration for these trips will open on Thursday October 15th.

Check out all of the charters and overnight trips on the HPSC website to read detailed trip descriptions by going to OUR TRIPS > Charter Trips , or > Overnight Trips and scroll down the page to see the list and then clicking on the specific trip.  Don’t miss out on any of these fabulous trips!  Contact your partners to arrange a roommate in advance of sign up or treat yourself to a single room this year.  As noted, HPSC will not be matching up roommates on this year’s trips. 

Fall is just around the corner!

Dear fellow High Parkers!

Labour Day is just around the corner, and it is starting to feel a little like fall. And with autumn comes time to renew membership in our club. 

In this week’s SnoBiz you can read about the special renewal rate for this season, as well as the plans the Board has been working on this summer for the upcoming season.  While somethings may be different this year, as many things as we can, will remain as close to normal as possible.  Including the ability to get out on the hills and trails with HPSC.

If you haven’t already, check out the HPSC website to read up on our overall approach for this coming season.    

Hope to see you all soon!

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club 

SkiFit starting on September 12th in High Park

SkiFit is on for this season!  Starting as usual on the first Saturday after Labour Day, September 12th at 9am.

However, due to the ongoing pandemic we have had to make a few slight adjustments.  For this season, we are requiring that members register online to participate in the weekly SkiFit session.  It is still free but just need you to register.  The sessions will be listed under the Social tab on the website. 

Weekly registration will open on the Tuesday prior to the session and will stay open until the start of that week’s SkiFit on the Saturday morning.    

To ensure we are able to organize and maintain the required physical distancing, we are restricting the number of weekly participants to just 25. 

The Grenadier Café is not currently open on the weekends, so we will not be brunching after SkiFit this year.

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club