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| The first XC Ski Team Race of the season took place at Highlands Nordic on January 18th with 23 enthusiastic competitors. Event 1 pitted two teams against each other: the Keele/Hwy7 bus vs. Yonge St. bus. Each team had to move a series of pylons down a 100m course in a train-like formation. The teams were evenly matched until the last few metres. The winning team was the Keele/Hwy 7 bus by less than 3 seconds. Event 2 was a 3km race through “the maze” – personal times were recorded to see which team won. The prize once again went to the Keele/Hwy 7 bus. Everyone celebrated together with a hot chocolate après-ski. The next XC Ski Team Race is the March 9 trip to Highlands. |
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Long Trips News
Trips to Japan, Val Gardena, Italy, Club Med Grand Massif, and Sun Valley, Idaho have either just departed, are in process or have returned. Coming soon are Sun Peaks, Mont Tremblant, Eastern Townships, Newfoundland XC, Lake Placid combo and Banff.
Pricing for our 75th Anniversary Ski Experience from August 6-14, 2025 is now available. The land only price is $3,750. Watch for details on the website. The trip includes all transfers, 1 night in Vina del Mar on the pacific coast with sightseeing in Valparaiso, 4 days of high-altitude ski in/out skiing, 4 nights in Valle Nevado, followed by 2 nights in Santiago. Chile is in the same time zone as Toronto, so no lost time due to jet lag! A delicious breakfast is included daily, 4 full dinners, 1 amazing lunch at the winery, wine tasting, and appetizers on the first night.
The trip will be hosted by the owner of SKICAN, who has been there several times and will ensure that all of the elements of this trip run smoothly and will lead a walking tour of Santiago. This is a great destination for intermediate and advanced skiers. I’ve started a list of those who have a serious interest in this trip and will reach out to confirm their spots now that we have pricing. Due to the short timeline to book it, you will be paying the tour operator directly for this trip. We can have up to 20 members on this trip, so don’t hesitate to let me know if you have not already done so at longtrips@hpsc.ca. Airfare will be booked separately to allow flexibility to extend your stay in South America or ski at another South American ski resort, such as Portillo. Don’t miss your chance to enjoy this bucket list destination with other HPSC members!
You can sign up on the website, add your name to the waiting list, or reach out to the trip leader to find out if there is a spot for you due to a cancellation. Contact information can be found under the Long Trips tab.
Kim Wiebe
Long Trips Director
Sign Up for a Special Clinic!
Mogul Masters Steps 7-9
This program is designed for a wide range of abilities covering introduction to advanced mogul skiing. Whether you’re new to moguls and wanting to get more comfortable making turns in the moguls or an experienced bump skier looking to improve your control, speed, or line, we’ve got you covered!
Dates: Sat. Feb. 8, Sat. Feb. 15, Sun. Feb. 23, Mon. Feb. 24, Mon. Mar. 3
Clinic leader – Ken Harper
President’s Message – What a Season So Far!!
As I sit here in my room on the Sun Valley trip, by a beautiful and cozy gas fireplace, I am feeling extremely grateful. For the first time since I became President in April 2020 I finally feel that the club has returned to our normal state of operations. After a number of years of COVID restrictions and last season’s subpar weather, this year everything has finally come together.
Our downhill day trips are regularly full, with two bus trips on Saturdays and now recently Mondays, breakeven to full buses on Sundays to Blue Mountain, and a strong return for our Wednesday trips to the private clubs. Pre-COVID, we were always concerned about the Sunday buses, and last season we had to cancel most of the Wednesday trips due to low registrations. Regarding the latter trips, it really does appear that last season’s general weather conditions were the biggest contributor to the drop-off in registrations.
Our cross-country contingent is thriving this season with very quick trip sellouts and regular two bus trips where possible. Nothing could be more different from last year!
Our social calendar is also filling up. The Information Night held on January 16th was a great success with many new members and potential members attending. Thank you to our new Social Director, Mary Tountas, and her volunteers for such a positive event. Upcoming is a skating night at Nathan Phillips Square and post-skate social on Friday, February 14th. We request registration so we know how many to expect at the pub. As well, we will be releasing details regarding our special 75th Anniversary Gala soon, but wanted provide you the Save the Date information. The Gala will be held at a very classic event space in downtown Toronto on Friday, May 9th.
You will have received an email early this week regarding a new liability insurance requirement for the club. As I mentioned in the e-blast sent on Monday, the club cannot operate without our liability insurance – we cannot offer lessons or run any trips. We will be sending you a link with the approved Liability Waiver for your e-signature shortly. You will automatically be sent a copy for your records, while a copy will be sent to the club for our records. Please sign the waiver as soon as you receive the link.
My last note is not club policy but just my personal observation based on years of trips but especially our trip to Mount St. Louis on Saturday, January 18th. As the temperature dropped during the day, the ground went from soft snow to become very slippery, especially with the long down slope walk to the buses. A number of members slipped on this icy path to the buses, including a member carrying his skis that caused a gash on his forehead requiring stiches when he got back to Toronto. An instructor from NTSC also slipped and suffered a very serious injury. (We sent a message to Mount St. Louis regarding this dangerous situation.) Getting to my point, please remember that there is danger not just on the hill. One thing you can do is to purchase some ice cleats you put on the bottom of your shoes for a safer walk back to the bus at the end of the day. As well, you might want to consider carrying your skis in your ski bag up to the lodge instead of tossing your bag in the storage bin under the bus. It makes transporting your skis much easier and safer especially for the long walk back to the bus at the end of the day.
It has been great to see and speak with many of you on the day trips and at the Information Night so far this season!
Cheers!
Justin Graham
President, High Park Ski Club
Long Trips – Special Trip Announcement!
Our HPSC trip to Japan is underway and will soon be followed by Club Med Grand Massif Samoens in France, Val Gardena in Italy and the iconic 75th anniversary trip to Sun Valley, Idaho, all departing before the end of January and many more trips will depart soon after that.
We have a very special and exciting announcement about one more 75th anniversary Ski Experience this summer. We’ll be skiing in the southern hemisphere in Chile! More details to follow but SAVE the DATE- August 6-14, 2025. This trip will be a guided Sea to Sky adventure that includes a night on the Pacific cost, tour of Valparaiso, a Chilean winery and ski in, ski out skiing at Valle Nevado, followed by the capital, Santiago. Use your 2024/25 Ikon pass or buy the 2025/26 pass when our group sales begin in the spring.
Once details are available for this trip in early February, we’ll announce the official signup date and start taking deposits. This is a great destination for intermediate skiers. Drop me a line at longtrips@hpsc.ca if you are seriously interested. We want to ensure that we have enough space to meet demand and avoid lengthy waiting lists. Airfare will be booked separately to allow flexibility to extend your stay in South America. Don’t miss your chance to enjoy this bucket list destination with other HPSC members.
What a great 75th anniversary season for HPSC. Don’t miss your chance to travel with HPSC and sign up for our remaining Tremblant trips and check with the trip leaders for spots on other trips.
You can sign up on the website, add your name to the waiting list, or reach out to the trip leader to find out if there is a spot for you due to a cancellation. Contact information can be found under the Long Trips tab.
Kim Wiebe, Long Trips Director
Special Clinics Spotlight
Check out some of the clinics offered by our club this season. You can find more clinics listed on our Downhill Ski School page. To sign up for a clinic, just pick the clinic name in the dropdown menu as your lesson when you sign up for a day trip.
STEP 7-9? Treat yourself to a carving clinic!
These sessions will provide detailed focused training on how to carve your skis at will in any conditions. Written material will be given to you in advance of the clinics with opportunity to ask questions in advance.
Sessions will be run with emphasis on safety, comfort, and fun. The skill of focusing on balancing on the outside ski and gliding on a clean knife edge with no skidding will be the main goal.
Training will be adjusted to each individual to suit your level of skill and allow for your own progression. Please contact Ron Sabourin (416) 258-5858 for more details.
Program dates: Mon. Jan. 20, Wed. Jan. 22, Mon. Feb. 3, Wed. Mar. 5
STEP 6-8: Ski with Mindfulness!
Would you like to feel more comfortable and relaxed on the terrain you ski on? Mindfulness emphasizes paying attention to the present moment, and noticing what is happening with your thoughts, emotions, body sensations, and external environment. Research suggests that it is effective for stress and anxiety.
In this clinic led by Peg McPhedran, HPSC ski instructor, and yoga and meditation teacher, you will develop not only ski technique, but also the breathing and relaxation techniques that will support you in reducing anxiety and increasing your skiing enjoyment.
Dates: Mon. Jan. 27, Wed. Feb. 26, Mon. Mar. 10
Downhill Day Trips Update
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| All February trips are now open for registration! To avoid disappointment, don’t wait to register. With the amazing winter we are having, all our January day trips filled up. If a trip is full, please register for the waitlist. We need a minimum of 25 on the waitlist to add a second bus. Drive-up registrations will continue to open on the date and time specified on the trip description. There’s still lots of snow days to come! Just a reminder that the pick-up times listed on the Downhill Day Trips status page are departure times. As a courtesy to other members, please ensure you are at the pick-up point 10-15 minutes prior so the bus can leave on time. Look out for the announcement for our special Sunday trip on Family Day weekend, coming soon. |
What an Awesome Start to the Season!
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| The first cross-country ski/snowshoe trip of the season was the last Saturday of December at Scenic Caves and it was a real party! Two buses, loads of new members trying cross-country skiing for the first time, an epic sauna experience, and an après to “bring on the new year”. What a great day! Want to know what a day trip with the cross-county ski and snowshoe crew is like? Check out the highlight reel of this great day! The cross-country skiing and snowshoe crew have been maximizing their winter fun! Full buses have been running since the end of December and everyone is feeling grateful for the amazing conditions at the resorts.A new social calendar of après-ski events have been added to XC ski/snowshoe day trips. Themes have included C is for Chocolate, S’mores Galore, and Hungry as a “Miniature” Horse (for our trip to Horseshoe Valley). Additionally, the cross-country skiers have decided to embrace a new dance craze: cross-country ski dancing (it maybe isn’t a “craze” yet but it could be one day!). Check out their videos on Instagram (be sure the sound is on)!Dance #1 Dance #2 |
President’s Message – A fantastic beginning to the season!!
It is fantastic that when we actually experience a normal winter, HPSC members turn out for trips!!
Over the last week, we had more than 500 members on day trips, including 150 for our annual Double Double lesson day last Saturday at Mount St. Louis Moonstone. On Sunday there was a sold out bus for what I like to call the Sunday@Blue Crew. Not too long ago, we were very concerned about the small numbers that were going to Blue on Sundays. However, over the last couple of years that has not been an issue. Monday’s Blue trips are consistently sold out, so don’t delay registering. Remember to join the waitlist if a trip is full – we will add a second bus if there is enough demand based on the waitlist.
After last year’s issue with having to cancel Wednesday trips it is fantastic to see that this week’s trip to Alpine (my personal favourite of the private clubs) is full, and next week to Osler has a good number currently registered.
But the best news is that after a terrible season last year, our cross-country skiers and snowshoers have had a fabulous start to their season. Every Saturday trip so far this season has consisted of two buses. And the trips are selling out fast so again if you are interested, please register asap when the trips open.
In addition to the great news regarding day trips, our charter trips are off and running. Currently we have members on a trip to Japan, and in the next three weeks we have trips to France, Italy, and Sun Valley, Idaho.
We are not forgetting the club’s social side either. On Thursday we are hosting an Information and New Member night at the Black Sheep in Liberty Village. We have topped out our number of registrations (who receive a free drink ticket) at 125, but everyone is still welcome to drop by.
Justin Graham
President, High Park Ski Club
New this Year – XC Ski Relays!
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When and where: Saturday, January 18th (2pm) @ Highlands Nordic
Participate as part of a group and/or in a pair.
How to participate:
- Sign-up on the bus
- Wear your brightest tuque
- Bring your Club spirit!
First event will be in larger groups doing a “Chase the Tail” relay (instructions will be sent out in advance). Second relay will be in pairs (beginner + experienced skiers to be matched up). Great for skiers of all levels! Thanks to Clark Seadon for coordinating this fun event!