Read about all of the latest news and events from HPSC
Our regular race season wrapped up with a bang on Feb 8th at MSLM—huge thanks to all our racers and incredible instructors who made it happen! But we’re not done yet…
The HPSC Club Championship Race is Coming! Join us at MSLM (Moonstone side) for an epic afternoon of racing, fun, and prizes! The action kicks off after lunch from 1:30–3:30 PM, followed by snacks and a prize draw!
We need TWO buses to make it happen—so don’t wait! Let’s make this the best race of the season!
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| The ELAN Wildcat Black Edition ladies’ skis and men’s Wingman skis have been picked up by the two very happy winners of the Merit Travel draw, Maria Rusin and Liam Lacy! Thanks again to Merit Travel for providing these skis in honour of the HPSC 75th anniversary season. It’s been a great 75th season for HPSC with trips all over the world. Still to come in March are trips to Banff, Jasper, Killington, Mont Tremblant (spots still available) and of course the special summer trip to the southern hemisphere, to the Ikon pass resort of Valle Nevado, Chile. Don’t miss this bucket list trip, hosted by Skican, which not only includes skiing but also a true cultural experience. Only a few spots remain, so sign up now! |
Ever since March 2020 we have been waiting for a rebound from the impacts of Covid and the pandemic. Last year should have been that season, but the lousy conditions interfered. This season finally feels like we have turned the corner and returned to our normal operations. In fact, we have almost reached our pre-Covid membership level (which had been a record number for at least the previous decade). We are only about 15 short of that number – and will likely surpass it if we count late joining members (after March 1). (We actually can’t officially count these new members in this year’s numbers since they will be included in next year’s membership.) In any case, it has been a successful year.
Speaking of late joining members, if you have any family, friends or colleagues who you have been trying to recruit to the club, please let them know if they join March 1 or later, they can take advantage of the rest of this season’s activities, in addition to being members for all of next year. The new member rate remains at $155 (+HST).
As I mentioned in the last SnoBiz, our annual election night is approaching in April with a large number of the board positions coming up for election, including the position of President. Since we are finally turning a corner to a more normal operation and since my time as President has mostly been sidelined by outside issues, and that do not feel that I have accomplished what I had set out to do as President, I have decided that I will stand once again for President of the club. However, anyone who is qualified according to the by-laws can run for the position if they so desire.
Our club offers so many opportunities to enjoy winter and create new connections with people. Over the last month, I personally have been on our special 75th Anniversary charter trip to Sun Valley, Idaho; did a downhill day trip to Blue Mountain; and went snowshoeing to Arrowhead Provincial Park with our fabulous cross-country members. We also have some upcoming social events in March, including a bowling night (“Don’t bowl alone, come bowling with HPSC”); and a special early St. Patrick’s Day pub night on March 15. Both are open for registration.
Please remember that you are part of a community. Which means that you need to understand that if you delay the bus you are inconveniencing many other members. Before you leave home, please make sure that you have everything you need for the day and that you have enough time to get to the stop early. Most of our pick-up locations do not allow the bus to sit and wait. The bus schedule allows just enough time, when the bus arrives, for members to load their equipment and get on and no longer. So please be prepared to load as soon as the bus arrives.
Just a reminder we have a lot of information available on the website to answer most of your questions, including trip status (under the Downhill Day Trips tab and Cross-Country tab). Once you log in, this page provides all of the updated information regarding day trips a day or two prior, including if it is a go or cancelled, if walk-ons are allowed, at what stops, and if there is a walk-on fee, as well as the scheduled pick up times and locations. Before sending a message to the Info box please check the website first. Please realize that we are all volunteers (not staff) and most of us have full-time jobs, so we cannot monitor the info box full time.
If you have any questions regarding any of the charter or overnight bus trips – please contact the trip leader instead of sending a message to the info box. All of the trip leaders are listed under the Long Trips tab on the website.
It is always surprising to me how short our actual season is. We plan for approximately 9 months of the year, so that we can ski, snowboard, or snowshoe for about 3 months. We are now about to enter our last month of snow activities. Enjoy it as much as possible – sign up for as many trips as possible. And remember that the conditions in Toronto do not usually reflect the conditions at the resorts. For example, Blue Mountain is reporting that they have a record base of snow this season which means that they should have enough snow to last to the end of the month at least.
Cheers!
Justin Graham
President, High Park Ski Club
In honour of the HPSC 75th Anniversary, we have a message to share from one of our key partners.
Merit Travel / Ski Vacations and Elan Skis Canada are delighted to support the 75th Anniversary of HPSC. Our very sincere thanks to HPSC for their trust and loyalty to Merit Travel for the last 22 years. Elan and Merit Travel enjoy the same never-ending determination, striving to be the best in the industry. As partners with HPSC, we are extremely excited to provide 2 pairs of Elan Skis (+ bindings) as prizes for your 75th Anniversary.
Merit will make a draw from the HPSC members registered in their database for this season’s trips with Merit and the winners will be contacted directly.
And what a 75th anniversary season it is turning out to be! Our club can truly say that we ski all over the world. The latest trip to be added is Valle Nevado. Chile, August 7 -14, 2025. Located in the Andes mountains in the southern hemisphere, but in the same time zone as Toronto, this is a true bucket list experience. Use your 2024/25 or 2025/26 Ikon pass for this ski and cultural experience. Included are 4 days of skiing high up in the Andes, a gourmet lunch and tasting at a Chilean winery, tours of Valparaiso, Santiago and Vina del Mar. Only a few spots remain, so sign up now!
Don’t miss your chance to ski with HPSC in Mont Tremblant on the two remaining trips, March 16-21 mid-week, and the annual year end weekend trip March 28-30.
| This is turning out to be a busy season for cold and flu viruses. Just a reminder to be considerate of the well being of other members. If you are on a trip and are showing symptoms, kindly isolate yourself from the group. If this is not possible, please put on a mask. |
It is hard to believe but we are already halfway through the season. And so far it has a been a fantastic year for both our alpine and nordic members. Since January we have not had to cancel a single trip – so thank you to all members who have been signing up for day trips. Please continue to do so! And thank you to all the volunteers for their work in making sure these trips run – ranging from the directors, trip coordinators and bus captains. And of course our HPSC instructors!
The feedback from the long trips has also been positive. Thank you to the Long Trips Committee and the volunteer trip leaders. Without these volunteers we would not be able to offer these group trips to our members. As the leader of the Sun Valley trip, I know how much work is involved, especially when there may be some hiccups – such as flight cancellations. Our return trip through Chicago was cancelled and we ended up with an unexpected 8hr layover in San Fransico, before a red eye flight home.
The backbone of our club is volunteers – everything is done by your fellow members so that each of you can enjoy our day trips, long trips, socials, etc. The core of our organizational structure is the Board of Directors. This coming April we will be holding our annual election where a number of the positions will be up for election. If you are interested in helping out the club and helping guide the direction of the club, please let me know. We can discuss the various roles and possibly shadowing the current Director to better understand the role.
I want to thank all the members who have signed the e-waiver we sent out last week via PandaDoc. For those who have not signed, we will be sending out a reminder shortly. And for those who have been asking, this is almost identical to the waiver we have asked members to acknowledge when they join the club or renew membership, and when they sign up for any trips, as well as to the waivers required by all ski resorts including Mount St. Louis Moonstone, Blue Mountain, the private clubs and by Ikon. The difference is that this one has been approved by our liability insurance broker.
I am looking forward to seeing many of you on the buses, as well as at some of our upcoming social events including this coming Friday night Skating Night at Nathan Phillips Square and social at The Local Public Eatery. I will not be skating but will be at the social. Please watch for some further social events in March.
Cheers!
Justin Graham
President, High Park Ski Club