Author: HPSC Communications

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President’s Message – Less than 40 days

Dear friends,

Hope you are all having a fantastic summer so far!

In less than 40 days your membership renewals will be sent out – it seems just like yesterday that we were celebrating the end of last season. 

However, since then we have opened up most of next season’s charter trips for registration (the remaining charters will open in September) and have been running our successful Ikon pass group sales program (which closes around the end of August), which has resulted in at least 6 pass refunds which we will draw for at the AGM in September (date is TBD).  As well, we are working on plans for our special 75th anniversary season.

One thing that I can confirm right now is that we will once again have a booth at this year’s Toronto Ski & Snowboard Show. I am happy to report that the show has returned to the far more accessible Exhibition grounds. It will be in the Better Living Building, October 25 to 27. Plan to attend.

We are currently working on a survey that will go out to all members in the next couple of weeks – please take a few minutes to participate. The results will guide development of plans for next season

SnoBiz is our primary communications vehicle regarding club activities. I encourage you to read all of the articles in each edition to learn about what is going on in the club and important upcoming events. 

Cheers!

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club 

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Ski Newfoundland!

An information session on the charter trip to Corner Brook will be held on Friday, June 14, 2024 from 7 – 9pm. See the website for the Zoom link.Trip Highlights

Skiing and snowshoeing at four Nordic centresTrail passes not included, but group rates will be arranged
Accommodation – 6 nights, Glynmill Inn, Corner Brook, based upon double occupancy
Daily breakfast off menu using $18 voucher (5 days)
Screech-In to become an honourable Newfoundlander
Air Canada direct flight to Deer Lake
Private coach transfer to and from airport/hotel and to Nordic centres

Although billed as a cross-country and snowshoe trip, downhill skiers are welcome to sign up, with skiing available at renowned East Coast ski resort Marble Mountain! Lift tickets are not included in the base price. 

Check the website for the full trip description.
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Long Trips Early Sign-Ups!

It’s coming… more early sign-ups for long trips will be happening at 8pm sharp on Thursday, June 20, 2024.  Available for early sign up will be Niseko JAPAN, Club Med FRANCE, Val Gardena ITALY, Newfoundland and one more trip that has just been announced: SKI WITH THE PROS in Panorama the first week of December.  With the exception of the newest trip, details are already available on the website for you to review.
  
You’ll need to be a current member to sign up on that night and will need to renew your membership for 2024/25 in September. If you were not a 2023/24 season member, sign up now and your membership will carry through for the full 2024/25 season. Many members have asked for earlier trip sign-ups and we have been able to arrange it. You can guarantee your spot on these trips that night by signing up and paying the HPSC $100 deposit. Aside from Japan, the rest of the tour operator deposits will be required later in the summer and final balances in the fall. Regular sign-up nights will happen in the fall for Sun Peaks, Banff and the overnight bus trips. Stay tuned for more details on these in SnoBiz.

As usual, the Club Med trip is all inclusive with all meals, drinks, flights, guides, and instruction. The Val Gardena trip to the Italian Dolomites also includes 3 nights in Munich, and during the 7 nights at the ski resort, half board (breakfast, appetizers, dinner). An information session will be held by Zoom for the Europe trips on Monday, June 17 at 8pm.  Please send an email to longtrips@hpsc.ca if you want to attend the call and the link will be sent to you. Details on Japan and NFLD are shown in the trip descriptions on the website and information calls were announced or have been held.  

Don’t miss your chance to guarantee a spot on these very special 75th anniversary destination trips!  Read the instructions on how to sign up and trip descriptions on the website and be logged onto the HPSC website at 8pm sharp, on Thursday, June 20, 2024 and sign up for the trip of your dreams!
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President’s Message – Hope everyone is having a great summer!

After taking a bit of rest during May, we are back to let you know what is going on with High Park Ski Club.

First off, I want to thank everyone who attended our year-end social event at the lovely National Yacht Club on May 24. It was a beautiful evening to be down by the lake.

You will notice all of the charter trips for next season are listed on the website. Please take a look at the lineup and corresponding sign-up nights. Note that there is an early sign-up for a number of trips next week – please read the article below regarding these trips.

As an update, our Ikon Group Sales program has been stronger this year than last season. Currently we are at a sales level that means we will, at the AGM in September, be holding a draw for at least six pass rebates. Last year we were able to draw for four. The Group Sales program continues to approximately the end of August – Ikon makes the decision when to close Group Sales and informs us shortly before the date. If you are interested, please check out the Group Sales ‘event’ on our website.

Cheers!

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club

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HPSC Snow School had another tremendous training and teaching season!



Let’s only remember the 406 classes taught, the many programs offered, the sooo popular Saturday races at Mount St Louis Moonstone. Your CSIA and CASI qualified instructors continued to train at Tremblant and in Ontario to bring you safe, productive and fun lessons.Our 51 ski and snowboard instructors want to thank all HPSC members for your enthusiastic participation in our daily trips lessons and Canadian overnight trips guidance.A few special instructor achievements deserve our warmest congratulations:

Laura Shepherd – full Level 3!
David Manning – Course conductor for Level 1 courses 
+ CSIA Ontario and National – HPSC Instructor of the year
Mike Romano – accepted in the Level 4 academy
Matt Diamond – CSIA (skiing) Level 2
Carmen Lopes – CASI (snowboarding) Level 2

We hope to see you all again in our lessons next winter!
 
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You asked and we listened!  By popular demand!  This is not a Club Med trip!

HPSC returns to Niseko, Japan for 2025 from Wednesday, January 8th to Sunday, January 19th. Pricing and sign-up details will be available soon. Once again, our trip leader will be a very experienced Japan traveller with skill in navigating the streets and subways of Tokyo.

Fact: Japan receives the world’s most snowfall! Why risk another ski season?

https://www.hgtv.com/lifestyle/travel/snowiest-places-on-earth-pictures

Experience 3 full days in Tokyo (4 nights) and experience the sights and bright lights of Tokyo, as well the exceptional food and service that Japan is renowned for. 

You’ll spend 5 days skiing in the Niseko area. IKON pass holders will have 5 days of free lift access with your pass at Niseko United resorts.

This trip is modular! If you want to stay longer in Japan and tour around, you can book a personal extension for this trip. You can use your airline points to book your airfare!We will be hosting 2 video calls in the next 2-3 weeks to answer questions and walk you through what to expect. We will have pricing information for the calls. Stay tuned!

If you are interested contact don.lefresne@gmail.com to get times and details for the calls.
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President’s Message – The end of the HPSC year!

Dear Friends,

This time of year is always bittersweet – April 30th represents the end of our official year, but also the beginning of the off season when many of our members join other clubs to stay active. Some cycle, play tennis or pickleball, sail, hike, etc. In many cases their ski club friends are also members of these other clubs so they are able to stay in touch. Other times this means the end of seeing your winter friends until next season. 

While our official year ends on April 30th, it also represents the start of next season. Much of the planning for next season is done over the summer and finalized in the fall. Please keep reading SnoBiz during the summer months when we go down to a once a month schedule, to stay informed about the club. 

An important event at the end of the club year is the Annual Election Night, this year on Tuesday,  April 30th.  As in the past few years, we are running a hybrid meeting where you can attend via Zoom or in person at the National Yacht Club. If you haven’t already done so, please register here. Without quorum, we cannot officially hold the election and therefore cannot conduct any business on behalf of the club such as sign contracts or arrange events. If you plan to attend virtually, you need to register by 11:59 pm on Monday, April 29th. You will be sent the link on Tuesday. 

One area where we have changed over the years is the announcements of charter and long trips for next season. In the past we would announce all of the trips in late August or early September to allow members and potential members the information prior to joining the club. With the advent of the Ikon pass we have been trying to allow our members/potential members to have a good sense of what trips we have arranged to allow them to purchase an Ikon pass at the best price. 

This is the reason we put the special 75th Anniversary trip to Sun Valley on sale last week, prior to the Ikon pass price increase. This is also what I am calling the “President’s Choice” trip since I will be the Trip Leader. The response has been very good over the last week, with the trip selling strongly. 

I am looking forward to seeing many of you next week at the election night, and over the summer.  Next year will be our 75th Anniversary and I am hoping it will be one of the best seasons ever for High Park Ski Club. 

Since this is the last SnoBiz of the year, I want to end my message saying one more time how grateful I am that all of you made the decision to join High Park Ski Club this season and hope that you will rejoin next season when membership renewals go out in September. 

Cheers!

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club

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Long Trips

Thanks to everyone who made our 2023/24 season such a success! The Ikon Pass pricing will go up as of April 18, so we want to give you a sneak peak at our next season so you can purchase your pass at the best prices. Be sure to purchase your pass through the group website and be entered in the draw for a free pass. 

Our special 75th anniversary trip will be to the iconic ski resort of Sun Valley, Idaho from Jan 26 to February 2, 2025. This special 75th anniversary trip will require an Ikon Base Plus pass or a full Ikon pass. More details will be posted soon with instructions on how to ensure that if you purchase the full pass or Base+, your spot on the Sun Valley trip can be confirmed.   

Other amazing 2024/25 trips will be to Ikon Base pass destinations in the Dolomite region in Italy, and to HPSC favourites like Sun Peaks and Banff. At your request, there will be four trips to Mont Tremblant. More trips will announced when details are available but include a Club Med destination in France that is new to HPSC, and a return to Jasper in Alberta.Please keep reading SnoBiz over the next few months for news on next season’s trips including how and when you can sign up to lock in your spots on the trips of your dreams.
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Day Trips


The 2023/2024 downhill day trips season came to an end on Saturday, March 23 at MSLM. It was a great way to wrap up the season with a surprise cold week with some snow in Toronto and the ski resorts.

A huge thank you to the volunteer downhill day trips team! On a weekly basis, these are your volunteers who worked hard behind the scenes. We had 53 day trips planned for this season, and this team did all the work to coordinate them, even for the trips that didn’t run.

Saturday Trip Coordinator: Bishu Basuroy
Sunday Trip Coordinator: Michael Hardtke
Monday Trip Coordinator: Sheila Moshonas
Wednesday Trip Coordinator: Fran Burgess
Day Trips email inquiries: Jason Tsang
Bus Captain forms: Heidi Gay

Thank you to all club members who volunteered to be bus captains on all our day trips!

Thank you to Downhill Snow School and all instructors for organizing, teaching lessons and clinics, as well as the MSLM race series!

We had an unseasonably warm winter, but we still got quite a few weeks of trips with full registrations. I’m already looking forward to next season and hoping for a lot more snow and winter!
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Election Night – April 30

High Park Ski Club is volunteer run organization, led by an executive team consisting of the volunteer President and volunteer Board of Directors. Election Night is your chance to ensure the best qualified members are selected to fill each of these crucial roles to ensure the smooth running of the club. 

New directors must stand for a 2 year term, while incumbent directors can choose to stand for a 2 year or a 1 year term. This year, eight positions are up for election – the other four were elected for 2 year terms last April. 

The following members are up for election:

POSTIONNAMECURRENTTERM
Director of CommunicationsSuzanne de GrandpréIncumbent2 years
Director of Cross-country and SnowshoeingHeather SteelIncumbent2 years
Director of Downhill Day TripsAmy LamIncumbent1 year
Director of Long TripsKim WiebeIncumbentTBD
Director of MarketingRocco RomeoIncumbent1 year
Director of Membership and VolunteersMike HambardzumyanNew2 years
Director of SocialJennifer BeattyIncumbentTBD
PresidentJustin GrahamIncumbent1 year

This year we are holding a hybrid election with both an in-person event at the National Yacht Club, as well as a virtual option via Zoom, for out of town members and for those unable to attend in person. Only members in good standing are eligible to vote in the election.

We require a quorum of at least 75 members in good standing to be in attendance (in-person or virtually). If you are unable to attend either in-person or virtually) please fill out the proxy form.  After filling out the form, please send to president@hpsc.ca.

Please register here for either attending In-person or via Zoom. If registering for the Zoom option, you will be sent a link to the meeting the day of the event.