Author: HPSC Communications

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Trip Sign-up #4 – Overnight BusTrips

Charter trip sign-up night was a great success with virtually all members getting onto the trip of their choice that night. Our strategy of doubling up on the most popular destinations and offering multiple trips on the same weeks worked.

Overnight bus trip sign-up night is coming on Thursday, October 26 at 8 pm sharp. As the bus company has just finalized pricing, we will be re-working and finalizing our prices for these trips this week. Don’t forget that you must be a member to sign up and participate on a trip, and be logged onto the HPSC website at 8 pm sharp for the best selection of trips. These trips have been set up as group travel with special rates for the types of rooms listed, so modifications are not allowed. As with charters, you can choose a ‘No Lifts’ option and single supplement (limited availability), however unlike charters there is NO price reduction if you do not take the group transportation to the destination (by luxury coach). Please read through all of the trip details in advance so that you make the choice that fits your needs. The $100 deposit guarantees your spot, but note that it is non-refundable once it is paid.

2024 Overnight Bus Trips

Mont Tremblant QC – Holiday Inn – Dec 15-17, 2023

Holiday Valley NY, USA – Microtel – Jan 12-14

Mont Tremblant QC – Holiday Inn – Feb 4-9

Gatineau /Ottawa XC – Holiday Inn – Feb 16-19

Quebec City QC – Manoir Victoria – MARCH BREAK – March 10-15

Killington VT, USA – Killington Grand – studio kitchenettes and hotel – March 17-22

Mont Tremblant QC – Holiday Inn – March 22-24

Le Massif QC – Club Med Charlevoix – March 24-29

There are still a few spots left on some charters, so do not hesitate to sign up before they are gone!

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President’s Message – A time of thanks!


First off, I would like to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving!  And I would like to say thank you for being members of our club.

The fall is a very busy time for your club directors, who have been busy over the last months preparing for the upcoming season. We will be announcing schedules over the next month or so, so please continue to read SnoBiz and check our HPSC Facebook group for updates.

The club will again be participating in the Toronto Ski & Snowboard show at the International Centre the last weekend of October (October 27-29).  Please mark your calendars.

One thing that I would like to announce for the upcoming season is that we have been able to negotiate with the bus company so that the deadline for midweek trips will now be Sunday night at 6 pm. For downhill trips on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the registration deadline will remain Tuesday night at 6 pm prior to the trip.     

One of the best ways for recruiting new members to the club is word of mouth.  So please continue to let your friends, family and even strangers you meet know about the club. As a thank you to members who refer someone that joins the club, we will send you a bus voucher. We now have business cards that you can hand out to potential members with club information as well as a place you can put your name to recall who referred them. Please let me know if you would like some.

Justin Graham
President, High Park Ski Club
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HPSC Annual General Meeting

I would like to thank all the members who attended the 2022/23 Annual General Meeting on Tuesday September 19.  In total 100 members participated either in person, via Zoom or who had sent a proxy, well above our required quorum to officially conduct business.

For those not able to attend, the AGM report is available on the website under About Us/Our Documents. 

While I do miss when these meetings were held fully in-person where connections were made between members and friendships were renewed, I do appreciate that having hybrid meetings allow for a larger segment of members to participate.  As well, hybrid meetings ensures that we have a quorum. 

As promised, at the AGM we conducted the draw for four winners from our group Ikon sales program. Congratulations go out to:

Jane Weninger
Julie Hamilton
Lorna Battersby
Janice Matheson

A thank you to our new Director of IT, Peter Kovalchuk, for setting up and running the Zoom portion of the meeting.

Justin Graham
President, High Park Ski Club
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Sunday Ski Crossfit Classes

Back by popular demand! Ski Crossfit is a great way to get into tip-top shape for the upcoming ski/snowboard/snowshoe season.  The series runs for 7 weeks, beginning Sunday, October 15, 2023 at 5 pm.  Each workout emphasizes strength, power, speed, agility, coordination, mobility, flexibility and –most importantly–proper form for injury prevention.  All exercises can be modified based on participants’ fitness and comfort levels. 

Where: CrossFit Eglinton – Side Unit, 881 Eglinton Ave. W. Free parking is available on Peveril Hill, Chiltern Hill and Dewbourne.

When: Oct 15-Nov 26, 5 pm

How much: These classes are normally $30 per class when bought as a package, but HPSC is offering them to members for $15!

What to bring: Comfortable gym clothes, clean/ indoor running shoes, a water bottle and towel. 

The staff currently train athletes from many sports. They implement strength and conditioning programs for both performance enhancement and injury prevention for athletes of ALL levels. CrossFit Eglinton / SXS Fitness is also an official partner of Alpine Ontario where they provide fitness testing and contribute to weekly articles on a wide variety of topics ranging from stress relief tactics to nutrition to the best exercises/stretches to do at home.

Register here.

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Fitness Assessment Opportunity for HPSC Members

HPSC is happy to provide a special opportunity for instructors and members to access a professional fitness assessment and snow-sport-specific fitness program.This special opportunity involves a 2-hour fitness assessment and 1-hour fitness session (with a specific focus on proper form) on Sunday, October 1 from 4:00-7:00 pm.

Where: CrossFit Eglinton – Side Unit, 881 Eglinton Ave. W. Free parking is available on Peveril Hill, Chiltern Hill and Dewbourne
When: October 1, 4 pm
How much: $75 for assessment (including body mass scan),  fitness session and written exercise plan focusing on strength, power, endurance, agility, coordination, mobility and injury prevention.
What to bring: Comfortable gym clothes, clean/ indoor running shoes, a water bottle and towel.Whether you are an elite athlete, weekend warrior or getting back into a routine while working on rebuilding your fitness foundation, make this a part of your plan to get ready for the upcoming ski/snowboard/snowshoe season.Interested members can register here.
Sunday Ski Crossfit Classes

Back by popular demand! Ski Crossfit is a great way to get into tip-top shape for the upcoming ski/snowboard/snowshoe season.  The series runs for 7 weeks, beginning Sunday, October 15, 2023 at 5 pm.  Each workout emphasizes strength, power, speed, agility, coordination, mobility, flexibility and –most importantly–proper form for injury prevention.  All exercises can be modified based on participants’ fitness and comfort levels. Where: CrossFit Eglinton – Side Unit, 881 Eglinton Ave. W. Free parking is available on Peveril Hill, Chiltern Hill and Dewbourne.
When: Oct 15-Nov 26, 5 pmHow much: These classes are normally $30 per class when bought as a package, but HPSC is offering them to members for $15!What to bring: Comfortable gym clothes, clean/ indoor running shoes, a water bottle and towel. The staff currently train athletes from many sports. They implement strength and conditioning programs for both performance enhancement and injury prevention for athletes of ALL levels. CrossFit Eglinton / SXS Fitness is also an official partner of Alpine Ontario where they provide fitness testing and contribute to weekly articles on a wide variety of topics ranging from stress relief tactics to nutrition to the best exercises/stretches to do at home.Register here.
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President’s Message – Welcome to Fall!!

I love the Fall.  I love cooler weather. I love the special daylight we receive in autumn.  All of these come together for me on Saturday mornings while participating in our SkiFit program.  And now that The Grenadier has restored full table service on the weekend we are once again enjoying a group brunch after our exercise program.  SkiFit is a great way to prepare for the coming season and a fantastic way to reconnect with members or if you are new to the club to meet fellow members.  The program is open to members and potential members.  Registration opens each Tuesday. 

SkiFit is not the only way we get in shape for the season.  Once again, we are offering the opportunity to participate in a series of Cross Training sessions with a high level instructor and his staff on Sunday evenings.  If interested, please read the article below. 

The other major upcoming event is tomorrow night’s Charter trip sign up.  And this year we are offering more trips to choose from!  As experienced members know, charter trips can sell out very quickly so please review the process online prior to tomorrow night and be prepared to click to register for the trip you want at 8 pm sharp (according to CP24 news time!). You may need to hit refresh.  Step one registration is actually very fast – if you are signing up for two please note that you do not have to enter your roommates name at this point.  Good luck to everyone!

Over the next few months, we will be providing a lot of information regarding the upcoming season through SnoBiz so I urge you to review all of the articles in each edition.

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club

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Trip Sign-up Night #3

Before you know it, Trip Sign-up #3 will be upon us–September 28! Eight Charter trips will begin sales. The first two charter trips sold out quickly! Be sure to review the materials, talk to your ski buddies, and make your decision in advance.

If you have your heart set on one or more of the trips, make sure you are 100% ready to go at 8:00 pm. Some of these trips will sell out promptly, even in as little as a few seconds! A couple destinations have always sold out super fast, so this year we have doubled up on trips to Sun Peaks and Banff.

If your favourite trip appears sold out, you can register for the Waitlist. This is especially important for trips that travel later in the season, since cancellations are more frequent at that time.

Consider your insurance options in advance, since this must be purchased at the time you make the initial trip payment. We are happy to announce that “Cancel For Any Reason” coverage will once again be available.

Note that your $100 deposit is NON-REFUNDABLE. So, please take this into consideration when signing up.

On Thursday, September 28, 2023 at 8:00 pm, the following Charter Trips will go on sale:

C3 Red Mountain, BC – Jan 21-28, 2024

C4 Sun Peaks-1, BC – Jan 27-Feb 3, 2024

C5 Panorama, BC – Feb 3-10, 2024

C6 Winter Park, CO – Feb 3-10, 2024

C7 Banff-1, AB – Feb 10-17, 2024

C8 Sun Peaks-2, BC – Feb 10-17, 2024

C9 Silver Star, BC – Mar 4-11, 2024

C10 Banff-2, AB – Mar 9-16, 2024 

Click here to go to the Long Trips page.

Our overnight bus trips will go on sale on October 26. Mark your calendars!

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President’s Message:  Our history and our future

This year represents the club’s 74th in operation We were founded in 1950 by a group of enthusiastic skiers who gathered at the High Park YMCA – which is where our name comes from. We are still a club of enthusiastic skiers (downhill and cross-country), snowboarders and snowshoers!  To learn more about our past, read the Short History of the Club on the website.  It is found in Club Documents under the About Us tab.  I personally love the Wolfman Jack story! 

This past weekend kicked off our 2023/24 season with a very well attended pub night at The Swan in Bloor West. It was great to catch up with old friends, as well as to speak with a number of new and potential members. 

Saturday was the first SkiFit session of the year – thank you to all who came out. It was fantastic to see the usual suspects as well as new members. SkiFit is open to everyone, including non-members – so if you know someone who is thinking of joining, this is a great way for them to get to know other members.  Or if you are a current member and want to meet fellow HPSCers, please come out. A big thank you to Karen Evans and John McHutchion for once again agreeing to lead the program this season. Registration opens each week on Tuesday for the following Saturday.   

The 2023 AGM will be conducted next Tuesday, September 19. We are again holding a hybrid meeting so you can attend in person at the National Yacht Club or via Zoom. The official notice went out in late August and registration is open. It is important that we achieve our quorum to ensure we are able to officially conduct the business of the club. Thank you for all those who have already registered, however, we currently do not have enough members registered to meet quorum and not everyone who registers ends up able to attend. If you cannot attend in person or virtually, please fill out the proxy form and send it to me prior to September 19 (see below).

As a reminder, at the AGM, we will also be holding the draw for the Ikon Pass rebate amongst those who purchased a pass through our group plan. Based on the sales in the program we will be able to draw four winners!

HPSC is a club with a fantastic history and what I feel is an outstanding future.  I sincerely believe our club is on the track for one of the best years we have had in recent memory!

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club

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President’s Message – A time of renewal!

Ever since childhood, Labour Day has indicated a change, a new season. While for most of us it is no longer a return to school, there is still a sense of renewal. Speaking of renewal, you should be receiving a message regarding renewing your HPSC membership shortly. This year our regular membership rate remains at $170 (plus HST).  However, if you renew by October 31 the rate is just $155 (plus HST).  

The coming weeks also represent a step up in club activities. September 8 is our next social event being held at The Swan in Bloor West.This is a free event and registration is open. The next day is the start of this season’s SkiFit program in High Park (registration opens September 5).  

Please also mark your calendar for the 2023 AGM on Tuesday, September 19 – we are again holding a hybrid meeting so you can be at the National Yacht Club in person or attend via Zoom. The official notice went out a couple of weeks ago and registration is open. Thank you for all those who have already registered. If you cannot attend in person or virtually, please fill out the proxy form and send to me prior to September 19. It is important that we achieve our quorum to ensure we are able to officially conduct the business of the club.   

The second of three Long Trip Sign up events was held on August 24 for the two Club Med trips. The Peisey Vallandry, France trip sold out within a couple of minutes, while there is still room on the end of season Charlevoix (Le Massif) trip. The remaining charter trips open for registration on Thursday, September 28, while the bus trips open on October 26.

One last thing, when you log into the HPSC website you will also notice a more streamlined setup. We hope that this new arrangement will be more intuitive for members and potential members. I want to thank our Director of Marketing, Rocco Romeo, for taking on this project, our new Director of IT, Peter Kovalchuk, for his expertise, and all of the other Directors for their input and comments. 

I am sincerely looking forward to seeing and speaking with members at our various activities this fall.  

Cheers!

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club

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2024 Charter Trips 

Japan (Tokyo and Niseko) – Jan 11-21 (Due to the popularity of this trip, which filled up within seconds, we will work on a trip for the 2025 season)

Peisey-Vallandry, France: Club Med – (Les Arcs/La Plagne Paradiski) – Jan 20-28

Red Mountain, BC: Josie Hotel – Jan 21-28

Sun Peaks, BC: Cahilty Lodge (hotel + kitchenette units) – Jan 27-Feb 3

Panorama, BC: Approach Hotel (new) – Feb 3-10

Winter Park, Colorado USA: Vintage Hotel – Feb 3-10

Banff, AB: Banff Aspen Lodge – Feb 10-17

Sun Peaks, BC: Grand Hotel – March 3-10

Silver Star, BC: (Cross Country or Downhill) – Vance Creek Condos – March 4-11

Banff, AB: Banff Aspen Lodge – MARCH BREAK – March 9-16

2024 Overnight Bus Trips

Mont Tremblant, QC: Holiday Inn – Dec 15-17, 2023 

Holiday Valley NY, USA: Microtel – Jan 12-14

Mont Tremblant QC: Holiday Inn – Feb 4-9

Gatineau /Ottawa XC: Holiday Inn – (FAMILY DAY WEEKEND) Feb 16-19 

Quebec City, QC: Manoir Victoria – (MARCH BREAK) March 10-15 

Killington, VT USA: Killington Grand – studio kitchenettes and hotel – March 17-22

Mont Tremblant, QC: Holiday Inn – March 22-24

Le Massif, QC: Club Med Charlevoix – March 24-29