One of the privileges of being an HPSC Member is the ability to drive up to the resort on your own or with friends and still participate in lessons with our fantastic ski/boarding instructors. This privilege is not extended to any guests on trips. You can drive up together, but only members can participate in the free HPSC lessons. Only members and guests who are on the bus receive the group discount lift ticket.
As outlined in a previous post, if you want to drive up, we
require you to register so that the ski school is prepared for the right number
of students and have the correct number of instructors available.
Each downhill daytrip has a corresponding and separate Drive Up module. If you want to drive up to the resort you need to register on the SEPARATE Drive Up module and not the regular trip module. If you are being asked about your lift ticket option or bus pick up location, you are in the regular module. Please exit and find the one with Drive Up in the title.
It was a superb first day for our two buses to travel to Mount St Louis Moonstone on Saturday December 7! Sunny day, hero snow, lots of friends from High Park and many guests, skiers, snowboarders, beginners, experts. December 7th was also our first Test Drive trip of the season with over 25 guests checking out the club.
On the following Monday, December 9th, a group of dedicated skiers and boarders also initiated the Blue Mountain season for HPSC. Despite the light rain, it was a fantastic day! And a little après at the Irish Pub in the village to top off the day, as well as some seasonal music on the bus ride home.
There are still a number of trips scheduled before the New Year, including this coming weekend to Mount St Louis Moonstone on Saturday and Blue Mountain on Sunday. Our instructors will be back from their training weekend in Tremblant. So get your shopping done early and avoid the crazy crowds at the mall . . . come skiing instead!
After
Christmas and Boxing Day if you want to test out your new equipment sign up for
MSLM on December 28th or come on a special trip to Mansfield Ski Club on Monday
December 30th.
All of the January alpine daytrips are open for registration!
Each year your Downhill Daytrips team attempts to improve the overall process of trips. This year we have a couple of small tweaks to let you know about.
Liberty Village pick up: As previously announced, on two bus trips we will also have a pick-up location in Liberty Village on the west side of Lamport Stadium. Please see https://www.hpsc.ca/Day-Trip-Pick-Up-Locations
Cashless Buses: Starting this year, Bus Captains will no longer be responsible for collecting cash on the bus for walk-ons or any other money. Any money owed will be recorded and will be billed onto your HPSC account. You will need to pay the invoice prior to booking for another trip or paid event.
Dedicated Bin for Ski School InstructorsEquipment: We have always asked that you allow our Instructors to get off the bus first so that they can get started at arranging for ski assessments and lessons. However, most times they end up pulling off all of the skis from the bus to get to their own. We are requesting that all Ski Instructors put their skis in a dedicated marked Instructor bin (usually Bin 4). Members can put their equipment in any of the other available bins on the way to the resort. On the way home, all skis/boards etc. (including Instructors) should be in the bin for their desired drop off location as is currently done.
Rowan’s Law – concussion protocol:– In Ontario there is a new law regarding concussion protocols for young adults that all sports programs and sports clubs (such as HPSC) must follow. All participants in HPSC (members and guests) 25 and younger must sign a waiver indicating an understanding of what they need to do in case of a possible concussion and ways to prevent concussions. This is the reason that in registration we are asking if you are 25 or younger – it is especially important when you register any guest on a trip that we know if they are under 26 so that we can get them to sign the additional Rowan’s Law waiver.
Can’t wait to get on the hills – Neither can we! After our
kick off on December 7, we have scheduled six more trips in December to choose
from.
Midweek Skiing: For those who like to ski mid-week and want to get some extra days in on their 5X7 or Ikon pass, we have a couple of trips to Blue Mountain (Monday December 9; Wednesday December 18).
Get the Rust Off/Sleep In Days: Do you really want to do a ski assessment on your first run of the year? For the weekend of December 14 and 15, while our instructors are off on their annual training excursion to Mount Tremblant, we are offering a couple of sleep-in “Get the Rust Off” days to Mount St. Louis and Blue Mountain respectively. These are combo trips with our Nordic members, and since the entire day will be free skiing we have agreed to use the slightly later Nordic pick-up times (starting at 7:50 from Bloor/Indian Rd.) Because we are leaving the city off a little later in the morning, we get to stay at the hills a little longer, allowing for more Après time!
Avoid the Crazy Mall Crowds – Go Skiing Instead: Get your shopping done early so you can avoid the crazy crowds at the mall on the last weekend before Christmas and instead enjoy the fairly empty slopes at Mount St Louis and Blue Mountain. December 21 and 22 our instructors will be back, so we are back to our regular trip schedule.
Can’t Wait to Try Out Your New Equipment?: For those who just got new equipment as a gift or on Boxing Day and just can’t wait to try it out, we have scheduled a trip to Mount St Louis on Saturday December 28.
Avoid the Crowded Holiday Slopes – Ski with Us at Mansfield Ski Club Instead: Our last trip of 2019 is on Monday December 30 when we are off to Mansfield Ski Club for a special treat during the holiday break. While the other resorts may be crowded with everyone else who just got new equipment, we will be skiing at a private club which prides itself on having fantastic conditions for it’s members and guests. And due to it’s closeness to the GTA we will be starting off a later than normal (first pickup is 8am from Bloor/Indian Rd.), which means of course more Après time in the afternoon. Celebrate an early New Year with your HPSC friends!
We have two buses for this the first daytrip of the season,
which means that we have added the two additional pickup points of Queen’s
Quay, and the new spot in Liberty Village.
As a reminder, even if you didn’t sign up for these pick-up spots, you can use any of the locations that best suits your needs! To find out exactly where all of our pick-up locations click here: https://www.hpsc.ca/Day-Trip-Pick-Up-Locations
Holiday Valley resort, just outside of Buffalo, has been a very popular destination for the High Park Ski Club for a long time. The weekend trip sells our very quickly each season. This year you too can experience the magic of Holiday Valley for yourself . . . if just for a day
On the Family Day weekend, we will be running just this one day trip – Saturday February 15. Much like the weekend trips, we expect the day trip will sell out quickly so please register as soon as possible. The day also includes a pizza après at the resort.
Since we are heading west instead of north, the last pickup location for this special daytrip will be in Oakville at the commuter lot at Winston Churchill and the QEW, in place of 400/7. All of the other regular pickup locations will be used.
This is a
Member Only event. No “Bring a Friend”
nor drive-ups allowed.
Registration
is now open. To find the trip, go to the
Downhill daytrips registration page and go to the calendar at the bottom. Forward the calendar to February and the trip
will be there on February 15.
One of the
highlights of the HPSC season is the annual Member Appreciation Day trip to
Mount St. Louis Moonstone on Saturday January 11th. This is also our annual Double Double trip
with lessons in both the morning and afternoon.
This is a fantastic way to get motivated for the rest of the ski
season.
At the end
of the day we will be staying a little later than normal allowing for more
Après time to mix and mingle. This is a
fantastic way for new members to get to know their fellow HPSC members. In addition, there will be free pizza during
the après. The bus will depart at
6:15pm.
Have you wanted to learn to ski or snowboard? Or get back into the sport? Or don’t have anyone to go with? Or just don’t want to drive all the way up to the resort yourself. You are who HPSC is made for. Come test us out!!
On December 7th we want to welcome all potential members (and of course members) who would like to find out what an HPSC downhill day is like. This is the first of our two annual Test Drive days which means registration is open to one and all.
In addition
to a discounted group lift ticket, as on all of our daytrips, all who register (including
non-members) can participate in our free lessons by our CSIA qualified ski
instructors.
As the days get colder we skiers and boarders get more and more excited. The daytrips team has been working hard over the summer and fall to plan an interesting season of skiing and boarding for all of our members.
Things kick off on Saturday December 7th with our first Test Drive day of the season to Mount St. Louis Moonstone. Make sure you have a spot on the first ski trip of the year! The Test Drive is open to non-members. Registration is now open.
