Justin Graham – Page 2 – High Park Ski Club Blog

2022-01-18

What to expect during a Drive Up daytrip

Our HPSC instructors are excited to finally be able to run lessons for our members! As you prepare for your day, here are some things to be aware of that may impact your experience.

Facilities:

Your car is your “home base”. You’ll be at your car to put your boots on, eat lunch, and warm up.

Indoor dining is unavailable. Some resorts (e.g. Blue) have some outdoor dining set up. Bring a lunch if you don’t have plans.

Washrooms are available. Indoor warming up spaces are not.

Tickets:

Members must book their lift tickets themselves separate from the drive-up registration. To ski at the private clubs, as long as you’ve sign up for the event, the club will make sure your name’s on the guest list.

The Mount St Louis check-in process may be time consuming. Give yourself an extra 20+ minutes to go through the lineups before your lesson start time.

Lift lines and chairlifts:

At the public resorts, chairlifts are generally being filled to the maximum, loading singles to fill them up.

Be forewarned that some members of the general public do not consistently wear their masks in lift lines or on chairs, and physical distancing doesn’t always happen in lift lines – and that some members have observed the resorts are not always enforcing mask-wearing.

Lessons:

HPSC Members are to wear masks in lesson groups. Instructors will run a COVID screener at the lesson start.

We will aim to keep some space between participants, but we’re also in a constantly changing environment. If you feel it’s getting crowded, pull back and give yourself space.

While we’re on the hill, if you have any safety concerns, please let the instructor know and they will accommodate as best as they can.

While we can manage our own participants, we’re still skiing with the general public who follow varying levels of safety.

General etiquette:

If you are sick, please stay home!

Please keep your mask on in the lift line, chairlift, and in lessons.

Check the resort for specific information on their policies and practices.

We’re asking everyone to be patient and kind.

Have a great day trip! We are looking forward to skiing and riding with you.

2022-01-052022-01-28

President’s Message – Deju Vu All Over Again!

January 5, 2022

Dear HPSC Members

To quote the famous New York Yankee Yogi Berra – “It’s deju vu all over again!”

Last season we had to make the tough decision to cancel all daytrips and bus trips. This year, we were very optimistic that we would be able run a close to normal season – but then . . . . OMICRON!!!

The biggest difference this season, compared to last, is that the provincial government has not shut down Ontario downhill ski resorts. This means that we can still provide lessons and run drive-up only trips beginning on January 15^th (signup open this coming Saturday). Cross-country trips are bus dependent and will only run when we start to run buses.

To make this clear: We have NOT cancelled running buses for the rest of the season. We will re-evaluate buses on a regular basis and will start bus trips as soon as we can.

We understand that there has been a bit of information overload regarding the upcoming season – but we are attempting to keep members informed of changes as they happen. As you can guess, this season has had a lot of changes requiring us to be very flexible.

I want to wish all of you a very happy New Year! And hope we can all soon get out on the hills and trails to enjoy the sports that we love!

Please stay safe.

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club

2022-01-052022-01-05

Long Trips Committee Update – January 5th, 2022

Mount Tremblant, February 2021 Photo by JK Graham

Due to the new restrictions that are now in force in Quebec regarding individuals from different households staying together, indoor dining and other restrictions, it is with regret that we must cancel the February mid-week trip to Mont Tremblant and the Family Day trip to Orford in the Eastern Townships.

The Long Trips committee is monitoring the situation and are optimistic that the tide will turn and restrictions will be lifted in time for our Quebec trips in March.

If you signed up and have paid for either of the two February trips, you will receive a full trip refund from the club. Please be patient as the refund process takes time and can only be done by a very limited number of volunteers.

As a gesture of good faith, if you remain a member in good standing, you will be eligible for one Front of the Line (FOTL) spot if the same destination is offered by HPSC in 2023. This FOTL will be valid until October 1, 2023 and will apply to any overnight bus trips that the club was forced to cancel.

Charter trips are arranged by HPSC but contracted through TICO protected tour operators. These trips can only be cancelled by the tour operator and not by HPSC. This would only happen in the case of a “force majeure” such as a resort closure. At that point, credits would then be offered to members booked on that trip in line with destination policies.

Kim Wiebe

Director, Long Trips

2022-01-042022-01-19

New Director of Communications

Communication Director Nemanja Davidovic, informed the board that due to increased work responsibilities he needed to resign as Director of Communications. Long time member Suzanne de Grandpre was appointed by the board at our December meeting as the new Director of Communications to complete Nemanja’s term.

I would personally like to thank Nemanja for all his work on the board and his assistance and help in transitioning Suzanne into the role. And I look forward to working with Suzanne.

To read more about Suzanne, see below:

“Having grown up in Alberta, I started skiing in Banff and Whistler during university. After a hiatus of a number of years, I moved to Toronto and wished to get back into skiing. I didn’t even know people skied in Ontario until I joined High Park Ski Club, of which I have been a continuous member since 1998. My time in the club has consisted of everything from day trips to overnight trips to Quebec and the US and, of course, the charter trips which I eagerly anticipate every year! I have made many friends and gained many fond skiing memories over the years. The excellent instruction I received from our amazing instructors has taken my skiing to new levels. It has also been a most gratifying experience giving back to the club as a volunteer, director, co-trip leader and bus captain. I am looking forward to continue serving the club as Communications Director.”

2021-12-222022-01-05

President’s Message – Happy Holidays!!

Home Smith Park, December 25, 2020 Photo by JK Graham

December 22, 2021

HPSC Friends,

I would like to wish all of you the very best of the holidays!

As you know we have been planning very hard, as best we can, for what we had hoped to be a close facsimile of a normal season. But the one thing we have all learned over the last two years is the need to stay flexible. During the last three weeks we have gone from being fairly optimistic of starting the season, weather dependent, on time, to having to make the following announcement.

As we have stated repeatedly, the safety of our members is our top priority. Therefore, due to the rapid increase of COVID cases due to the Omicron variant we have made the decision to pause the beginning of the season. And to start, unfortunately, we will not be able to run any buses.

Downhill daytrips will begin on Saturday January 15^th and continue as scheduled as drive-up only events. This means that we will offer lessons by our Snow School. To participate you will need to register via HPSC for lessons, but you will need to purchase your lift ticket directly from the resort. For the Wednesday trips we are still discussing with the clubs how tickets will be handled.

Due to the changing situation, registration for each week’s trip will also open one week prior to the first trip and continue on a weekly basis. Registration will close for the weekend and Monday trips as usual on Thursday at 6pm. Due to new requirements at the private clubs, we have had to move up the registration deadline as well to Thursday at 6pm. So all downhill trips will now close at the same time. Registration for the first week will open on January 8^th.

On the cross-country side, all trips at this point are postponed until at least January 22^nd, and will only run if we are able to run bus trips.

Our plan is to continuously monitor the situation and to start running buses when it is feasible, so please read all communications carefully from the club to stay informed.

Further, due to the revised regulations announced last week regarding the need for a PCR test for any trip outside of the country, even for less than 72 hours, the Long Trips Committee has made the decision to cancel our yearly trip to Holiday Valley for this season.

Never a dull moment!

Happy Holidays! Enjoy the season and please stay safe. And if you are able to, get your booster shot when you can.

Cheers!

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club

2021-11-292021-12-16

President’s Message – Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

November 24, 2021

The Cowbell of Office – HPSC Information Night and Social, Liberty Common, Liberty Village, November 17, 2021 Photo by Amy Lam

HPSC Friends,

This week it is really finally feeling like winter is about to arrive. And with it a new HPSC season.

Over the last week, we held a very successful Club Information and Social Event in Liberty Village (thank you Amy), the last SkiFit of the season (thank you to John, George and Cynthia), and a successful on-line event, Cross-Country Skiing 101: Sliding on Skinny Skis (thank you Heather). The cross-fit series continues until the end of the month (registration is open for the remaining session)(thank you to Michaela).

We also found out this week that the federal government, as of November 30^th is lifting the testing requirement for vaccinated Canadians returning to Canada from trips of less than 72 hours. For the club this means that there will be no testing requirement for our weekend trip to Holiday Valley at the end of January. And on a higher level, the approval of vaccinations for children means that we are one step closer to the end of this pandemic and getting back to a much more normal season.

Thank you as well to the almost 70% of current members who have provided their vaccination proof to the club. A reminder that as of November 6^th, members cannot register for any in-person events including socials, daytrips, or long trips if they have not had their vaccination status verified. Please do so as soon as possible instead of waiting until you want to register for an event.

As well, a reminder for those who did not join last season due to COVID, last year still counts towards you club seniority, but to retain it you need to rejoin this year.

I have said in the past, people may come to the club for a specific sport, but they return year after year because of the friends they make and the community that is HPSC. This past year has challenged our ability to make those connections. We sincerely hope that this coming season we are able to get back to providing opportunities for members to meet their new lifelong friends!

Cheers!

Justin Graham, President, HPSC

2021-11-232021-11-23

Ask not what your ski club can do for you . . . but what you can do for your ski club

High Park Ski Club is fully run by dedicated volunteers. Everything you enjoy about the club is based on the volunteering by your fellow members. The current term for all directors and the president ends in April 2022. All directors and the president can stand for re-election.

However, our current Director of Membership and Volunteers, Ruth Schefter, has let us know that after two terms, she will be stepping down and will not be running for a third term.

As such we are looking for someone who would be interested in shadowing Ruth for the reminder of the year and then standing for Director of Membership and Volunteering. The person should be organized, tech savvy, a good communicator, and accountable.

Time commitment: ~6 hours per week, mostly in the fall. Attending monthly board meetings.

Team: Work along with the Membership and Volunteer Assistant, the Volunteer Coordinator, and the Ambassador Program Coordinator.

Duties: Monitoring membership registration and membership statistics. Communicating with members. Answering member and non-member questions regarding the club. Maintaining the list of Bus Vouchers distributed, and the list of club volunteers. Coordinating the Annual Membership Awards and planning, along with the Social Director and the Volunteer Coordinator, the annual Volunteer Appreciation event. Attend New Member and Information events, the Club Strategy Session in the summer, and the Annual General Meeting in September.

Compensation: Directors build an understanding of the inter workings of the club, get to know a lot of the club members, work with a fantastic team, and have a say in the direction of the club. All directors receive an annual honorarium, as well as two bus vouchers. For younger members it is also a great experience to have on your resume.

If you are interested or would like to learn more about the opportunity, please contact Ruth at membership@hpsc.ca .

2021-11-102021-11-07

The day we never thought would ever happen!

At the end of October, Bill Bates, our long-time Director of Long Trips announced his desire to step down as Director.

Bill has been on the Long Trips Committee (LTC) for over 25 years, and as Director for many of those years. Long trips is one of the core parts of what makes HPSC such a great club, and without Bill’s guiding hand the club would be much different. The stability of the LTC over the last 10 years says a lot about Bill’s approach and his leadership style.

Do not worry, Bill is not disappearing from the club or from Long Trips. He has offered to remain on the LTC to support the new Director and be a member of the LTC.

Bill has recommended to the Board that long-time member of the LTC and of the club, Kim Wiebe, be appointed as the new Director of Long Trips to finish out the remaining 6 months of his current term. Kim also has the support of the other members of the Long Trips Committee. At the November Board meeting held this week, Kim was approved as the new Director. Welcome to the board Kim, and I look forward to working with you!

On a personal note, Bill’s calm presence on the Board over the last year and a half has been a tremendous help as we worked through the aftermath of the COVID trip cancellations, as well as planning for trips in this new environment. His institutional knowledge of the club has also been a valuable resource.

Thank you so much Bill for all that you have done for the club! And I hope you enjoy all of your new free time!

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club