Category: Downhill Day Trips

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Downhill day trips are officially finished for the 2022/2023 season

Thanks to all club members, instructors and new friends that came out to one of 51 scheduled day trips this season. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough interest to run our two bonus April Saturday trips to MSLM.

A huge thanks to all the hard work by our day trips coordinators, Michael Hardtke, Bishu Basuroy, Sheila Tolentino-Moshonas and Fran Burgess. They each put in hours of work before and after every day trip to make them happen.

Thank you also to the following volunteers for their huge contributions:

Lisa Ziegler for creating all the downhill registration modules. Yes! She set up all 102 registration modules (bus & drive-ups)!

Jason Tsang for taking charge of the day trips emails and coordinating all our lift tickets every Saturday for Mount St. Louis Moonstone.

David Manning, Christine Bellerose and Snow School for getting so many awesome instructors for each day trip. Our members love every ski and snowboard lesson. Thank you to all HPSC instructors!

Hilary Childs for your work with processing all trip cancellations and refunds.

And finally, thank you to all our amazing bus captains that made each trip experience smooth for all our members and guests: Andrea Palmay, Heidi Gay, David Flowers, Suzanne de Grandpré, Celeste O’Neil, Kim Wiebe, Rocco Romeo, Martha Wright, Ron Maruska, and Jen Beatty.

It’s now time to enjoy some warm weather in the off season. I’m already looking forward to when the snow and cold will return!

Amy Lam

Downhill Day Trips Director

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Bringing a guest? Here’s how to register them:

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On some trips, members are allowed to bring a guest. Guests are allowed to come ONCE per season (even if they know multiple members) and members can bring one guest per trip. If people are keen to ski with us, we encourage them to join. The club is only able to run because of its membership-based structure. But guest days are a good chance for people to try us out.

Registering you and your guest happens separately. First, register yourself on the trip. Then, when guest registration is available (typically the last day of trip registration), you can register your guest. Find the trip registration module again and click “Register”. On the next screen click the “New Registration” button. The next page will show the email associated with your account. If it is filled in, click “Next” (if not, fill it in with the email you used to sign up for the club and click “Next”). Then you can choose “Guest” and proceed with registration and payment. Essentially, you are just registering that you are bringing a guest; there is no place where you actually put in their name or other identifying information.

You pay for your guest and your guest pays you back. Remember that you are responsible for ensuring that your guest follows the policies and procedures of the club. You must also ensure that your guest brings a signed copy of our waiver (link to it), or you must bring it for them to sign on the bus. No waiver means they will be denied participation.

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Day Trips: cancellation policy and refunds

The cancellation policy applies to both Bus registrations as well as Drive-up registrations. 

You must email cancellations@hpsc.ca to cancel your spot for any day trips you cannot attend.

You will receive a full refund as long as you cancel by the following deadlines:

  • Saturday trips:  by prior Monday 8:00 pm before the trip departure date
  • Sunday/Monday trips:  by prior Monday 8:00 pm before the trip departure date 
  • Wednesday trips:  by prior Wednesday 8:00 pm before the trip departure date  

A No-Show fee of $10 will be applied to your account if you do not cancel by the deadline. The bus fare also cannot be refunded after the deadline.

If you are sick, leading up to or on the morning of the day trip, please do not come on a bus trip. Email cancellations@hpsc.ca as soon as possible and we can make arrangements for refunds on a case by case scenario.

The above policies apply to cross-country day trips as well, however, the deadline for both Saturday and Sunday trips is Tuesday at 8:00 pm the week of the trip. 

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What is a Walk-On?

Sometimes we run buses that aren’t full. If you miss the registration deadline, you may still be able to join the bus on the day of the trip as a “walk-on”. Walk- ons are on a first come, first serve basis and are usually restricted to the final pick up location at 400/7.

In addition to the regular trip costs (bus; lift ticket or trail fee) there is a $10 walk on fee. Unlike in the past, you do not have to pay the bus captain – we will invoice your HPSC account after the trip. However, you will not be able to register for any further HPSC trip or event until the invoice is paid. 

To find out if walk-ons are allowed, visit the day trip status page for downhill here or cross-country here. The trip update should indicate if walk-ons are permitted for the trip and where.

If you really want to ski, don’t leave it to chance. We make trip decisions based on the numbers at the registration deadline. The best way to make sure a trip runs and to ensure your spot on it is to register as early as possible.

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Downhill Day Trips News

February Day Trips
All February trips are now open for registration. Please register early to avoid disappointment. February day trips are popular, since winter conditions will be amazing during the height of the winter season. If a day trip is full, please register for the waitlist. If there is enough interest, there will be a second bus added. 

Bring-a-friend policy
You are allowed to bring up to 3 friends on any downhill bus trip this season. However, to prioritize registration for members, guest registration will open 48 hours before the closing of trip registration. Space for guests will depend on the remaining availability of the trip.Guests may only come on ONE trip per season (even if they know multiple club members). If they like skiing with the club, encourage them to join. Our club can only run because we have a membership based structure. Guests must be 21 years of age or older, and the member must accompany their guest on the day trip. Guests are only allowed on the bus. If drive ups bring guests, they cannot participate in any lessons. Guests on the bus are allowed to participate in a lesson. The sponsoring member must help your guests register for a lesson or assessment. There is a $25 fee per guest plus the standard costs of a day trip (bus fare, lift ticket, rentals).
A Note About Bus Vouchers
If you receive a bus voucher and want to use it for a trip, please remember to bring the physical voucher on the bus and hand it in to the bus captain. If you don’t, your account will be invoiced for the bus trip (but you can use the voucher for another trip). We need the physical vouchers – no exceptions!If you have signed up for a trip using a voucher, and do not show up for the trip, your account will be invoiced for your bus seat. The voucher can be used for another trip. In order to provide buses for all our trips, the club needs to ensure that the bus cost is adequately covered.The above applies to both downhill and cross-country day trips.
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Masking on the Bus

Unfortunately, COVID and other respiratory illnesses are clearly still with us.  While this will not deter our plans for a more normal ski season, it still must be acknowledged.

The bus is the one indoor area that the club has full control over. As such, we made the decision and communicated numerous times during the fall, that we are leaving the mask mandate on the bus in place for this year. This requirement is also stated on all trip descriptions. 

Given the unpredictability of case counts, we did not want to have to reimpose masks if public health rules reverted back. 

Many of you have received every COVID shot available to you; however, there are others who have not. While it was extremely important last season, requiring proof of vaccination was a huge undertaking for a volunteer club.  Given that there is currently no recognized number of what is considered as the effective vaccination level and the proportion with booster shots is not as high as the initial shots, retaining masks on the bus is the most basic level of protection we could insist on.  

We apologize for any inconvenience, but this is the club policy for the current season. Those who contravene the policy may face club disciplinary action.

Justin Graham
President, High Park Ski Club
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Welcome New Instructors!

Bob Casson

Hello, I am a returning instructor at HPSC.  I initially joined HPSC in 2001 as my ski buddies were raising families and were not available to do the week long ski trip with the ‘boys’. I started taking lessons to meet fellow skiers and realized that I was not a good technical skier. Over the first few seasons I became friends with many fellow skiers and continued my skill development. With encouragement from the trainers, I took my Level 1. My goal was to have more exposure to improve on my skiing, but initially I did not have the desire to teach. However, once I started teaching, I found that I enjoyed the satisfaction of helping improve one’s ability and the enjoyment of skiing on more challenging terrain regardless of their ability.

I taught for 3 seasons with HPSC, getting my Level 2. An opportunity arose and I was hired to teach at Big White Ski Resort near Kelowna BC. Skiing on a mountain the size of Big White and the expanse of terrain available and the “Okanagan Champagne Powder ” challenged you, especially the daily training sessions helped develop your skill and the number of lessons taught helped fine tune your teaching/skiing.

During my first season, a fellow instructor commented that ‘You should go to Australia’ to which I replied, ‘They have snow there?’. It was often noted that if you want to teach, go to Australia, if you want to ski, go to New Zealand. Wanting to continue working on my teaching, I spent the next 4 seasons at Mt. Hotham in Australia. It is an inverted ski resort with the village at the top of the mountain. The last 2 seasons, I taught 1448 and 1500 students and over 220 lessons per season.

I continued to be involved with various programs at Big White for the next few years. After my 4th season, Josh Foster, the Ski & Board School Director asked me to be his Assistant Director to the Adult side of the Ski & Board School which  I continued for the next 11 seasons, before I retired. After 15 seasons, the transient life made my decision to return to Ontario. I had the opportunity to work for one of the best instructors in Canada and my staff made working a joy.  With Covid during my last season, I was able to teach more than a handful of lessons a season and it reinforced my enjoyment of teaching.

I look forward to renewing friendships and teaching again to see the smile on their face when they take the next step.

Cheers! Bob

Jay Son

I have been snowboarding for more than 20 years (I can’t believe it has been that long!) and an instructor for about 3 years. I love snowboarding because it makes me fully focused and forget everything else in life while snowboarding. What I like about HPSC is how it has allowed me to meet great people with different backgrounds from the city I live in. By meeting and interacting with other HPSC instructors and members, I feel I have matured as a person and learned how to be respectful to others. 🙂 My favourite ski memory is riding down a slope covered with a lot of powder at Revelstoke Mountain, which felt like riding on silk.

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Basic Information About Concussion

We love to ski! The twists and turns, the pivoting and edging, the thrill of the next hill and run, the fresh outdoors, the thrill of the ride!  While we take precautions to ski safely, unfortunately, accidents sometimes do happen.  It is good to have some basic information about concussion awareness.  We minimize the impact of the severity of any head injury by wearing helmets. 

Of note, loss of consciousness is not necessary for a person to have sustained a concussion.  While there has been controversy in the scientific community regarding criteria for traumatic brain injury and concussion, what is now commonly accepted is that among several criteria is some alteration in awareness associated with biomechanical forces to the head sufficient to cause neuropathological changes to the brain.

The good news is that for cases of mild concussion/mild traumatic brain injury, the physiological disruptions to the brain (and associated impairments in attention, memory, and information processing speed)  generally resolve for the majority of individuals within days or weeks.   

 Symptoms associated with concussion include (but are not limited to):  headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness.  As well, there may be impairments in orientation, short term memory, and information processing speed.

As first line responders, ski patrol may ask some basic questions about a person’s awareness and orientation.  For example, asking the person’s name, day of the week, birthdate, etc.  This information may be of subsequent benefit if further cognitive testing is conducted.  The following link shows some of the questions on a standardized assessment of concussion.

https://newburghschools.org/files/departments/athletics/ConcussionTestForm.pdf

Given that loss of consciousness is not a requirement for a determination for sustaining a concussion, it is always good to speak to ski patrol if you have had a fall and hit your head with any sufficient force which you think might be of concern.  Remember:  in the vast majority of cases, the natural course of events is for the brain to fully heal when there have been minor physiological disruptions.

Jonathan Siegel

HPSC Instructor

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2022/23 Downhill Day Trips Schedule

We are happy to announce the downhill day trips schedule for the upcoming season!

The coming season has 50 downhill day trips scheduled including a special Family Day trip to Beaver Valley. As in the past we will be following our usual schedule of trips on Saturday to Mount St. Louis (MSLM), Sunday and Monday to Blue Mountain, and Wednesday to the various private clubs. 

The first scheduled trips are December 10 to Mount St. Louis and December 11 to Blue Mountain.  The first Monday trip is January 9.  The Wednesday trips start on January 11.  There are three Wednesday trips to Alpine, and two each to Osler and Craigleith, and one to Devil’s Glen and one to Blue Mountain. Later in the season we have a number of TBD Wednesday trips since the private clubs cannot guarantee they will be open. 

Final prices for the day trips will be confirmed in the next number of weeks.

Hoping you have a fantastic season! 

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Last Call for the Ikon Pass!

Our Ikon Pass Group Sale is scheduled to wind up September 1. The club has organized trips to numerous Ikon Pass destinations such as Jackson Hole, Banff, Killington, and three trips to Tremblant. And of course, many day trips to Blue Mountain.  

Our Group Sale not only gets you a better price, it also gets you a chance to win an Ikon Base Pass (or equivalent refund)!  

The Ikon Pass provides access to 50 destinations, so if you wish to venture out on your own in addition to the club trips, there are many options. Plus, there are numerous discounts on food, beverages, and retail shops (10% for the Ikon Base Pass, and 15% with the Ikon Pass).  

Adventure Assurance comes free this year with every 22/23 Ikon Pass. Designed to alleviate uncertainty while providing flexibility for Ikon Pass holders, Adventure Assurance gives pass holders credits in the case of COVID-related closures and the option to defer the purchase price of an unused pass by December 8, no questions asked.  

Have you already purchased a Blue Mountain Pass? The 5×7 Pass is quite popular with our members. If you purchased this pass and are now realizing that the Ikon Pass would have worked better for you, I have good news. If you buy an Ikon Pass or Ikon Base Pass, you can get a refund for your 5×7 Pass! The Ikon Pass gives you unlimited access to Blue Mountain 7 days a week, with no blackouts.  

If you have already purchased an Ikon Base Pass, you can still upgrade to the full Ikon Pass. Simply login to your Ikon Pass account, View Account, and look for the upgrade link near the top of the page. It is presently $400 to upgrade to the Ikon Pass, and $250 to upgrade to the Ikon Base Plus Pass ($CDN).  

https://www.ikonpass.com/en/compare-passes

Contact Russ Harding at ikon@hpsc.ca for further details if you are interested or have questions.