Long Trips

2020-01-242020-01-24

Cancelling a Long Trip

Cancelling from a trip is no fun. You miss out on a great time and have to stay at home to deal with your injury, illness or whatever. Our cancellation policies have not changed in many years but they might not be familiar to new members. The policies were set up to be fair to all members and respect the financial responsibilities of the club.

The first step in cancelling is to notify the Trip Leader in writing as soon as you decide. You must get a reply back from the TL acknowledging your cancellation. This sets the ball rolling to find a replacement for your seat and the amount of refund you’ll receive.

In all cases, the non-refundable $100 deposit is non-refundable. This is the deposit you initially make to register for a trip.

Refund For Overnight Trips

The refund you’ll receive depends on the date you cancel. If you cancel any time before 45 days from departure, you’ll get a full refund of the Stage-2 payment. Between 45 and 8 days, the refund amount is the Stage-2 payment less $100… provided a replacement is found for your seat. Without a replacement there is no refund. But it is rare that a replacement is not found because the very next member to register becomes your replacement. So the earlier you cancel the greater the likelihood of a replacement. Within 7 days, there is no refund at all. Even if you are replaced in the last week there is no refund of any amount. The policy is on the website click here and applies to everybody without exception. Refunds will be returned to the card used for payment and could take 2-3 weeks depending on the speed of your own bank to credit it.

Refund For Charter Trips

Refund policies are set by the tour operators and not by HPSC. Generally here is how they work. The first deposit of around $500 when you registered is not refundable. Plus if you purchased cancellation insurance from the tour operator, that payment is also not refundable. A cancellation after the date for the balance payment, then the total amount of the trip is not refundable. Each trip will have a different cancellation policy as listed in the detailed description pages.

Insurance

HPSC has always strongly recommended that you have trip insurance. Members are responsible for arranging their own trip cancellation and medical insurance as the club cannot do it for you. Some members purchase an annual policy, some purchase just for one trip and some rely on their credit card benefits. Some members don’t buy any insurance feeling that they can assume all the risk themselves.

Cancellation insurance allows you to be reimbursed if you get sick or injured before the trip. Medical insurance covers if you get injured during the trip. Keep in mind that the Ontario Government has stopped paying for out of Province medical. If you are on a US trip, it is foolhardy to go without insurance as a minor injury will be expensive, but a major injury will cost thousands.

If you have to make an insurance claim, you can retrieve your invoices from the website to attach to your claim form. Login, click on your name, click on ‘Invoices and Payments’ and scroll down. If your insurance company requires a letter from HPSC to justify the claim, just ask the TL and it will be provided. All insurance claims must be made by the participant to their own insurance company.

Bill Bates,Director.

2019-12-162019-12-17

Tremblant 1 – Rain, fog, snow and a great time had by all!

Excellent first overnight downhill bus trip of the season to Tremblant. Instructors and enthusiasts had the opportunity to break the ice of the season on a high note. Rain, fog, snow and a great time had by all! Tremblant – blizzard of activities, always inspiring… Join Tremblant 3 to end the season strong with the best Apres ski and spring riding.

2019-11-302019-12-02

Long Trips

Open Trips

The homepage will show an “On Sale” label for a trip with an open seat. But you can add your name to the waitlist for any other trip. Cancellations happen from time to time and members on the waitlist get called first before opening the trip up to others. There is no cost to adding your name to a waitlist.

Charters:

C6 Silver Star, 1 seat for a Male

C7 ClubMed Les Arcs, France 2 seats

Overnight bus trips:

W4 Mt Ste Anne, 10 seats

W7 Lake Placid, 21 seats

W9 Holiday Valley-2, 15 seats

Second Holiday Valley

The 2^nd Holiday Valley trip added to the schedule last month is filling up W9 Holiday Valley-2 , Jan 31-Feb 2, 2020. Both Holiday Valley trips leave the city after work on Friday and return early Sunday night. On Saturday night after a great day of skiing you will enjoy the pretty town of Ellicottville, NY. A passport is required, make sure yours is up to date.

Parking for Overnight Trips

If you plan to park at the bus pickup point, you will have to pre-pay online at least 2 days beforehand. There is no option for a cash payment so you cannot arrive at the lot with payment in hand. If you know definitely that you will need parking, you could pay for parking when you register for the trip. You’ll find the parking webpage this way: Login > OUR TRIPS > MY LONG TRIPS > Trip# Payment for Parking. Check the itinerary for the correct parking lot because unlike last season, each trip has a different bus pickup point.

Bill Bates, Director

2019-11-162019-11-29

Long Trips – November

Second Holiday Valley

For the exceptionally long wait list for Holiday Valley-1, a new trip W9 Holiday Valley-2 , Jan 31-Feb 2, 2020 was added to the schedule. Members who were able to adjust their holiday plan to go the weekend after Holiday Valley-1 were added to Holiday Valley-2. Now this trip is beginning to fill up. For both Holiday Valley trips, you will leave the city after work on Friday and return early Sunday night. On Saturday night after a great day of skiing you will enjoy the pretty town of Ellicottville, NY.

Banff in March

Those looking for a second Banff trip will be disappointed. While the Long Trips Committee spent a good deal of effort setting up a 2^nd Banff trip, the response was underwhelming. Thus we decided to cancel very early to give members a chance to arrange for something else such as may have been offered at the Toronto Ski Show. Our trips are based on a minimum number of participants and priced accordingly. The underfunding on a 2^nd Banff trip would have been substantial if had failed to meet the minimum so cancelling was deemed the best alternative. We apologize to those who may have been interested.

Open Trips

Always check the homepage for the “On Sale” label which indicates that a seat is open. Sometimes the seat has to be filled by a specific gender in order to match roommates. If you are not that gender, email the trip leader anyway to get added to the waitlist. Cancellations happen from time to time and members on the waitlist are the first to get called. Also periodically check the webpage for the trip you are interested in – there may have been a cancellation. A note will be added when a seat is available.

As of this date:

C6 Silver Star BC – 1 seat

C7 Les Arcs France – 2 seats

W4 Mt Ste Anne on Family Day weekend – 12 seats

W7 Lake Placid – 24 seats

W9 Holiday Valley-2 – 24 seats

Ski Pole Flags

On every long trip, you will be given a flag for your ski pole. This flag is very bright and identifies you as a HPSC member. The idea behind it is to help you meet and ski with other HPSC members. If you have ever been at a big resort and lost your ski buddy on the mountain, you’ll immediately recognize the benefit of both of you having a ski pole flag. On an overnight trip if your class has skied off in the distance, you’ll be able to find them again. These flags are visible from a mile away. And they’ll help you locate your skis in the racks outside the lunch chalet.

Bill Bates, Director

2019-11-032019-11-09

Long Trips

New Trip – Holiday Valley

New trips has been added to the schedule, W9 Holiday Valley-2. The interest in Holiday Valley was exceptional this year so we have put on a new weekend trip to accommodate those on the long waiting list and also provide seats for many more members for this attractive location. Holiday Valley is a great resort to ski and quite close to Toronto. If you have never been there before you’ll really like the skiing and enjoy the pretty town of Ellicottville on Saturday night. On this trip you will leave after work on Friday and return early Sunday night.

Trip Sign-Up Night #4

Trip Sign-Up Night #4 (TSUN) will occur this week on Thursday, November 7, 2019 starting at exactly 8:00 PM. W9 Holiday Valley-2 go on sale for the first time. Login, go to the trip page and scroll down to the “Register” button. Don’t look for the button now; the “Register” button will appear only after 8:00 PM. Registration will continue 24 hours a day until each trip is sold out. Note: previously announced trip to Banff-2 in March is cancelled due to the low interest.

Getting on a Trip

The procedures for registering on TSUN are on the webpage, TRIP SIGN UP PROCESS. Only those who have paid the membership fee for 2019-2020 are able to register.

Open Trips

There are still a number of seats open on several trips: Two overnight trips, W4 Mt Ste Anne on Family Day weekend (12 seats), and W7 Lake Placid a mid-week trip in March (23 seats). Two charter trips, C6 Silver Star BC which is combination of downhill and X-country (4 seats), and C7 Les Arcs France which is the second Europe trip of the season (2 seats). You can register for these seats at any time. Seats on the 2 charter trips have definite deadline dates where unsold space must be released.

Join Waitlist Button

If you see a “Join Waitlist” button instead of the “Register” button, do not think that you have missed out. We try our best to get a place for everybody on the waitlist. You may not hear from the Trip Leader right away because it takes some time to arrange for extra seats. If your name is on the waitlist, you will be contacted in the order you signed up. So go ahead and add your name to the waitlist; there is no cost to do so. If you later change your mind and are no longer interested in that trip, you could send a courtesy email to the Trip Leader so your name can be removed from the waitlist.

Cancellation Insurance

HPSC strongly recommends that you have trip insurance for any long trip. If you are injured or get sick either beforehand or while on the trip you will want to have insurance so you can recover the cost of the trip. And here is an important reminder, “Put a photocopy of your insurance information in your ski jacket.” If something happens on the hill, you will want to have your OHIP card and insurance information at hand and not back in a hotel someplace.

Bill Bates, Director

2019-10-19

Long Trips, Oct 22, 2019

Long Trips

Trip Sign-Up Night

Our third Trip Sign-Up Night (TSUN) happens this week on Thursday, October 24 starting at exactly 8:00 PM. Eight overnight bus trips go on sale for the first time. Login, go to the page of the trip you want and scroll down to the “Register” button. Don’t look for the button now; the “Register” button will appear only after 8:00 PM. Registration will continue 24 hours a day until each trip is sold out.

Getting on a Trip

The procedures for registering on TSUN are on the webpage, TRIP SIGN UP PROCESS. If you haven’t renewed your membership yet, do it right away because only those who have paid the membership fee for 2019-2020 are able to register.

Important about Wait Lists

If you see a “Join Waitlist” button instead of the “Register” button, do not think that you have missed out. Go ahead and add your name to the waitlist; there is no cost to do so. You will likely get on the trip in the coming weeks. This is why. Two seats are automatically held back so the Trip Leader can match roommates and deal with single room requests. Some people who have registered change their minds and bail. Some people have to cancel for a variety of reasons. If your name is on the waitlist, you will be contacted in the order you signed up.

Registered Attendees

When you register for a trip you can decide if you want your name added to the list of attendees. The list is not public and can only be seen by members after they login. If you don’t want your name shown, click on the flag and you will show up as “Anonymous”. If you are already registered and want a change, contact the TL.

Charter Trips

TSUN for charter trips on October 10 was a frenetic evening. We had an overwhelming response as soon as the trips opened at 8:00 o’clock. Several trips sold out immediately and by the end of the evening almost every available seat was taken. The Long Trips Committee began working that same night to get our tour operators finding additional space for those on the waitlists. This was not something that could be done easily or quickly. Airlines had to be contacted, hotels contacted, new contracts prepared and then signed, website updated, etc. Our hope was to get a space for everybody on a waitlist. The rub is that the airlines will charge a higher price for a new block of seats. And the hotel may not have available rooms necessitating a different hotel. This will increase the price of the trip for any new registrants. While we will hold the same price wherever possible, the good deals we originally negotiated are going to be hard to repeat for additional participants.

Trip Leaders

Trip Leader names and contact information are now posted on a webpage. The page is open just to members so you must login to see it. If you have a question that isn’t answered in the detailed description, contact the TL.

Cancellation Insurance

HPSC strongly recommends that you have trip insurance for any long trip. If you are injured or get sick either beforehand or while on the trip you will want to have insurance so you can recover the cost of the trip. And here is an important reminder. Put a photocopy of your insurance information in your ski jacket! If something happens on the hill, you will want to have your OHIP card and insurance information at hand and not back in a hotel someplace.

Parking for Overnight Trips

We are still searching for a new parking lot for our 2020 overnight bus trips. We need the help of our 1,100 members to locate a new lot. The lot would accommodate approximately 25 cars for the duration of each trip. If you know of a possible location or can assist us, please contact Kevin Chabot, Parking Coordinator, kchabot@ican.net .

Bill Bates, Director

2019-09-202019-09-23

Long Trips

Trip Sign-Up Night

Get ready! Coming soon are two Trip Sign-Up Nights (TSUN)- Thursday, October 10 for Charters and Thursday, October 24 for Overnight bus trips. You must be a paid member to be able to register for a trip. Don’t wait until the last minute to pay for your 2019-2020 membership. Here is why. Your membership renewal is not automatic; it is handled by a volunteer. While you submit your renewal application and pay online, the actual renewal will take a number of days to authorize. For a new member, the application must be approved which will take a bit longer. So don’t delay, renew your membership now!

How to Register

The procedures for registering on TSUN are on the webpage, TRIP SIGN UP PROCESS. Please read this page carefully so you understand what to do when the time comes. Popular trips can sell out very quickly, sometimes within the first minute or two. So if you are unsure what to do and are fumbling around with the website, you could miss out. As the Boy Scout motto says, “Be prepared.”

Travelling with a Friend

If you want to travel with a friend, roommate or spouse, you can register for yourself plus ONE additional person at the same time. Both of you must be members. Simply put a “1” in the Guest field and continue to the payment page. After you have paid the $200 deposit, you are guaranteed 2 spots.

Charter Trips

Six of our 2020 charter trips will go on sale on Thursday, October 10. Don’t look for the “Register” button now, you have to wait until October 10. Read over the detailed descriptions and decide which trips appeal to you. If you are uncertain about a trip or have questions, contact the Trip Leader who will clarify and get you the answers.

Trip Leaders

Trip Leaders were assigned in September and are undertaking their training this month. When training is complete, the names and contact information will be posted on a webpage. The page is only open to members so you must login to see it. If you find the page now, you will see that names are missing – be patient, they’ll be there soon.

Parking for Overnight Trips

We are looking for an alternate parking lot for our 2020 overnight bus trips. The lot would need to accommodate approximately 25 cars for the duration of each trip. If you can suggest a suitable location or want to help us find one, please contact Kevin Chabot, Parking Coordinator, kchabot@ican.net .

Bill Bates, Director

2019-08-122019-08-13

Long Trips

Charter Trips

The complete list of 2020 charter trips with a detailed description of the resorts, hotels, flights, options and what is included in each trip is now on the website here. These trips will go on sale on Thursday, October 10. For those with an IKON pass, have a close look at C3 Aspen and C8 Taos where you will save $325 on Aspen and $500 on Taos.

The first two charter trips to Jasper, New Years and Pragelato, Italy sold out very quickly on June 20, our first sign-up night. The good news is that we were able to expand the trips significantly to accommodate many on the waiting lists. Jasper has 42 members registered and Pragelato has 39. Unfortunately at this time those still on the waiting lists will have to count on a cancellation to get a seat. For Pragelato, you will no longer find the Waitlist Button. We had to close off the waiting list because there were many names already and adding more would not be productive. The Jasper waiting list is still open so please add your name if interested.

FCFS vs Lottery

Some members who could not get onto Jasper or Pragelato, have suggested that we should change the way registration is done and switch from a First Come First Served (FCFS) system to a lottery method. We should let you know that a lottery method has been considered in the past although we have never actually tried it. The club felt that a lottery of pulling names out of a hat was fraught with as many difficulties as FCFS. Similarly issues of fairness would arise from a procedure of giving waitlisted members first priority for the next set of upcoming trips, i.e. a Front-Of-The-Line pass.

With online registration, we are aware that those with a fast internet connection have a slight advantage over those with a slower one. And those with fast fingers have a similar advantage. In the minutes after 8:00 PM, a few seconds delay might have made the difference between being successfully registered or being on the waiting list. But here’s the bottom line, there is only a limit to the number of members we can accommodate no matter which method we use. FCFS mirrors the old paper method where we had to line up in person. We feel that FCFS is still the fairest method but will evaluate the lottery again to see if it can offer something that is equally as fair.

Become a Trip Leader

Trip Leaders are very important volunteers for the club. This season we need 16 TLs to lead our charter and overnight bus trips. If you have been on a long trip, you’ve seen a TL in action. If you want to contribute to the club in this way, now is the time to consider it. If you feel it might be too much work for you alone, you can team up with a friend and share the task. Despite the work involved, it is a very rewarding experience and you’ll have fun doing it. You’ll get training, lots of support and a generous reimbursement for your efforts.

Here is what you need to do. Send an email to: Ephraim Fernandez, ephraim.fernandez@gmail.com requesting an application form. Complete the form and submit it by the deadline of Friday, August 30.

The 2020 long trips program is on the website, charters click here, overnight bus trips, click here. TLs for C1 Jasper, New Years and C2 Pragelato, Italy have already been chosen and announced. So there are a total of 6 charter and 8 overnight bus trips for which you can apply. You need to have led an overnight bus trip before you can lead a charter trip, so first-timers will be overnight bus TLs.

Selection is based on the following criteria:

Duration and extent of recent contributions as a volunteer to the club
Leadership skills
Previous trip experience
People skills
Business skills
Computer skills – Excel & Word
Special emphasis on Excel skills
Skiing experience

Every HPSC member is eligible to apply. Don’t delay, request your application now as the time is short.

Bill Bates

Director