Category: Long Trips

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Welcome Home First LongTrips of the Season!

C8 Serre Chevalier – January 21-29

Despite the fears of no snow in Europe this year, we were happy to discover this was not the case for our week in Serre Chevalier. The snow Gods dumped 25 cm of fresh powder (on top of what was already there) for our second day of skiing. With the vast terrain, those that wanted to, could find stashes of powder off piste all week. When it was not snowing, we had sunny blue skies! With its abundance of piste and off piste terrain, Serre Chevalier has something for everyone!  We had a great group of High Parkers and even celebrated 2 birthdays. From the Great Skiing, Weather and Après – Serre Chevalier delivers!

W2 Holiday Valley – January 27-29

W2 Holiday Valley is in the books for another year. We had a great group of people that included lots of new members. We had amazing sunshine on Saturday and the conditions were pretty darn good considering the lack of snow this winter. We enjoyed our evening in Ellicottville with dining, shopping, and dancing. There was rain on Sunday but we didn’t let that stop us. Quite a few members skied all day while others enjoyed getting to know other members or resting in the chalet. Many members expressed how much they enjoyed the resort and were looking forward to returning.

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President’s Message – Time to Have Fun!!

Dear HPSC Friends,

It has finally happened – we are back to our regular schedule!! 

This past Saturday we held our traditional Double Double day with lessons both in the morning and afternoon at Mount St. Louis.  And we were finally, after a number of weeks of disappointment, able to run cross-country trips due to the recent snowfall in resort country. Thank you to Heather for all her work in juggling the cross-country schedule to get the first trips run. This coming weekend our initial charter trips of the season leave for Jackson Hole and for France. I hope everyone has a fantastic time!

Just a reminder, for those who haven’t been on our day trips in a few seasons:  Last year we had to adjust our registration deadlines due to our change in bus company.  For weekend trips (Saturday, Sunday, Monday) the deadline is now on the Tuesday prior at 6 pm. The deadline for Wednesday trips is the previous Thursday at 6 pm. To avoid disappointment please sign up early. If the trip is full, please sign up on the waitlist. If there is enough interest, we will add a second bus (which also means using our two additional pick-up locations of Queen’s Quay and Liberty Village).

Regarding cross-country day trips, please make sure to read the trip descriptions carefully and follow updated posts on our Facebook group, regarding when trips open for registration. Due to the uncertainty of conditions, at least so far this season, registration is being opened when we are sure the resort conditions will allow us to run trips. This is to avoid having to process a large number of refunds which costs the club in credit cards fees.

Also as a reminder, if you need to cancel a day trip you have registered for, please send a message to cancellations@hpsc.ca.

To end on a personal note, I am very disappointed that I will once again miss skiing and snowshoeing this season. According to an MRI I had just before Christmas, I have re-ruptured my quad tendon and I needed to have surgery repeated on January 11. I am currently in a full leg cast for the next 5 weeks and will then start physio once again. However, I will try to be at as many club events as possible while I recover. 

Cheers!

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club

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Long Trips – Important Announcements!

We join clubs because we want to be around other people but have learned over the past couple of years that we have to work together to keep each other healthy!  As announced last summer, masks will be required on the bus portion of all long trips. While no one really likes wearing masks, we’ve gotten used to it. A number of respiratory viruses have already made their appearance this winter. Let’s continue to work together and adhere to our club’s mask wearing policy and keep each other healthy.

Don’t forget that cancellations do occur, so don’t hesitate to add your name to the waitlist for a trip. Once a spot opens up, that matches your needs, the trip leader will contact you. You can then make a Go/No Go decision. The $100 HPSC deposit will be needed to secure your spot. On most trips, the balance will also be due within the next 24 hours.
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Honouring Our HPSC Volunteers!

Without our volunteers HPSC could not function!

On September 29th we were very happy to host our volunteers at the reinstated Volunteer Dinner at The Hot House Café.  The purpose of the event is to honour our volunteers as well as build excitement for the upcoming season. 

As part of the evening I was very please and excited to present our Volunteer of the Year awards to the following members:

Rookie

Sheila Moshomas – For taking on the role of Monday daytrip co-ordinator

Bronze level

Apolonija Battiston – For work on the Long Trips Committee (LTC) and leading the Snow School Instructor uniform committee

Fran Burgess – For work as the Wednesday Daytrip co-ordinator during a difficult season

Paul Dover – For extensive work for the Cross-country portfolio during a difficult season

Caroline Thompson – For work as the Downhill daytrips Bus Captain co-ordinator

Silver level

Michael Hardke – For work as the Sunday downhill Daytrips co-ordinator and for training Sheila as the new Monday daytrips co-ordinator

Lisa Philpott -For work as the bus company co-ordinator

Lisa Ziegler – For work programming the downhill daytrip events and making on-going changes as procedures were revised

Gold level

Christine Bellerose – For work as liaison between Snow School and the Downhill daytrips team

Linda Lavallee – For work as the long-term head of the HPSC New Member Ambassador program

Monica Sauer – For work within the cross-country team and as the cross-country representative on the Long Trips Committee

Special Projects

Kevin Chabot – For work on finding a new east end parking location for long trips

Ephraim Fernandez – For extensive work creating a Long Trips COVID protocol

Russ Harding – For work researching COVID testing options on long trips to fulfill the Canadian government’s requirement of a PCR test prior to returning to Canada. And for work investigating the co-ordinating our Ikon group sales program.

Jeff Stainsby – For extensive work as part of the cross-country team

Lifetime Achievement

Bishu Basuroy – For his long time contributions to the club in a multiple roles over the years

Catherine Basuroy – For her long time contribution in responding to emails to Downhill daytrips portfolio

Bill Bates – For his long time role as Director of Long Trips.

In addition to a certificate each winner also receives a dollar credit on their HPSC account in appreciation of all of their work.

Congratulations and thank you to all of the winners!

And again thank you to all of our volunteers! 

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club

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Overnight Bus Trip Sign-up is Coming!

Detailed descriptions and pricing will be posted any day now on the web site in preparation for sign up on Thursday, October 13 at 8 pm sharp.

Members on last year’s cancelled mid-week Tremblant trip have been contacted by email and can sign up early (front of the line) for this specific trip, but they will need to confirm their FOTL spot by October 3. Remaining spots will be opened to the rest of our members on October 13.

Overnight Bus Trips – opening on Thursday October 13 at 8pm:

W1 Tremblant, QC – Dec 16-18, 2022

W2 Holiday Valley, NY – Jan 27-29, 2023

W3 Tremblant mid-week – Jan 29 – Feb 2, 2023 (downhill and cross country)

W4 Killington, VT – Feb 12-17, 2023

W5 Orford, QC – Feb 17-20, 2023 – Family Day (XC/Snowshoe)

W6 Jay Peak, VT – Mar 5-9, 2023

W7 Tremblant, QC – Mar 24-26, 2023 (Downhill, Snowboarding, XC)

Spaces are still available on the following charter trips:

C1 Jackson Hole WY, C3 Whistler BC, C7 Jasper AB

COVID update – If you sign up for a long trip (charter or bus) you will be required to be meet the government guidelines in effect at the time of travel in Canada and at your destination country. This may mean providing proof of vaccination and booster status. Masks will be required on the bus portion of trips. HPSC recommends that you ensure you have adequate medical and cancellation insurance and carefully review the dates and limitations on refunds.

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Long Trips Still Available!

Our members want to travel!  The August sign up night was a success. I am happy to say that within a few days of selling out the first trip to Club Med Serre Chevalier in France, we were able to add a new trip the week before the first trip.  Members on the waitlist were given first choice on the trip and this trip is also now full.  For the Whistler trip, our tour operator opened an online payment portal to simplify the payment process and keep your data secure.  HPSC worked with the tour operator to test out this new process.  Adding a new trip with Merit Travel and implementing a new payment portal for Skican trips would not have been possible without the close partnerships we have with our tour operators. 

Don’t miss the upcoming dates for sign up:

Open now – Jackson Hole, Whistler, and Club Med Charlevoix, Quebec – some spots still available.   Look on the website for the detailed descriptions of these awesome destinations. 

Thursday, September 22 – 8 pm – Registration opens for charter trips to Banff, Sun Peaks and Jasper

Thursday, October 13 – 8 pm – Registration opens for bus trips to Tremblant (3 trips), Holiday Valley, Killington, Orford, and Jay Peak.

Once trips are open for registration, they will stay open until they are full or until the space must be released.  Sign up early so you don’t miss your chance to enjoy your mountain adventure! 

Reminder – to register for any trip you need to be a current member of the club.  If you registered for one of the trips in the first sign up in August, if you have not done so yet you MUST renew your club membership by tomorrow, September 15, to retain your spot on the trip. After September 15 if you have not renewed your club membership your spot may be released and you will lose your deposit. Do You Have a Ski Pass?

The ski pass world that has evolved over the past few years has resulted in higher demand for some destinations and unfortunately high lift ticket prices.  The good news is that requiring registration for some destinations and increasing the lift ticket prices, will result in a better experience on the slopes without huge crowds.  

If you already have a ski pass that covers the destination, you do not have to pay for lift tickets.  With the lift ticket component removed, below is a quick comparison of our remaining HPSC charter trips, all in CAD$ (including all taxes and fees).  

Trip costs without lift tickets (Lift ticket costs and Land only options available) 

Jackson Hole: $1,705 (Single supplement add $515)

Whistler:        $2,060 (Single supplement add $1,160)

Sun Peaks:    $1,920 (Single supplement add $615)

Banff:             $1,555 (Single supplement add $749)

Jasper:           $1,740 (Single supplement add $595) 

Full prices including lifts tickets, and land only pricing are available on the website. 

COVID update – If you sign up for a long trip (charter or bus) you will be required to meet the government guidelines in effect at the time of travel in Canada and at your destination country.  This may mean providing proof of vaccination and booster status.  Masks will be required on the bus portion of trips.  HPSC recommends that you ensure you have adequate medical and cancellation insurance and carefully review the dates and limitations on refunds.

Kim Wiebe

Director of Long Trips

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Club Med Serre Chevalier – New Trip Added!

Our early trip sign up night was popular with members. We’ve been able to add another trip to Serre Chevalier in France and have contacted the members on the waitlist first. Please check your email and respond before 7 pm on Sept 1 to confirm your spot if you were on the waitlist.

On Friday Sept 2 at 8 pm, any remaining spots will be offered to the rest of our members.

A reminder of the upcoming dates for the rest of our trips…

Now – spots still available for Jackson Hole, Whistler, and Club Med Charlevoix, Quebec. Look on the website for the detailed descriptions of these awesome destinations. Lift ticket prices will be going up for Whistler and Jackson Hole so lock in your pricing now.

Thursday, September 22 – 8 pm – Registration opens for charter trips to Banff, Sun Peaks and Jasper

Thursday, October 13 – 8 pm – Registration opens for bus trips to Tremblant (3 trips), Holiday Valley, Killington, Orford, and Jay Peak

Once trips are open for registration, they will stay open until they are full or until the space must be released back to the tour operator. Sign up early so you don’t miss your chance to enjoy your mountain adventure!

Reminder – you will be able to register if you are were a member this past season, but MUST enew your membership for the upcoming season by September 15 to hold your early registration spot on a long trip. After that date, your spot may be released after that, and you will lose your deposit.

COVID update – Unfortunately many of us have learned the hard way that we are still dealing with the realities of Covid. If you sign up for a long trip (charter or bus) you will be required to meet the government guidelines in effect at the time of travel in Canada and at your destination country. This may mean providing proof of vaccination and booster status. As always, HPSC recommends that you ensure you have adequate medical and cancellation insurance and carefully review the dates and limitations on refunds.

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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.

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Special note regarding Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole is one of the greatest ski destinations in the western USA with one of the very best authentic western towns.  There are many excellent dining experiences with local gourmet choices like elk, bison, local trout and of course beef.  If you are a fan of the Yellowstone series, you will enjoy the fabulous scenery and proximity to the Elk Refuge and possible day trips to Yellowstone Park. 

Our HPSC trip is in peak season, January 21-28, 2023 and the price without lifts is only $1,705.  You’ll need to add lifts if you do not have an Ikon Base Plus pass.  The cost of the 5-day lift pass from the tour operator is $1,125 (a sixth day for an additional $230). 

If you have not yet purchased an Ikon Pass and are interested, please contact Russ Harding (ikon@hpsc.ca) to purchase an HPSC group Ikon Pass.  The sale price for the Ikon Base Pass is $1,039 pass and then you will need to upgrade to the Ikon Base Plus for an additional $250.  Note that the HPSC group sale is scheduled to end as of September 1, so sign up now!  

If you have already purchased the Ikon Base pass and are interested in upgrading to the Ikon Base Plus pass for the Jackson Hole trip, the cost is an additional $250 or if you would like to upgrade to the Ikon Pass, the additional cost is $400.   All passes also provide full access to Blue Mountain and Tremblant.

Reservations are required to guarantee access to the resort. This applies to all Ikon Pass holders as well as advanced ticket purchasers. Reservations are scheduled to open as of August 1. The LTC tracks major holidays, and there are none during our week in Jackson Hole. So, we do not expect any issue with trying to the desired dates for reservations, though we recommend making your reservations as soon as you can.

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President’s Message – The Dog Days of August

August 17, 2022

Growing up mid-August was always a bit exciting for me. The CNE was about to open, which meant visits to Toronto by my aunts, uncles and cousins; the weather would start to turn a little more comfortable (I really hate hot humid weather); and the last two weeks before Labour Day were always my Dad’s vacation period.  Labour Day has always represented a new year for me.  As a member of High Park Ski Club, mid-August also means we are starting to gear up for the upcoming season.  For example, this week’s edition begins our regular two-week cycle of SnoBiz until the end of next April.

Over the next few week’s, you will be receiving information on renewing your club membership for the upcoming season.  The good news is that we are keeping membership fees at the same level as last year  – early bird rate until October 31st of $150 (+tax); after November 1st the fee increases to $170 (+tax).  New member rate is $150 (+tax) for the entire season. 

As you will read below, something new this year, we have a number of our charter trips going on sale next week.  As long as you are a valid member for the 2021/22 season (or have renewed your membership early) you can sign up; however, you have up to September 15th to renew your membership to keep your spot.  Please read the Long Trip article in SnoBiz carefully.

Regarding our planned COVID protocols for the upcoming season. As mentioned in the last SnoBiz, the club will still require members to wear masks while on buses for all trips.  However, moving with current public health guidelines, we will no longer require proof of vaccination to participate in any club activity.   The caveat of course is that if public health rules change, HPSC will need to adjust protocols.  As well, as noted in the Long Trips article in SnoBiz, members will need to still follow all vaccination requirements and rules for the locations travelling to.  For example, vaccination proof is still currently needed for non-US citizens entering the United States.  While we are not requiring vaccination proofs this year we still encourage all members to do whatever they can to stay healthy. 

On a different topic, If you have ever thought of becoming an HPSC Ski or Snowboard instructor, now is the time.  The club is currently recruiting for new instructors.  If you are interested, please contact our Director of Snow School, David Manning at downhillsnowschool@hpsc.ca . Due to the planning required for the season, applications need to be received by August 28th.   

September also kicks off a number of club activities – SkiFit will begin as usual on the first Saturday after Labour Day (September 10th).  As in the past couple of years registration will open each week on the Tuesday prior to that week’s session.  This year we will also be able to revive our weekly brunch after SkiFit at The Grenadier Café.

We are planning a Social event in early September (details to come in the next SnoBiz). 

And finally, please mark September 20th on your calendars for the club’s Annual General Meeting.  The AGM will be held in person at the National Yacht Club with an online Zoom option as we did for the Election night last April.  The official announcement will be sent in the next couple of weeks.

I am really looking forward to chatting with as many members over the next coming months as we prepare for what we all hope will be a fantastic year on the snow!

Cheers!

Justin Graham, President

High Park Ski Club

President@HPSC.ca