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| Hi everyone! Our Downhill Snow School is looking for enthusiastic snowboard and ski instructors for next season. You will make friends for life, have a chance to help other members of the club to improve, and get access to a whole new world of development. Volunteer instructors also get some perks that help defray the cost of teaching, including: Lift ticket or pass reimbursementTransportation to/from the hill Cost offset on long trips when you teach/guide Access to our great afternoon sessions, Tremblant training with level 4s, and instructor training reimbursement Small stipend ….plus, we have a TON of fun on snow and off snow! Qualifications to teach with us include one of the following: CSIA level 2+, OR CSIA level 1 + HPSC Instructor Training, OR CASI level 1+. If you are keen to help your fellow members, have a good attitude, and have met these requirements, please reach out to me at downhillsnowschool@hpsc.ca to express interest and to get access to our application form. We are recruiting until August 30, 2024. Christine Bellerose Director, Skiing and Snowboarding |
HPSC Snow School had another tremendous training and teaching season!
 Let’s only remember the 406 classes taught, the many programs offered, the sooo popular Saturday races at Mount St Louis Moonstone. Your CSIA and CASI qualified instructors continued to train at Tremblant and in Ontario to bring you safe, productive and fun lessons.Our 51 ski and snowboard instructors want to thank all HPSC members for your enthusiastic participation in our daily trips lessons and Canadian overnight trips guidance.A few special instructor achievements deserve our warmest congratulations: Laura Shepherd – full Level 3! David Manning – Course conductor for Level 1 courses + CSIA Ontario and National – HPSC Instructor of the year Mike Romano – accepted in the Level 4 academy Matt Diamond – CSIA (skiing) Level 2 Carmen Lopes – CASI (snowboarding) Level 2 We hope to see you all again in our lessons next winter! |
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Mogul Masters Clinics!
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| The One Day Mogul Masters clinics are back. The dates are Saturday, February 24 and March 2 at MSLM and Monday, February 26 and Sunday, March 10 at Blue Mountain. For more information visit the Downhill Ski School page. For registration go to the registration page on the HPSC website. *Important* Click the Mogul Masters option not your step level. |
Questions?
You may find the answer to your questions under the FAQ section under both the Downhill Skiing & Snowboarding and the Cross-Country and Snowshoeing tabs on the website. As we are a volunteer run club, this is often the fastest way to find out answers to your questions, such as bus pick-up locations and departure times and the deadlines to register and cancel for day trips.
New members can also reach out to their assigned Club Ambassadors for assistance but remember that they are also volunteers. Please allow time for refunds as they are also handled by volunteers.
The website also provides email addresses for specific areas. Please send cancellation requests to cancellations@hpsc.ca, not to info@hpsc.ca as this is only a general information email.
We have faced many challenges this year with a late start to the season and unpredictable weather issues. Always check the Day Trips Status page on the website for up-to-date information regarding day trips and any last minute changes such as the addition of a second bus.
Ski School Welcomes New Instructor Brian Pho!
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| I started skiing 15 years ago and quickly found out there is so much to learn about this sport. Skiing has taken me to parts of the world that I never would have seen otherwise (Switzerland, Japan, Western Canada). I earned my CSIA Level 2 in 2018, which led me to a whole new world of challenges and possibilities. The Learning Never Stops! I am so happy to join the High Park Ski Club Snow School and have the pleasure of being able to transfer my skills and knowledge to all levels of the High Park Ski Club membership. |
Downhill Snow School Introduces New Instructor… Stephanie Kwok
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| I think I inherited my love of skiing from my grandfather, who skied into his early 80’s and took me on some of my first ski days to Mt St Louis and Horseshoe. I was hooked on the feeling a speeding down the slopes, but it took me a while to understand that turning is important. I eventually used my turns to earn my level 2 in 2018. I worked as an instructor in Hakuba,Japan in 2019/2020. The following two seasons, I instructed at Banff Sunshine, enjoying the stunning Rockies. Now I am back home in Toronto and looking forward to sharing my knowledge and love of skiing with people here. I believe skiing is the key to not hating Canadian winters, and maybe even loving them! |
New Uniforms for Our Downhill Instructors!
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| If you were wondering what was sparkling at MSLM last weekend… it wasn’t the freshly fallen snow, our instructors new goggles, or the smile of our Director, Laura Shepherd, excited to train with Level 4, Jason Young. No, that sparkle would have come from your instructors’ brand new uniforms, featuring our new HPSC logo! Not unlike our very popular previous uniform, it keeps the basic brand colours with a snazzy touch! We might be even more visible on the hills!! This new uniform is the result of an incredible effort from design to distribution! Kudos and thanks go to Apolonija Battiston, Kathleen McCabe, David Manning, Rocco Romeo, and Mike Romano for such a great uniform, another one which will make us proud! |
Reminder: Cross-Country is not permitting drive ups
Another reminder that cross-country is not permitting drive ups for lessons this year. We simply do not have the instructor capacity to accommodate it. This likely will be the case for the next few years, as it takes time to find and train new instructors.
If you signed up specifically to drive up for XC lessons, please email membership@hpsc.ca and we can refund your membership. You may still drive up for alpine lessons (and need to be a member for that). Thanks for your understanding.
Cross-country ski school special programming is back
| New to cross-country skiing? Our classic beginners series might be for you. Join instructor Vera (or Liora, depending on demand) for three consecutive weeks of beginner classes designed for new skiers. You will have the same instructor and classmates and learn to get moving on your skis. You must be available all three dates (January 7, 14, 21) and email crosscountry@hpsc.ca to register. If you can’t join the series, you can participate in our regular beginner lessons. We are also offering special hill clinics that will give you more practice time than in a regular lesson. Our beginner hill clinic on January 20 will teach you to get up and down hills safely. For more advanced skiers who want to play around going faster (step turns anyone?), we are offering an intermediate/advanced hill clinic on February 4 (TBD as to whether it’s classic or skate). Sign up online during trip registration. Also for more intermediate/advanced skiers, we are offering a classic trail handling clinic on February 24. Learn how to transition between techniques on the trail to ski smarter and faster. You will need some facility with all the main techniques – diagonal stride, double poling, one step double pole in particular. Sign up online during trip registration. And for those who just want to get tips for a specific technique, we are offering two dates of skate and classic tips and tricks (February 10 & 24). Book 15-20 minutes with an instructor to work something specific – whatever you want! Sign up online during trip registration.Please note that on the days we offer intermediate + clinics, we will not be offering any other intermediate/advanced lessons. We may schedule more clinics for later in the season as we assess how its going. If there is something in particular you would like a clinic on, let us know at crosscountry@hpsc.ca.  |
Ski School News – More New Instructors!
| As announced in the October 11 issue of SnoBiz, Ski School welcomed seven new instructors for this season. Today, we introduce you to Lina DiFelice and Izabella Wilczynska. |
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| Lina DiFelice I’ve been a member of HPSC for 12 years and started skiing when I was 11. Dad would sit in the chalet for hours, while my 2 sisters and I took ski lessons at Mount St. Louis/Moonstone, and Blue Mountain. We loved it and were hooked. My younger sister Donna went on to become a Ski Patrol, and was an active participant with HPSC in the 70’s. Fast forward… after a long hiatus, I followed in my sister’s footsteps, and joined HPSC and renewed my passion for skiing. I’ve enjoyed many extraordinary ski trips around the world, received phenomenal instruction from attentive coaches and teachers, and have made many friendships on and off the hill. With the support and guidance of the HPSC instructors, private lessons, and time on the hill, I grew as a skier. After retiring from a great career in teaching, moving to Collingwood, and growing my confidence, I decided it would be fun to give back the knowledge and gifts I’ve received. I’m excited to share my love of nature and the joy one feels gliding down the mountain. |
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| Izabella Wilczynska |
| I fell in love with skiing as a little 4-year-old kid watching Olympics, and promptly used my plastic cross-country skis on the tiny hills in my hometown (Torun, Poland) for my first attempts of hockey stops. I didn’t get a chance to really try skiing on proper skis and hills until much later- my high school got a donation of downhill racing skis from an Austrian ski club and took us on a trip to Slovakia. It was a great trip where I learned to fall well, and often (on my unsharpened 190s) but my passion for skiing remained. Finally, many years after moving to Canada and discovering the traveling ski clubs, I was able to take proper lessons. I joined as a step 3 and worked hard to overcome my newly found (grown up) fear of speed. Fast forward 7 years and I am proud to be joining the HPSC ski school as a new instructor. I want to share my joy of skiing with others who may not have had a chance to learn earlier just like me. As a cautious skier, I will be there to encourage you to overcome your fears, and discover the reason we have winters. In the off season, I am an avid stand-up paddle boarder (SUP), also certified as an instructor. I love the outdoors so if not on the water, I am camping, hiking, or exploring. |