Read about all of the latest news and events from HPSC
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.
| 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.  |
| 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. |
| Downhill Ski School is pleased to welcome seven new instructors joining the roster for the 2023-24 season! Today we introduce you to Matt Dimond and Lisa Price. Watch for more announcements in subsequent issues of SnoBiz. |
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| Matt Dimond Very happy to have returned to High Park (2022/23 season) where I first started my ski journey with Peg Mc Phedran at Blue back in 2018. I was coming from 10 years of snowboarding. I decided last season I needed a bigger challenge than just skiing for myself and hoping for small improvements. So, I started on the instructor training development opportunities with CSIA and within HPSC ski school. I am looking forward to this next chapter in my ski journey as I continually develop my teaching skills to best serve the High Park club members. My home base hill now is Mount St Louis. My other activities on the snow are trying to get in a few days of XC skiing and snowshoeing when in Quebec. My off snow activities are mainly focused on stand up paddle boarding (SUP) and refining those skills with some novice races. I recently obtained a Paddle Canada Instructor certification.I look forward to connecting with High Park members every week. |
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| Lisa Price I am thrilled to be joining the High Park Snow School as a Ski Instructor this year. I recently achieved my L3 certification, and I am excited to share my skills and knowledge with the High Park Ski Club community. I have been skiing since my early teens and absolutely love the sport, the environment and meeting like-minded people who love to ski. Winter is my most favourite season!I have taught for many years at Devil’s Glen and Snow Valley. See you all very soon! |
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:
…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, 2023.
Christine Bellerose
Director, Downhill Skiing and Snowboarding
Our Director of Cross-Country and Snowshoeing, Heather Steel, in addition to arranging and running a very challenging season of trips, also achieved a personal goal of passing the Level 3 CANSI instructor certification. Well deserved congratulations, Heather!!
Congratulations are also on order to Ephraim Fernandez, who recently achieved his Level 2 certification!
The excellence of our instructors are one of the things that make our club great! Thanks to all of you!
 Heather Steel .jpg) Ephraim Fernandez |
The Downhill Snow School is excited to celebrate some significant instructor achievements! Please join me in congratulating our instructors:
Kerry Kupecz has attained her Level 2 certification. The CSIA Level 2 is a significant step up from the Level 1 and a milestone in every instructor’s development.
In addition, Laura Shepherd challenged the Level 3 teach exam and has now attained the Level 3 partial – teach certification. The level 3 exam is an advanced certification and recognized internationally.
Lastly, I challenged the ski exam and attained full Level 3 certification.
Congratulations to our instructors for their success on exams. You have made our snow school proud!
David Manning
Snow School Director, Director of Downhill Skiing & Snowboarding
…and new CSIA level 3 🙂
Kerry Kupecz
Laura Shepherd
David Manning
As it does every year, spring has arrived. And with it a slight sadness since it also means the end of our active ski season. The conditions in March were some of the best of the season after a slow start. I want to congratulate our Director of Downhill Daytrips, Amy Lam, and our Director of Cross-Country and Snowshoeing, Heather Steel, for running successful seasons.
Seeing all of the pictures from our recent club trips to Pragelato Club Med in Italy, Jasper, Tremblant, and for the first time the new Charlevoix Club Med in Quebec, I admit to being a bit jealous. Thank you to Kim Wiebe, our Director of Long Trips and her Long Trips Committee for planning and executing such a fantastic collection of trips. Looking forward to seeing what is being planned for next season!
The end of our season also signals the club Election night when new Directors are elected. Election night this year is April 26 and we will again be conducting a hybrid meeting, in person at the National Yacht Club and online via Zoom. The bios of those running for the open spots will be published in the next SnoBiz. The official notice will be sent out in the next couple of weeks.
I want to acknowledge and congratulate some outstanding recent achievements by members of our Snow School. David Manning, our current Director of Snow School, achieved a long-time goal of obtaining his Level 3 Instructor certification. Laura Shepherd, successfully achieved her Level 3 Teaching certification. And Kerry Kupecz received her Level 2 certification. Congratulations to all of you! And to all of our members of the Snow School and cross-country instructors for doing such a great job teaching our members.
And finally, it was also a pleasure meeting and talking with so many members at our St. Patrick’s Day event at the Quail and Firkin. Thank you for coming out and supporting the club social events. In my view it is one of the things that binds together the various parts of our club! I want to thank our Social Director, Jennifer Beatty for organizing such a successful event.
Justin Graham
President, High Park Ski Club
 Joe Saliba I joined HPSC many years ago as a step 3. After a few years of amazing lessons, I made it all the way to step 9. I left the club when I got married and had kids. I got my Level 1 and taught at Glen Eden for many years. I later got my Level 2 and eventually my Level 3. I am now a returning member. I really love skiing and as such, would like to share my passion with others and help them improve their skiing. I’ve done many amazing ski trips with the club and have been able to ski in some exciting destinations around the world. I met many people in the club whom I’m still friends with after all these years. |
Ephraim Fernandez My life changed during my first Frosh week – I discovered the U of T Ski Club, joined it and got hooked forever. I learned to ski with minimal instruction but skied with a patroller friend and picked up what I could. Over the years, I refined my style and perfected my bad habits. Kids and work made skiing a minor part of winter for many years, but youthful strong abs and quads allowed for lots of fun, mostly with family. About 15 years ago when my kids left the nest, I joined HPSC and started over. I unlearned my ski style and High Park’s wonderful instructors taught me how to use my new shaped skis from Step 3 up. It’s now time to give back by teaching those who want to learn how to have fun in Winter. From Breckenridge to Mt. Ste. Anne and Killington, Chamonix and Zermatt to Innsbruck – so many memories, for so many years skiing bareheaded except for the coldest days. Now always helmeted. I look forward to skiing with many of you this winter and those following. Thinking snow! Herbert Hoff I joined the Club in 1984 and participated in several social committees up until I took Instructor Training on skis in 1987. I successfully passed my first CSIA level 1 course in March of 1988 and achieved my Level 2 two years later. I have the honor of being the first person to have ever put a snowboard into a bus bin for a HPSC trip on the way up to Mount St. Louis. If looks could kill, then I was a dead man several times over.  It all worked out in the end as Ron Dean and I became the first Certified Snowboard Instructors in the winter season of 1994-1995, the first year that CASI officially organized. I was the first Snowboard Instructor to reach a Level 2 and 3 and Level 1 Course Conductor status as a HPSC member. I stayed on as a member for 17 years then became a Dad which kiboshed opportunities to continue teaching with the Club. I had the pleasure of serving on the Executive for several years including a couple of seasons as the Director of Skiing for the club. I also organized and ran the High Park Inline Skate Club with as many as 130 members who enjoyed the summer season riding local trails and destinations such as Niagara Falls and the Kingston/Gananoque area. For the interim years, when not with HPSC, I taught skiing and snowboarding at Earl Bales Ski Centre primarily focusing on the adaptive and integrated program for challenged children. My favourite ski/snowboard destinations are surprisingly not the big mega resorts; rather, I rank Sutton and Stoneham as great spots for all around good times – the glades, night skiing, the food, accommodations and ambiance. Looking forward to “Good Times” on the snow with HPSC again this coming season! |
The Downhill Snow School would like to welcome 7 New Instructors to the team this season! Check out who they are and what their favourite things to do are. Keep your eyes out as we introduce you over the next several weeks. Today we introduce Jackson Huang, Ski Instructor and Carmen Lopez, Snowboard Instructor.
Jackson Huang
Why I became an instructor – My drug of choice is white powder. Ski instructing provides the goods and those to share it with.
Why I love the club – It’s full of addicts like me.
Ski memory: The final run of sensational week of backcountry skiing at Fairy Meadow, before the helicopter flight back to reality in Golden…a perfect run in pristine white.
Carmen Lopez
Hi everyone, my name is Carmen, and I am back with High Park Snow Club as a member and a snowboard instructor for the much anticipated 2022-2023 snow season! My first-time setting foot on a board was in 2000 in Ottawa; shortly after, I gave up my skis to surf the solid slopes. My two most memorable snowboard experiences were with Selkirk Powder outback guided tours at Schweitzer Mountain, Idaho, and split-boarding at Bridger Bowl, Montana.
I have been a certified instructor since 2005, and have enjoyed instructing children, adolescents, and adults, when I have had the time between work, school and travel. This year I have made the commitment to HPSC because they are the friendliest and longest running organized snow club in Toronto, who encourage and expect only the highest standards from their instructors, and who also know how to have a great time! I’m looking forward to meeting the new and returning snowboard enthusiasts, and working alongside the amazing HPSC ski, snowboard and cross-country instructors to make this post-pandemic winter season epic!