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President’s Message – How fast the summer goes!

It is hard to believe that the summer is already half over and soon we will be focusing on the upcoming ski season. In fact, even before membership opens for renewal on September 1, two of our trips open for registration (please see the article below).

As promised in the last SnoBiz, I want to share with you some of the highlights of the recent member survey. I first want to thank all of you who participated – your responses are very helpful in planning for the upcoming and future seasons. And I want to congratulate our two survey respondent draw winners, Joe Recupero and Don Williams.

I am happy to report that 97% of respondents say they are very (72%) or somewhat (25%) satisfied with their membership in High Park Ski Club!

This extremely positive result, however, does not mean that there are not areas where members did not suggest ways we could improve. One topic that came up in a lot of comments, was our mask mandate for last season. I am happy to announce that the board confirmed at our July meeting that the policy was only for the 2022/23 season, and barring any unforeseen public health emergencies, masks will be a personal choice during the upcoming season.

On another note, just to give you a heads up, our Annual General Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 19 at The National Yacht Club. Official notification will be sent out at the beginning of September (at which time the registration module will be open on our website). Once again, we plan on running a hybrid meeting, allowing for members to participate remotely.

As we get closer, I am becoming more and more excited about the upcoming season, and truly feel that it will be one of the best for the club, as we return, as they used to say on TV, “to our regularly scheduled programming”.

Cheers!

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club

P.S. This is the last of our summertime SnoBiz newsletters. The next edition at the end of August will start our regular schedule of every two weeks.

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Calling all potential trip leaders!

The Long Trips Committee is looking for members interested in volunteering to lead trips for the 2023-2024 ski season.Interested members will receive formal training. Additionally, those new to trip leadership will be able to assist a more experienced leader before running a trip independently. Being a trip leader is a  rewarding experience and greatly appreciated by fellow members.

Aside from being an amazing opportunity to utilize and improve leadership skills, there are other significant benefits to being a trip leader. Trip leaders will be pre-registered on the trip without having to register on Trip Sign-up Night. A financial compensation will be awarded for the work involved, paid post–trip, partially reducing your travel costs. Interested members should apply to the Long Trips Committee indicating their three preferences from the trips list in today’s SnoBiz. Please send your message to: ephraim.fernandez@gmail.com and copy longtrips@hpsc.ca.
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Ever thought of becoming a ski instructor?

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 reimbursement
  • Transportation to/from the hill
  • Cost offset on long trips when you teach
  • 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, 2023. 

Christine Bellerose
Director, Downhill Skiing and Snowboarding

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2024 Cross-Country Long Trips

We’ve got lots of great choices for our Cross-Country and Snowshoe members this coming year!

Featured Charter

  • Silver Star, BC – Cross-Country/Downhill Combo, Vance Creek Condos: March 4 to 11. This HPSC favourite has 105 km of XC ski trails where you can ski from the door. Snowshoeing and ice skating are also available.

Overnight Bus Trips

  • Ottawa-Gatineau – Holiday Inn: February 16 to 19 – Enjoy 200 kms of ski trails by daily HPSC coach or skate the Rideau Canal.
  • Tremblant, Combo trip – Holiday Inn: February 4-9 – Enjoy cross-country skiing at: Tremblant resort (12km), Domain St. Bernard, (32 km), P’tit Train du Nord (29 km), Tremblant National Park (43 km).
  • Quebec City, Combo trip – Stay at the lovely Manoir Victoria: March 10-15 (March Break) and enjoy the cross-country ski areas of Mt Ste. Anne (176 km), Le Massif (32 km), and Camp Mercier (70 km).

Other Charter trips where XC skiing is available:

You can sign up on any of the following downhill trips by choosing the ‘No Lifts’ option.

Note: Since they are not featured as XC trips, there may be no other cross-country skiers on these trips. These locations are best suited for members who are comfortable skiing on their own, in a small group, or plan to enjoy both downhill and cross-country skiing. Trail passes must be purchased by the member.

  • Red Mountain, BC – January 20-27 – 50 km of trails within a 25 minute walk from hotel, local shuttle available on some days (TBD)
  • Sun Peaks, BC 1 – January 27- February 3 – 30 km of ski trails, ski from the door and take the lift to the start of the cross-country trails
  • Winter Park Hotel Colorado, USA – February 3-10 – 200 km of ski trails at Snow Mountain Ranch and 120 km at Devil’s Thumb Ranch. Note that these locations are a 20 – 40 minute drive away and would require a vehicle rental.
  • Banff, AB 1 – February 10 -17 – 13 km accessible from town of Banff. Rent a vehicle for other trails.

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Calling All Prospective Trip Leaders for the2023-2024 Snow Season!

The Long Trips Committee is looking for members interested in being considered for leadership positions on the long trips scheduled from January to April 2024. 

Over the past 7 decades, HPSC has refined the trip running process and experienced Trip Leaders (TLs)  will train and mentor new TLs. TLs receive partial compensation for their trip after all of their post-trip responsibilities are completed.

Successful TLs are members who have been on at least a few HPSC long trips and have an interest in leading a long trip. They are basically proficient in MS Word and Excel, have good attention to detail, are organized and communicate well. The TL is the face of HPSC and as an ambassador, performs a key function that helps define and maintain the HPSC brand.

Interested members should indicate their interest in an email sent to longtrips@hpsc.ca with a copy to ephraim.fernandez@gmail.com

The Long Trips Committee thanks all those members who consider leading a long trip and particularly all those members who apply this year.

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President’s Message – Only 65 days!

Hi all!

While the fall seems so far away, for your Board of Directors it is actually very close. Membership renewal opens in just 65 days! The summer is the time we do a lot of planning and discussion for the coming season. And it’s the time we work on the budget for next year. Thinking about what we can do to add value or better serve our members. 

On that note, I would like to thank all of you who have responded to our Members Survey that was sent out last week. If you do not recall seeing the email, please check your junk folder or just click on this link. Your feedback is very valuable to the club. The survey is open until Thursday, July 13. As an added incentive, in addition to a draw for a free membership, we will also draw for one long trip/charter trip Front of the Line (FOTL), which allows the holder to pre-book one of the charter or long trips (along with a travel partner). I will provide some of the highlights of the research results later in the summer in SnoBiz and at the AGM in September.

One item that comes up regularly is the desire for more overnight and charter trips. This year we have attempted to provide for just that. However, one of the constraints to running more trips is having qualified and experienced leaders. During COVID a number of regular leaders chose to step back or retire from the club, and we only had a few members step forward. If you are interested in being a trip leader or train as a trip leader for the future, please read the article below.  

Just as a reminder, the final deadline to register for the upcoming Frank Lloyd Wright day trip to Buffalo on July 22 is TOMORROW (July 6).  There are still about a dozen spots available. I have to confirm the numbers and pay for our tour tickets on Friday. Please ensure your passport is up to date with at least 6 months remaining on it. We will do a passport check before leaving Toronto but will not be able to delay departure from Toronto.   

On a personal note, for those who have asked, I received great news from my surgeon last week.  He said, barring any unexpected findings from a final ultrasound on my knee, there is no reason I will not be able to ski this coming season!!  As well, he cleared me to start riding my bicycle in the next week or so. I want to thank all of you who have reached out and supported me over the last 18 months since I initially tore my quad tendon. 

Looking forward to seeing many of you at our pub night this Friday at Pauper’s on Bloor!

Cheers!

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club

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Special Frank Lloyd Wright Day Trip: Deadline to register is July 6

Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the 20th century’s premier architects, designing such iconic buildings as Fallingwater near Pittsburgh and the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. While those are absolute must sees for any architecture buff, they are, unfortunately, a far distance from our homes here in Toronto, while two of his landmarks are just a few hours away in the Buffalo area.

For all of you HPSC architecture buffs who have not seen FLW’s Buffalo masterpieces, this is your chance to do so. HPSC has arranged for a day trip on Saturday, July 22 to visit and tour both the Darwin Martin House complex and Graycliff just outside of Buffalo on the shores of Lake Erie.

The cost of this day trip is only $145 Canadian (which covers the club for the ticket costs and exchange rate as well as our credit card fees) and also includes a boxed lunch provided by the café on the grounds of the Darwin Martin House.

Attridge Coachlines, our bus company, is providing the bus free of charge as a thank you to HPSC as a loyal client, so there are is no minimum number of participants to achieve. Therefore the trip is guaranteed to run. 

Since we have to confirm the numbers with the Martin House on July 7, the hard deadline to register is Thursday, July 6.  This trip is open to non-members and guests, so if you know anybody who would be interested please let them know. 

For full details and to register please click here

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Long Trips Announcement!

Start planning now to sign up for our exciting 2024 season!  This year, to minimize charter trip waiting lists on the most popular weeks and destinations, there are multiple options.  For overnight bus trips, we have a mix of weekend and midweek overnight trips, with something to please everyone. 

A trip to Japan is also in the works.  Please stay tuned for an early sign-up date once the trip details are finalized.

2024 Charter Trips 

Japan (Tokyo and Niseko)  – Jan 11-21 (TBC)
Peisey Vallandry, France – Club Med – (Les Arcs/La Plagne Paradiski) –
Jan 20-28
Red Mountain, BC – Josie Hotel – Jan 20-27
Sun Peaks, BC – Cahilty Lodge (hotel + kitchenette units) – Jan 27-Feb 3
Panorama, BC – Approach Hotel (new) – Feb 3-10
Winter Park, Colorado, USA – Vintage Hotel – Feb 3-10
Banff, AB – Banff Aspen Lodge – Feb 10-17
Sun Peaks, BC – Grand Hotel – March 3-10
SilverStar, BC Cross Country or Downhill – Vance Creek Condos –
March 4-11
Banff, AB – Banff Aspen Lodge – MARCH BREAK – March 9-16

2024 Overnight Bus Trips

Mont Tremblant, QC – Holiday Inn – Dec 15-17, 2023
Holiday Valley, NY, USA – Microtel – Jan 12-14
Mont Tremblant, QC – Holiday Inn – Feb 4-9
Quebec City, QC – Manoir Victoria (ski Mont Ste Anne, Le Massif and Stoneham) – MARCH BREAK – March 10-15
Killington, VT, USA – Killington Grand – studio kitchenettes and hotel –
March 17-22
Mont Tremblant, QC – Holiday Inn – March 22-24
Le Massif, QC – Club Med Charlevoix – March 24-29

Trip Sign-up Nights will be as follows:

Thursday, August 24 – Club Med Europe and Charlevoix
Thursday, Sepember 28 – Charters
Thursday, October 26 – Overnight bus trips

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Summer Social Events

Historic East End Walk

On June 17 from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm, join your HPSC friends for some fun in the sun viewing murals and places of historic interest in the end end with a lunch stop at Messini Greek Restaurant on the Danforth. Lunch is at your own cost. The walk will be approximately 2.5 to 3 hours and will be led by Dave Flowers. Register here.

Pub Night at Paupers Pub

On July 7, drop in anytime from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm to join your HPSC friends for a casual pub night at Paupers Pub! Food and drinks are at your own cost. Guests are more than welcome. If you have an HPSC shirt, we recommend wearing it so you can help fellow members locate the HPSC group. In order to accommodate numbers, please register here.

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President’s Message – Enjoying the Summer!

It seems like just yesterday we were at the National Yacht Club for election night. But that was almost six weeks ago! While we took a short break in May from SnoBiz, your Board has been busy in other ways. We are currently working on a variety of things for next season and on ways to attract even more members. 

One item that I am personally working on is a Members’ survey to help with planning for next year – please look for the survey invite sometime later this month. Your responses are of great value to the club. 

Over the summer while you are enjoying other activities, we are hoping that you will still want to keep in touch with your fellow HPSC members. In the next month we are having a holding a couple of social events including a historic walk of the Danforth area (June 17), as well as a drop-in pub night at Paupers Pub (Bloor/Bathurst area) on July 7. In addition, there is the special Frank Lloyd Wright day trip to Buffalo (July 22).

Please read the articles in today’s SnoBiz to get further information on what the club is up to during the summer. 

Cheers!

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club