Having trouble with your phone freezing while skiing and not being able to show your QR code? Get a pocket or wallet sized copy of your QR code printed and laminated at your local printing shop! Even though COVID restrictions are being slowly lifted, be aware that many of the ski hills we visit on day trips and long trips may still require you to show your QR code to enter any indoor dining establishment or other resort facilities, depending on the resort.
Welcome New Instructors to the Downhill Snow School!
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 welcome Jonathan Siegel…
Jonathan is a Level 2 ski instructor and taught children skiing at Mt. St. Louis for 4 years. He has benefitted so very much from the camaraderie and connection with other High Park skiers over the past 12 + years and is grateful for all the lessons he has been able to take over the years with instructors at High Park Ski Club. Skiers are souls with bodies who have experienced a glimpse of heaven on earth.
Most Memorable Ski Memory
There is no one “most” memorable ski memory as there are just so many wonderful memories and wild and wonderful experiences off and on the hill. There is a saying in Toastmasters which is equally applicable to skiing: “If you get out of skiing what you came to get of out skiing, you will never get out of skiing”! This picture is over 10 years old, but a reminder to always go back to Banff, Lake Louise, and run # 22!
From strength-to-strength! – Jonathan Siegel
President’s Message – After nearly two years . . .
January 19, 2022
Dear HPSC Friends,
It has been a long haul to finally get to this point. We are very happy that this past weekend, after nearly two years, the HPSC Snow School was finally able to again provide lessons to our members. And despite the cold on Saturday at MSLM I understand that most who participated were very happy to be back. I personally was excited to reconnect with a number of our members at Blue Mountain on Sunday. As a reminder, lesson registration opens up on the Friday one week prior to the trips.
While we are all disappointed that we are not able to run buses just yet, we are closely following the public health guidelines and will start bus trips as soon as it is feasible.
I personally want to thank all of our club volunteers who help make the club run. Please remember that we are a fully volunteer run club and without the time and passion put in by your fellow members we would not be able to function. Much like all of you, we have been frustrated by the ongoing pandemic. And although we have not been able to function as we would have liked, the amount of work that has been put into planning has far exceeded what would be required during a regular season.
One thing that the pandemic has shown is that many people in the GTA are tired of being stuck inside and have a strong desire to get outside and enjoy the winter. The snowstorm/blizzard on Monday provided the opportunity for many of our members to do something that has been virtually unheard of in Toronto in a long long time, the ability to do some urban skiing and snowshoeing. I personally snowshoed down to my local Starbucks on Monday, while a number of other members posted photos of their urban snow sport adventures in the HPSC Facebook group. And with the exception of a very short warm up, the forecast for the next two weeks in favourable to keeping most of this new snow in the city. Enjoy it!
Cheers!
Justin Graham
President, High Park Ski Club
Welcoming New Instructors to the team! Sharon Flynn
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 welcome Sharon Flynn.
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I joined HPSC in 2013. I wanted to ski way more often than the rest of my family wanted to. I took the free lessons to improve my skiing and found out that my technique needed quite a bit of work. I was self taught and who knew that going as fast as I could down the hill with minimal turning was not all there was to skiing.
The instructors were very patient and gave me drills that I could work on and I also met other skiers to ski with. I really enjoyed the weekly races at Mt St. Louis and also the buses made the longer drive to Blue Mountain much more enjoyable. I was inspired to work towards my Level I and then my Level II by the HPSC instructors and now I am one!
I also enjoyed the bus trips to Quebec and the states and finally worked up the courage to fly to Banff on a HPSC organized trip. I do not think I would have ever made it to Lake Louise without High Park and now every year I go on at least one charter trip with the club.
High Park Ski Club will make you love winter!
President’s Message – Deju Vu All Over Again!
January 5, 2022
Dear HPSC Members
To quote the famous New York Yankee Yogi Berra – “It’s deju vu all over again!”
Last season we had to make the tough decision to cancel all daytrips and bus trips. This year, we were very optimistic that we would be able run a close to normal season – but then . . . . OMICRON!!!
The biggest difference this season, compared to last, is that the provincial government has not shut down Ontario downhill ski resorts. This means that we can still provide lessons and run drive-up only trips beginning on January 15th (signup open this coming Saturday). Cross-country trips are bus dependent and will only run when we start to run buses.
To make this clear: We have NOT cancelled running buses for the rest of the season. We will re-evaluate buses on a regular basis and will start bus trips as soon as we can.
We understand that there has been a bit of information overload regarding the upcoming season – but we are attempting to keep members informed of changes as they happen. As you can guess, this season has had a lot of changes requiring us to be very flexible.
I want to wish all of you a very happy New Year! And hope we can all soon get out on the hills and trails to enjoy the sports that we love!
Please stay safe.
Justin Graham
President, High Park Ski Club
New Director of Communications
Communication Director Nemanja Davidovic, informed the board that due to increased work responsibilities he needed to resign as Director of Communications. Long time member Suzanne de Grandpre was appointed by the board at our December meeting as the new Director of Communications to complete Nemanja’s term.
I would personally like to thank Nemanja for all his work on the board and his assistance and help in transitioning Suzanne into the role. And I look forward to working with Suzanne.
To read more about Suzanne, see below:
“Having grown up in Alberta, I started skiing in Banff and Whistler during university. After a hiatus of a number of years, I moved to Toronto and wished to get back into skiing. I didn’t even know people skied in Ontario until I joined High Park Ski Club, of which I have been a continuous member since 1998. My time in the club has consisted of everything from day trips to overnight trips to Quebec and the US and, of course, the charter trips which I eagerly anticipate every year! I have made many friends and gained many fond skiing memories over the years. The excellent instruction I received from our amazing instructors has taken my skiing to new levels. It has also been a most gratifying experience giving back to the club as a volunteer, director, co-trip leader and bus captain. I am looking forward to continue serving the club as Communications Director.”
President’s Message – The Snow is Falling…
The snow is starting to fall more regularly and some of the local hills have already opened. It was fantastic to see posts from members who got out early to Mount St. Louis and Horseshoe Valley this past weekend.
While this year will still be a somewhat different experience, it will still be fantastic to get back to skiing regularly this coming season. Let me assure you that your HPSC team has been working continuously with the resorts to work out the details and procedures we will need to follow as the resorts work out the rules. Keep following the announcements in SnoBiz and the HPSC Facebook group to stay up to date.
And just a reminder that registration for all trips will be restricted to only those who have provided their vaccination proof to the club. If you haven’t done so yet, please send a copy to vac@hpsc.ca . Only the Director of Membership has access to this email address, and all documents are delated after verification – the club is not keeping copies of any documents. I want to thank the 72% of current members who have provided their proof for verification.
I am sincerely looking forward seeing as many of you as possible on the hill and trails this coming season!
Justin Graham
President, High Park Ski Club
Cross-country day trips begin Dec. 29!
Your cross-country ski and snowshoe team is excited to announce that the first trip of the season will be a rare mid-week trip for us – Wed., Dec. 29 to Scenic Caves! Since Christmas and New Year’s both fall on weekends, we couldn’t schedule our regular New Year’s celebration on the weekend. So we’re trying something new!
Are you off work in between Christmas and New Year’s? Get in a ski on what we hope will be relatively quiet midweek trails. Ring in a new year with friends and enjoy the first HPSC trip back in nearly two years!
We will have access to the log cabin and the adjacent washrooms. There is no food, so bring your own. You may want to bring a ski pack with some extra food and warm, dry clothing. There are rentals.
No lessons on this trip – let’s just get our ski legs back!
Registration opens Dec. 15th.
President’s Message – Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow
November 24, 2021
HPSC Friends,
This week it is really finally feeling like winter is about to arrive. And with it a new HPSC season.
Over the last week, we held a very successful Club Information and Social Event in Liberty Village (thank you Amy), the last SkiFit of the season (thank you to John, George and Cynthia), and a successful on-line event, Cross-Country Skiing 101: Sliding on Skinny Skis (thank you Heather). The cross-fit series continues until the end of the month (registration is open for the remaining session)(thank you to Michaela).
We also found out this week that the federal government, as of November 30th is lifting the testing requirement for vaccinated Canadians returning to Canada from trips of less than 72 hours. For the club this means that there will be no testing requirement for our weekend trip to Holiday Valley at the end of January. And on a higher level, the approval of vaccinations for children means that we are one step closer to the end of this pandemic and getting back to a much more normal season.
Thank you as well to the almost 70% of current members who have provided their vaccination proof to the club. A reminder that as of November 6th, members cannot register for any in-person events including socials, daytrips, or long trips if they have not had their vaccination status verified. Please do so as soon as possible instead of waiting until you want to register for an event.
As well, a reminder for those who did not join last season due to COVID, last year still counts towards you club seniority, but to retain it you need to rejoin this year.
I have said in the past, people may come to the club for a specific sport, but they return year after year because of the friends they make and the community that is HPSC. This past year has challenged our ability to make those connections. We sincerely hope that this coming season we are able to get back to providing opportunities for members to meet their new lifelong friends!
Cheers!
Justin Graham, President, HPSC
Harassment and bullying is not tolerated in HPSC
The High Park Ski Club has a long history of, and is dedicated to, bringing people together to enjoy the winter. It is important that the Club provides an environment that allows everyone to enjoy the activities we offer. As such, we want to remind everyone that the Club absolutely does not tolerate any sort of bullying or harassment.
It is important to understand that according to the Ontario Human Rights Code:
- Sexual harassment is conduct that is generally considered or might reasonably be known to be unwelcome. Some examples of sexual harassment include unwelcome comments on people’s appearance or unnecessary physical contact.
- Sexual harassment is not necessarily focused on the intention of the person committing the action, but rather on the impact of their behaviour on the other party.
Each year we require that all members read and acknowledge our Code of Conduct which includes the following in the very first paragraph:
“Club members are responsible for respecting the integrity and dignity of each and every club member, as well as our suppliers including tour operators, resort personnel, and bus drivers. Members maintain a companionable environment that is free of profane, sexist or sexually explicit language, threats, violence, or hurtful actions.”
HPSC encourages any member with complaints regarding Code of Conduct issues to contact the Club Ombudsperson, Kerry Kupecz, at ombudsperson@hpsc.ca. The Club takes all complaints seriously and fully investigates them.
We’re looking forward to having a wonderful ski season this year.