Uncategorised – Page 23 – High Park Ski Club Blog

2019-11-292019-12-16

Good times never seemed so good, so good

Where it began , I can’t begin to knowing
But then I know it’s growing strong…

The 70th Anniversary season spectacular begins now… And we know that our club began in 1950, from the group of winter enthusiasts – members of YMCA in High Park area. Our first day on the snow this year is scheduled for December 007. Let’s make this historical season memorable for all. Please take a lot of pictures at all club’s activities and post them on our Facebook group. Please “like” pictures that you really like! The author of the most “liked” picture of the season will be invited to the Apres Season Snow Ball on April 25 2020 to receive a special 70th Anniversary Snow Globe Award! Imagine yourself on the HPSC Magic Carpet of fame! Have fun and make it into the club’s history! Read HPSC brief history here: https://hpsc.ca/A-Brief-History We are adding new chapters every day. This season we’re entering into an exclusive partnership with Skiis & Biikes for the first time in club’s history to provide additional services to our members. We are continuously growing and improving. Viva High Park Ski Club!

Warm regards, Stella

HPSC Volunteer President

2019-11-122019-11-28

Let it snow!

Winter is taking over the fall… There are so many reasons to ski or snowboard or Apres ski… Our first Downhill Day trip and Test Drive (for non members) is scheduled for December 007! And the first Day trip for Cross Country ski group is scheduled as a combo on December 14 – double 007… Let these be our lucky days for the opening of the 70th Anniversary Season Spectacular! Register from our web site’s front page for the upcoming events: https://hpsc.ca/ We welcome all our new members with open hearts! Sign up to the wait list for the mega party at the end of the season in Tremblant in March. We are getting very close to adding second bus. Let’s all celebrate and have a good time! Register here: https://hpsc.ca/event-3507219

Cheers! Stella

HPSC Volunteer President

2019-11-09

Are we afraid of the winter?

Well kids, it’s coming our way! We had wonderful trick or treat experience! Treats, no tricks… So many of us have scored the overnight bus trips seats! We still have couple of trips open, so check it out and book before they are gone. Sign up to the wait list for Tremblant 3 trip in March for the Mega Apres season party. We have a rare opportunity to add the second bus, if we’ll have more than 30 in the waitlist. Everyone is welcome! Snowboarders of the club – unite in Tremblant! Cross country skiers – join the party and bring or rent the snow shoes or just use your hiking boots to climb Tremblant mountain. This trip is especially great for the new and new to the winter sports members. Finish your first season with the club strong!

We were able to add seats for some charter trips, including the most desirable trip this year – Aspen! Do you know that there is an active archeological site outside of Aspen, where they have recently found mammoth’s and even prehistoric human’s remains? Before we become a history – enjoy every opportunity to live your life to the fullest! Make your winter dreams come true this season! We are making
everything possible to add more trips opportunities for you, our amazing members!

We’ve climbed Blue Mountain again to prove that WE ARE WINTER AND APRES SKI READY!

Stella
HPSC Volunteer President

2019-10-232019-11-12

Downhill Day Trips

Management of Daytrips for 2019-20 Season

As you may be aware, Erika Clark, the Director of Downhill Day Trips, resigned in late August. In the meantime we have been searching for a new Director to take over the portfolio. In late September, long-time member Justin Graham agreed to take over the logistics and management of Downhill daytrips for the upcoming season. However, for personal reasons, he has chosen not to be the Director. His title is Assistant Director of Day Trips. Christine Bellerose, the Director of Ski School has agreed to also represent Day Trips on the HPSC Board of Directors.

Erika is not going away but needed to step away from the Board to concentrate on her new job. You will still see her on the bus, and she has agreed to help out where and when she can. We would like to sincerely thank Erika for her fantastic leadership of Day Trips, and her extensive contribution to the club, over the last year and a half. Good luck Erika and see you on the slopes!

Downhill Day Trips Schedule

The downhill day trips schedule is now finalized and is currently available as a downloadable PDF on the website under Our Trips – Downhill day trips – Downhill day trips registration. You need to be logged in to the site. https://hpsc.ca/resources/Documents/Day%20Trips/Downhill_Day_Trip_Schedule_2019-20.pdf

We are working on adding all of the trips to the calendar but wanted to make sure that you have the schedule to start planning out your ski season. The first trips will be open for registration by early November.

Our first scheduled day trip is the annual Test Drive day to Mount St. Louis on Saturday December 7.

As we have in the past few seasons, most Saturdays we are scheduled to go to Mount St. Louis; Sundays and Mondays to Blue Mountain; and Wednesdays to the variety of private clubs in the Collingwood area. We have also added in a few new resorts – Mansfield Ski Club and Caledon Ski Club in Ontario; and Holiday Valley in New York.

Some highlights for the upcoming season:

December 7 – First scheduled day trip and first Test Drive Day to Mount St. Louis.
December 30 – A special Holiday Week trip to a location the club has not gone to in a very long time – Mansfield Ski Club.
January 11 – Member Appreciation Day and Double Double lesson day at Mount St. Louis. This is a Member Only trip.
February 15 – Special Family Day Weekend day trip to Holiday Valley NY. Note this the only daytrip we will be running over the Family Day weekend. This is a Member Only trip.
February 29 – Test Drive #2 at Mount St. Louis
March 21 – Sleep in Saturday. We will also be going to a new resort for weekend skiers – Caledon Ski Club.
Numerous Pizza days throughout the season at Mount St. Louis and Blue Mountain.
Almost every day trip is a Bring a Friend trip – please see the schedule for Bring a Friend trips.

New Pick Up Location Approved by the Board – Liberty Village

We are happy to announce that the HPSC Board of Directors has approved the addition of a new Downhill Day Trips pick up location.

When we have enough registrants for a second bus, we will now be using a new pick up in the Liberty Village area to accommodate the growing number of members in that part of the city. The pick-up location will be to the west of Lamport Stadium on Fraser Avenue. This will be the second pickup after Queens Quay.

For those using public transit, the King streetcar goes right past, and the Dufferin bus is just a couple of blocks away. The Exhibition GO station is also within walking distance. For those who drive, there is a Green P paid parking lot on the south side of Lamport Stadium.

NOTE – This location will only be listed and used (along with Queens Quay) when we have added a second bus to a trip after we have filled the first bus and have sufficient members on the wait list to justify a second bus.

Information on all of our pick-up locations is located on the website: https://hpsc.ca/Day-Trip-Pick-Up-Locations

2019-10-232019-10-23

Membership

Early bird Prices expire on October 31st for membership renewals. But you may want to get in earlier as Thursday the 24th is the Overnight Bus Registration.

Referral Program

When someone mentions your name as having referred them to the club (on the registration form), you get a bus voucher!!! This will be mailed to you in a short while.
All bus vouchers currently in circulation must be used by MAY 2020. Check the bus daytrip schedule and plan your winter and use those vouchers!https://hpsc.ca/downhill-trip-registration-page EventViewMode=1&EventListViewMode=1

Membership Director

2019-10-082019-10-08

Trip Sign-Up Night

Trip Sign-Up Night (TSUN) happens this week on Thursday, October 10 starting at 8:00 PM. Six of the 2020 charter trips will go on sale for the first time. Login, go to the page of the trip you want and scroll down to the “Register” button. Don’t look for the button now; the “Register” button will appear only after 8:00 PM. Registration will continue 24 hours a day until the trip is sold out.

How to Sign Up

The procedures for registering on TSUN are on the webpage, TRIP SIGN UP PROCESS. You must be a paid up member for 2019-2020. If you haven’t renewed your membership yet, do so right away because membership approval takes a day or two.

Wait List

If you happen to see “Join Waitlist” button instead of the “Register” button, do not think that you have missed out. Go ahead and add your name to the waitlist; there is no cost to do so. You will likely get on the trip in a few days time. Here’s why. We automatically hold back a couple of seats to allow the Trip Leader time to match roommates and deal with the single room requests. Then we order more air seats and hotel space to accommodate the names on the waitlist. If there is a greater number on the waitlist than we can fit, we will arrange another trip. Last season we created a 2^nd trip to Banff when the first trip was filled and all those on the Banff waitlist were able to sign up for it.

Deadlines

When you read over the detailed descriptions you will see that each charter trip has a deadline date. At that date, we must release all unsold air seats and hotel rooms. Even though a trip maybe later in the season, we still have a deadline imposed on us that is quite soon. For example our last trip to Taos, NM doesn’t depart until March 21. But the deadline date is Nov 26. Thus you have to look at the whole season when you are considering TSUN so that the season doesn’t slip by and you missed it.

Trip Leaders

Trip Leader names and contact information are now posted on a webpage. The page is only open to members so you must login to see it. If you have a question that isn’t answered in the detailed description, contact the TL.

Parking for Overnight Trips

This is important. If you want to help your club, you can assist us to find a new parking lot for our 2020 overnight bus trips. No one responded to our request last month so it is repeated this time. We need the help of our 1,100 members to locate a new lot. The lot would accommodate approximately 25 cars for the duration of each trip. If you can suggest a possible location, or want to assist us, please contact Kevin Chabot, Parking Coordinator, kchabot@ican.net .

Bill Bates, Director

2019-10-08

It’s ski swap time!

Highlands Nordic Ski Swap! 15% of proceeds goes to the Trailblazers (the race team).

Need new-to-you ski gear? Of course you do! Head on over to a couple of our favourite resorts for their annual fall ski swaps.

What’s a ski swap? People bring in their used ski gear and sell it to people who need used gear. There are two ski swaps in October…

Head on over to Hardwood Ski and Bike first on Oct. 19/20. If you don’t find what you’re looking for there, head on over to Highlands Nordic Oct. 26/27. Then show off your new-to-you skis when the snow flies!

2019-09-232019-10-04

It’s time to start planning your cross-country ski & snowshoe winter vacations

Beach destinations in winter? No thanks. We’re all about finding awesome places to play in the snow!

Every year, HPSC offers cross-country skiers and snowshoers opportunities to take overnight trips at some of the best cross-country ski and snowshoe resorts.

Charter Trip

Silver Star, BC is one of the premier cross-country ski destinations in North America. Between Silver Star and Sovereign Lake (a Nordic centre that you can ski to), there are over 100km of daily groomed trails. At Silver Star, you can take the gondola to the top of the mountain and ski with glorious mountain views. Trust us, this is unlike any ski experience you would get in Ontario. There is also extensive snowshoeing at both resorts. Silver Star is a smaller, quieter resort, if that’s what you like. Find out more details here.

This is how much snow there was the first week of December. Imagine prime ski season! Photo cred: Heather Steel.

Overnight Bus Trips

Another favourite resort, a little closer to home, is Mont-Tremblant. You can ski or snowshoe the trails at the resort, or you can take the bus (or ski 6km) over to Domaine Saint-Bernard where 80km of ski trails and 27km of snowshoe trails await. Mont-Tremblant is a lively resort if that’s what you’re looking for. Find out more details here.

View from the trails at Mont Tremblant. Photo cred: Heather Steel.

If a trip with just your fellow cross-country crew is more your speed, we are offering our family day long weekend trip to Stokley Creek, Sault Ste. Marie! This is a new destination for us. Stokely Creek features 100km of beautiful trails for skiers and snowshoers, more than enough to keep you happily skiing for the weekend. Find out more details here.

Northern Ontario’s beautiful trails! Photo cred: Paul Moser.

Our trips are popular and sell out quickly! We recommend registering on the date and time that they open. If they sell out, put yourself on the waiting list. There are often cancellations.

Happy vacation planning!

2019-09-10

Heads up – new Saturday pick up/drop off schedule for cross-country daytrips

Your cross-country executive committee gets lots of feedback regarding pick up/drop off schedules. West-enders point out that they spend twice the amount of time on the bus as everyone else. Drivers want a 400/Hwy 7 drop off on Saturdays (currently only the case with two bus trips).

We’ve decided to tackle both of these issues with a change to the Saturday pick up/drop off schedule. Starting this season, Saturday will feature a REVERSE drop off on the way home, with the addition of a stop at 400/Hwy 7 to accommodate those who drive. If you don’t want to wait to get off at York Mills, please drive to Hwy 7. If you take the subway, you can hop on the subway at Keele, Davenport, Eglington, or York Mills.

This is what the standard schedule will look like going forward for Saturday:

Pick ups:

750am: Bloor/Indian Rd.
810am: Davenport
820am: Eglinton
830am: York Mills
845am: 400/Hwy 7

Drop offs:

400/Hwy 7
Bloor/Indian Rd.
Davenport
Eglinton
York Mills

Two bus trips will operate on our normal two bus schedule, with the regular drop off schedule (Bus 1 – Queen’s Quay/Indian Rd/Hwy 7; Bus 2 – Yonge stops). Sunday will remain on the normal drop off schedule. All pick up and drop off times will be communicated via email and on the status page for every day trip. Be sure to check it before you go.