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President’s Message – A time of renewal!

Ever since childhood, Labour Day has indicated a change, a new season. While for most of us it is no longer a return to school, there is still a sense of renewal. Speaking of renewal, you should be receiving a message regarding renewing your HPSC membership shortly. This year our regular membership rate remains at $170 (plus HST).  However, if you renew by October 31 the rate is just $155 (plus HST).  

The coming weeks also represent a step up in club activities. September 8 is our next social event being held at The Swan in Bloor West.This is a free event and registration is open. The next day is the start of this season’s SkiFit program in High Park (registration opens September 5).  

Please also mark your calendar for the 2023 AGM on Tuesday, September 19 – we are again holding a hybrid meeting so you can be at the National Yacht Club in person or attend via Zoom. The official notice went out a couple of weeks ago and registration is open. Thank you for all those who have already registered. If you cannot attend in person or virtually, please fill out the proxy form and send to me prior to September 19. It is important that we achieve our quorum to ensure we are able to officially conduct the business of the club.   

The second of three Long Trip Sign up events was held on August 24 for the two Club Med trips. The Peisey Vallandry, France trip sold out within a couple of minutes, while there is still room on the end of season Charlevoix (Le Massif) trip. The remaining charter trips open for registration on Thursday, September 28, while the bus trips open on October 26.

One last thing, when you log into the HPSC website you will also notice a more streamlined setup. We hope that this new arrangement will be more intuitive for members and potential members. I want to thank our Director of Marketing, Rocco Romeo, for taking on this project, our new Director of IT, Peter Kovalchuk, for his expertise, and all of the other Directors for their input and comments. 

I am sincerely looking forward to seeing and speaking with members at our various activities this fall.  

Cheers!

Justin Graham

President, High Park Ski Club

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2024 Charter Trips 

Japan (Tokyo and Niseko) – Jan 11-21 (Due to the popularity of this trip, which filled up within seconds, we will work on a trip for the 2025 season)

Peisey-Vallandry, France: Club Med – (Les Arcs/La Plagne Paradiski) – Jan 20-28

Red Mountain, BC: Josie Hotel – Jan 21-28

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

Silver Star, 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

Gatineau /Ottawa XC: Holiday Inn – (FAMILY DAY WEEKEND) Feb 16-19 

Quebec City, QC: Manoir Victoria – (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

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Club Med Trips Sign-up on August 24

Sign-up for our 2024 Club Med trips (Club Med Paradiski France and Club Med Charlevoix) is almost here!  

While membership renewal opens on September 1, if you were a member in the 2022/23 season, you will be able to log on and sign up August 24. But please note that you will need to renew your membership by the end of September in order to keep your spot on the trip. If you joined after March 1, 2023, your membership is already valid for the 2023/24 season.  

Before August 24, be sure to log on to the HPSC website and become familiar with the sign-up night procedures. Sign-up opens at 8 pm EDT sharp and some trips have been known to fill up within minutes.  

As noted below, the remaining charter trips will open for registration later in September and overnight bus trips in October.  

Detailed descriptions and pricing for most trips are already posted on the HPSC website

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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