| 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.  |
President’s Message – Get Ready, Get Set…
The start of the season is just around the corner!
Pre-season is almost over, with our fall SkiFit and Brunch ending for the season last Saturday (thank you to Karen and John and the other volunteers who led the sessions this year) and the Cross-Fit sessions finishing up this weekend (thank you to Michaela and David for organizing this program).
This past Friday we held a very successful New Member and Information night at the Duke of York pub. Over 100 members and potential members registered to attend! Thank you to our Director of Social Activities, Jen Beatty, for all her work in arranging for such a successful event.
The full downhill day trip schedule is now posted. The first scheduled trip is December 9 to Mount St Louis, with a trip to Blue Mountain the next day! Our inaugural overnight trip is the weekend of December 16-17 to Tremblant, with the drive-up portion just before. The initial cross-country trip is Saturday December 30 to celebrate New Years at Scenic Caves. So things are coming up quickly!
As our membership climbs, the best way to attract new members is by word of mouth, so over the next few weeks as we head into the holiday season please tell your family, friends and colleagues about HPSC. As a thank you, when a new member includes who referred them, that members receives a bus voucher. We are looking to hold another Info night for new and potential members in early January.
Coming up quickly as well, is our next social event, the First Tracks holiday dinner, on Friday December 8 at the National Yacht Club. Spots are still available.
This year looks to be one of the best for the club in recent memory, so thank you for being a part of the club and I look forward to meeting many of you this season!
Justin Graham
President, High Park Ski Club
Ski School News – More New Instructors!
| 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. |
Cross-Country 101
Our season (hopefully) launches on Deccember 30! If you are a new member and have a bunch of questions about how the XC trips work, Heather Steel, Director, Cross-Country Skiing, will go over all the essential information and answer your questions virtually on November 23.
Registration is required and limited to 100 participants (as that’s all my Zoom can handle.). All registrants will receive the Zoom link the day before the event.
Returning club members are also welcome to join if you want a refresher, but you may not get much out of it.
Overnight Bus Trips
Our overnight bus trip sign-up night was a big success with virtually all members getting a spot on the trips of their choice. Don’t hesitate to sign up now for any open spots as time is running out for some trips before the space must be released. We still have limited space left on the following trips: Red Mountain, SilverStar (XC or downhill), Ottawa XC, Quebec City ski around (March break Downhill or XC), Killington Vermont, Club Med Charlevoix /Le Massif, and our last Tremblant trip in March. Remember to join the waitlist if your desired trip is full as spots can open up closer to the deadline. Any open spots to match roommates will be posted on Facebook.
For those who have already paid their $100 and have snagged a spot on a trip, be sure to watch for emails from your trip leader with instructions for tour operator deposits now due and balances. Don’t lose your spot on a trip by missing these important notices and taking the required payment actions
President’s Message – Gearing up for the season!
Dear HPSC Friends,
While others complain when we return to Standard Time, I look forward to it. I actually get a bit excited because it means that our season is another step closer! In fact, some of our trip destinations have already opened for the season.
I want to thank all of the volunteers who helped to staff our booth at the Toronto Ski + Snowboard Show – it was a great success. We were able to talk with a wide variety of current and potential members, and with suppliers (and other clubs.)
At the show we were handing out this year’s day trip schedule postcard – which will be uploaded to the website shortly. Just some of the highlights on the downhill side: the first planned trips, conditions permitting of course, are Saturday, December 9 to Mount St Louis, and Sunday, December 10 to Blue Mountain. The first Monday trip is January 8. For midweek skiers, the first Wednesday trip is January 10 to Blue, followed by Alpine the following week. In late February, in place of Wednesday, we will be doing a couple of Thursday trips to Georgian Peaks and Beaver Valley (because these resorts will not be regularly be open on Wednesdays). On the cross-country side, the first scheduled trip is the traditional New Year’s celebration to Scenic Caves on Saturday, December 30.
If you have not been out to SkiFit yet this year, there are just two more Saturdays left. I want to personally thank Karen Evans and John McHutchion for their ongoing leadership in helping members get ready of the season. Karen is now out west at Silver Star, leaving John to lead the next two weeks on his own. One thing that I have been very happy about is the return of our post-exercise brunch in The Grenadier Café. It has been great to catch up with members and share stories and photos of recent travels and discussions regarding the upcoming season.
Due to the high response rate to the upcoming Information night on November 17, we have moved it to a location where we can accommodate more people. The new location is the Duke of York (39 Prince Arthur Street, just off of Bedford Rd. just north of the St. George Subway station). Just as a reminder, for those attending the event we will have some of our fantastic logo wear long sleeve shirts to try on and of course purchase! Hope to see many of you at the event.
On a personal note, as many of you know I am a huge fan of the most successful Toronto pro sports team – the Toronto Argonauts. The Argos have won more championships than all of the other Toronto teams combined! This weekend is the Eastern Final versus Montreal, and hopefully they will be playing in the Grey Cup game in Hamilton on November 19. So I conclude this week’s message with the time honoured cheer – AAARRRGGOOOSSSS!
Justin Graham
President, High Park Ski Club
Ever thought about trying roller skiing?
Roller skiing returns to SkiFit! XC Instructor Andrew will be offering intro lessons Saturday mornings in High Park during SkiFit. He has two pairs of roller skis – one classic and one skate. Both fit NNN boots. He has some extra used NNN boots – sizes 37, 40, 42, 46. There is space for two people per session for those who don’t have their own skis. Registration is mandatory. Email andrewym27182@gmail.com to register or ask any questions.
Safety first: you must wear a helmet, gloves, and ideally have knee and elbow pads. Concrete is hard and it is hard to balance on roller skis at first. We recommend that you are already a decent XC skier and if you are going to use the skate roller ski, already know how to skate ski. At the very least, we recommend a good sense of balance.
Trip Sign-up #4 – Overnight Bus Trips
Our overnight bus trip sign up night is tomorrow, Thursday, October 26 at8pm sharp. We have an exciting line-up of HPSC favourites including a March break trip to Quebec City with 4 days of downhill skiing at local resorts. Many of our trips will also appeal to our Cross-Country crowd. Be logged onto the HPSC website at 8pm sharp for the best selection of trips. Please note that these trips have been set up as group travel with special rates for the types of rooms listed, so other modifications are not allowed. You can choose a ‘No Lifts’ option and single supplement (limited availability), but there is no reduction if you do not take the group bus Please read through the trip details in advance so that you choose the trips that are right for you. The $100 non-refundable deposit guarantees your spot and we will make every attempt to match you with a same sex roommate, if you sign up to share a double room.
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 – Feb 16-19
Quebec City QC ski around– 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
Good luck to everyone!
President’s Message – Aloha!
As I write this, I have just returned to my room from a sunset cruise off of Kaanapali Beach, Maui. But even as I finish up my bucket list trip to Hawaii, I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks for our club. This coming Thursday is our overnight bus trip sign-up night. The great thing about our overnight trips is that there are many more spaces than on charters. I plan on personally registering for the Holiday Valley trip!
This weekend myself and other volunteers will be representing the club at the Toronto Snow Show at the International Centre. If you are at the show, please stop by the HPSC booth and say hello! I personally feel that it is important for the future of our club that we continue to be seen as part of the Ontario snow sport industry. One of the best ways to gain new members is through direct interpersonal communication and that means being at the show.
As we get closer to the actual season, I am looking forward to meeting many of you at club activities including the last few weeks of SkiFit, at an upcoming New Member/Information night in November, as well as the Holiday event in early December. Please keep reading SnoBiz for all updates and announcements.
Just a reminder that our Early Bird renewal price of $155 (+tax) ends next Tuesday. Starting on Wednesday, November 1 the renewal rate reverts back to the full price of $170 (+tax). Please don’t miss out!
If you were wondering, in place of my usual photo, this is the Tiki of Happiness. According to the note “Keep the Happiness Tiki by your side, it will bring happiness and joy to you and others around you.” After the last three years, we finally appear to be getting back to a normal season. I am hoping this Tiki will bring all of us Happiness and Joy this coming season.
Mahalo
Justin Graham
President, High Park Ski Club
President’s Message – A time of thanks!
First off, I would like to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving! And I would like to say thank you for being members of our club. The fall is a very busy time for your club directors, who have been busy over the last months preparing for the upcoming season. We will be announcing schedules over the next month or so, so please continue to read SnoBiz and check our HPSC Facebook group for updates. The club will again be participating in the Toronto Ski & Snowboard show at the International Centre the last weekend of October (October 27-29). Please mark your calendars. One thing that I would like to announce for the upcoming season is that we have been able to negotiate with the bus company so that the deadline for midweek trips will now be Sunday night at 6 pm. For downhill trips on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the registration deadline will remain Tuesday night at 6 pm prior to the trip. One of the best ways for recruiting new members to the club is word of mouth. So please continue to let your friends, family and even strangers you meet know about the club. As a thank you to members who refer someone that joins the club, we will send you a bus voucher. We now have business cards that you can hand out to potential members with club information as well as a place you can put your name to recall who referred them. Please let me know if you would like some. Justin Graham President, High Park Ski Club |