| Unfortunately, COVID and other respiratory illnesses are clearly still with us. While this will not deter our plans for a more normal ski season, it still must be acknowledged. The bus is the one indoor area that the club has full control over. As such, we made the decision and communicated numerous times during the fall, that we are leaving the mask mandate on the bus in place for this year. This requirement is also stated on all trip descriptions. Given the unpredictability of case counts, we did not want to have to reimpose masks if public health rules reverted back. Many of you have received every COVID shot available to you; however, there are others who have not. While it was extremely important last season, requiring proof of vaccination was a huge undertaking for a volunteer club. Given that there is currently no recognized number of what is considered as the effective vaccination level and the proportion with booster shots is not as high as the initial shots, retaining masks on the bus is the most basic level of protection we could insist on. We apologize for any inconvenience, but this is the club policy for the current season. Those who contravene the policy may face club disciplinary action. Justin Graham President, High Park Ski Club |
President’s Message – Welcome to a New Year!
Dear HPSC Friends:
I hope everyone had a fantastic and restful holiday season and is looking forward to a great HPSC season.
This week marks the return to a more normal season – including the recent weather. While we would all love to have full snow cover and consistent lower temperatures, historically, especially here in Toronto, that has not always been the case. A thaw in January is actually very common. This is why ski resorts start as early as possible making snow to build up a base (and pack it down) to help withstand warmer temperatures and rain.
This brings me to an important point – we do not cancel downhill day trips due to weather unless it severely impacts member safety. (Cross-country is a different case, because rain and especially rain followed by lower temperatures can result in icy trails and be very dangerous for our cross-country members.) We also do not cancel trips based on long-range forecasts – since these can be notoriously unreliable.
The other thing to keep in mind is that the weather/conditions in Toronto rarely reflect the conditions at the resorts. A couple of degrees discrepancy can make a huge difference between rain and snow – just look back to pre-Christmas when Toronto received mostly rain with a little bit of snow, while fairly close, just south of Lake Ontario in the Niagara region was under severe blizzard conditions.
We would all love perfect bluebird ski days every time we go out, however that is not probable, which is why such days are so special. I hope that everyone who is going on this weekend’s trips has a fantastic time!
Justin Graham
President, High Park Ski Club
Welcome More New Instructors!
The Downhill Snow School would like to welcome 7 New Instructors to the team this season! 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 introduce Jackson Huang, Ski Instructor and Carmen Lopez, Snowboard Instructor.
Jackson Huang
Why I became an instructor – My drug of choice is white powder. Ski instructing provides the goods and those to share it with.
Why I love the club – It’s full of addicts like me.
Ski memory: The final run of sensational week of backcountry skiing at Fairy Meadow, before the helicopter flight back to reality in Golden…a perfect run in pristine white.
Carmen Lopez
Hi everyone, my name is Carmen, and I am back with High Park Snow Club as a member and a snowboard instructor for the much anticipated 2022-2023 snow season! My first-time setting foot on a board was in 2000 in Ottawa; shortly after, I gave up my skis to surf the solid slopes. My two most memorable snowboard experiences were with Selkirk Powder outback guided tours at Schweitzer Mountain, Idaho, and split-boarding at Bridger Bowl, Montana.
I have been a certified instructor since 2005, and have enjoyed instructing children, adolescents, and adults, when I have had the time between work, school and travel. This year I have made the commitment to HPSC because they are the friendliest and longest running organized snow club in Toronto, who encourage and expect only the highest standards from their instructors, and who also know how to have a great time! I’m looking forward to meeting the new and returning snowboard enthusiasts, and working alongside the amazing HPSC ski, snowboard and cross-country instructors to make this post-pandemic winter season epic!
President’s Message: Happy Winter Solstice!
Dear HPSC friends,
December 21 is the Winter Solstice – the official beginning of winter. Beginning tomorrow, each day starts to get longer. This time of year most religions and cultures have some sort of holiday or festival that celebrates new life or a rebirth. This year our club is also celebrating a rebirth. Over the last three seasons, we have tried to do what we could to keep our club going, to provide an experience which is at the core of High Park Ski Club. While we still need to be careful, things are feeling much closer to normal than they have been in a long time.
This time of the year also represents the beginning of the most crucial 90 days in the annual HPSC calendar. We work all year long for what happens in the next three months. In the last couple of weeks, we have held our First Tracks Holiday event, our first downhill day trip, our first overnight trip, and day trips have opened for registration.
Our membership numbers continue to grow each day! Over the holidays, please talk to your family and friends about the club and encourage them to join us!
Things are moving forward for what I hope will be one of the best HPSC seasons ever!
Happy Holidays to each and every member!!
Justin Graham
President, High Park Ski Club
Welcome New Instructors!
Bob Casson
Hello, I am a returning instructor at HPSC. I initially joined HPSC in 2001 as my ski buddies were raising families and were not available to do the week long ski trip with the ‘boys’. I started taking lessons to meet fellow skiers and realized that I was not a good technical skier. Over the first few seasons I became friends with many fellow skiers and continued my skill development. With encouragement from the trainers, I took my Level 1. My goal was to have more exposure to improve on my skiing, but initially I did not have the desire to teach. However, once I started teaching, I found that I enjoyed the satisfaction of helping improve one’s ability and the enjoyment of skiing on more challenging terrain regardless of their ability.
I taught for 3 seasons with HPSC, getting my Level 2. An opportunity arose and I was hired to teach at Big White Ski Resort near Kelowna BC. Skiing on a mountain the size of Big White and the expanse of terrain available and the “Okanagan Champagne Powder ” challenged you, especially the daily training sessions helped develop your skill and the number of lessons taught helped fine tune your teaching/skiing.
During my first season, a fellow instructor commented that ‘You should go to Australia’ to which I replied, ‘They have snow there?’. It was often noted that if you want to teach, go to Australia, if you want to ski, go to New Zealand. Wanting to continue working on my teaching, I spent the next 4 seasons at Mt. Hotham in Australia. It is an inverted ski resort with the village at the top of the mountain. The last 2 seasons, I taught 1448 and 1500 students and over 220 lessons per season.
I continued to be involved with various programs at Big White for the next few years. After my 4th season, Josh Foster, the Ski & Board School Director asked me to be his Assistant Director to the Adult side of the Ski & Board School which I continued for the next 11 seasons, before I retired. After 15 seasons, the transient life made my decision to return to Ontario. I had the opportunity to work for one of the best instructors in Canada and my staff made working a joy. With Covid during my last season, I was able to teach more than a handful of lessons a season and it reinforced my enjoyment of teaching.
I look forward to renewing friendships and teaching again to see the smile on their face when they take the next step.
Cheers! Bob
Jay Son
I have been snowboarding for more than 20 years (I can’t believe it has been that long!) and an instructor for about 3 years. I love snowboarding because it makes me fully focused and forget everything else in life while snowboarding. What I like about HPSC is how it has allowed me to meet great people with different backgrounds from the city I live in. By meeting and interacting with other HPSC instructors and members, I feel I have matured as a person and learned how to be respectful to others. 🙂 My favourite ski memory is riding down a slope covered with a lot of powder at Revelstoke Mountain, which felt like riding on silk.
President’s Message – A Time for Thanks…Part Two
Dear HPSC Friends,
As you read this, I will be on my way in Pittsburgh to celebrate American Thanksgiving with my close friend Tricia, her husband and their two girls. Which is why I see this as another time to give thanks.
It is not a stretch to say that the first two years of being President were not exactly what I had envisioned for the club. So a big thank you to all of you who have kept the faith in our club by renewing your membership and to all the new members who have joined this year. And of course, a thank you to those who have talked up our club to your friends and family. Word of mouth is one of our most effective ways of gaining new members!
I also want to thank the returning members, new members, and potential members who came out this fall to our weekly SkiFit. Our final session was this past Saturday. On average we had about 35 to 40 participants each Saturday, which is about the same as pre-pandemic. A thank you also goes out to John McHutchion and Karen Evans for once again leading the sessions, and to all the weekly volunteers for leading the various hiking groups.
As we get closer to the start of the season, there will be a number of announcements from our Downhill and Cross-country teams on Facebook and in SnoBiz regarding their portfolios. Please pay attention and read all the information that is published.
One area we are trying to re-establish as a club are social events, so I am happy to mention that we will be having our First Tracks Holiday Party on December 8th. Please see the article below for more details. I hope to meet as many of you as possible at the party.
On a personal note, as many of you may know I am a huge Toronto Argonaut fan, so I also want to give thanks for our big win in the Grey Cup game this past Sunday. As a point of interest, the Argos now have more championships than all of the other major Toronto sports teams combined!
Cheers!
Justin Graham
President, High Park Ski Club
Basic Information About Concussion
We love to ski! The twists and turns, the pivoting and edging, the thrill of the next hill and run, the fresh outdoors, the thrill of the ride! While we take precautions to ski safely, unfortunately, accidents sometimes do happen. It is good to have some basic information about concussion awareness. We minimize the impact of the severity of any head injury by wearing helmets.
Of note, loss of consciousness is not necessary for a person to have sustained a concussion. While there has been controversy in the scientific community regarding criteria for traumatic brain injury and concussion, what is now commonly accepted is that among several criteria is some alteration in awareness associated with biomechanical forces to the head sufficient to cause neuropathological changes to the brain.
The good news is that for cases of mild concussion/mild traumatic brain injury, the physiological disruptions to the brain (and associated impairments in attention, memory, and information processing speed) generally resolve for the majority of individuals within days or weeks.
Symptoms associated with concussion include (but are not limited to): headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness. As well, there may be impairments in orientation, short term memory, and information processing speed.
As first line responders, ski patrol may ask some basic questions about a person’s awareness and orientation. For example, asking the person’s name, day of the week, birthdate, etc. This information may be of subsequent benefit if further cognitive testing is conducted. The following link shows some of the questions on a standardized assessment of concussion.
https://newburghschools.org/files/departments/athletics/ConcussionTestForm.pdf
Given that loss of consciousness is not a requirement for a determination for sustaining a concussion, it is always good to speak to ski patrol if you have had a fall and hit your head with any sufficient force which you think might be of concern. Remember: in the vast majority of cases, the natural course of events is for the brain to fully heal when there have been minor physiological disruptions.
Jonathan Siegel
HPSC Instructor
Cross-Country Update – Nov. 20, 2022
There is snow on the ground! Some of the resorts up north have opened limited trails. There is no track set yet – and it is definitely rough rock skiing – but it is setting up for hopefully some nice December skiing, which we didn’t have at all last year. Hopefully all this bodes well for great conditions through our season! A few updates as we get closer:
Schedule: We are close to posting the schedule. The resorts are confirmed and we are just scheduling the guided snowshoeing. Stay tuned! It will be posted here by the end of the month. Registration will not open until two weeks prior to the trips. The schedule will indicate when registration for each trip opens.
HPSC XC 101: If you are a new member, join us Dec. 14 for a virtual session to learn all about our policies, procedures, what to expect on trips etc. It will be led by HPSC’s XC director, Heather Steel. Register here. Registration is open until Dec. 13 and is limited to 100 people.
Equipment: A hold over from the pandemic, rentals at a few of the resorts (Hardwood, Horseshoe) are a bit more complicated than in the past (as they require you to pay in advance online, which is fine, but if you don’t show up, you may have difficulty getting your money back). If you are joining us for snowshoeing, we recommend getting a pair of your own snowshoes. They are not expensive and will pay for themselves fairly quickly (and you will avoid all the hassles of renting). MEC has affordable ones, or you can buy online as you don’t need to be fit for them in the same way as skis. Ski gear is more expensive, but if you love it and plan on doing it ~5 times/year, a beginner package will pay for itself over 2-3 seasons (depending on what you get). The more you ski, the more it’s worth it. Of course, if you are new to the sport, it does make sense to rent to see if you actually like it. In Toronto, the best place to visit for equipment is Velotique. You can also visit the pro shops at Hardwood and Highlands. While you can buy gear at other locations (MEC etc.). we feel these three places have the most knowledge about fitting people on skis (which is important to a good ski experience). We have more information on the blog on the types of ski gear and snowshoes .
2022/23 Downhill Day Trips Schedule
We are happy to announce the downhill day trips schedule for the upcoming season!
The coming season has 50 downhill day trips scheduled including a special Family Day trip to Beaver Valley. As in the past we will be following our usual schedule of trips on Saturday to Mount St. Louis (MSLM), Sunday and Monday to Blue Mountain, and Wednesday to the various private clubs.
The first scheduled trips are December 10 to Mount St. Louis and December 11 to Blue Mountain. The first Monday trip is January 9. The Wednesday trips start on January 11. There are three Wednesday trips to Alpine, and two each to Osler and Craigleith, and one to Devil’s Glen and one to Blue Mountain. Later in the season we have a number of TBD Wednesday trips since the private clubs cannot guarantee they will be open.
Final prices for the day trips will be confirmed in the next number of weeks.
Hoping you have a fantastic season!
Last chance to try out roller skiing!
Looking for a way to get in shape for ski season or work on your technique in the off-season? Roller skiing is cross-country ski specific dryland training that will achieve both goals! It’s also a fun sport in its own right.
In conjunction with Ski Fit, HPSC is offering members a chance to try it out in High Park. In small groups (we have four pairs of roller skis), we will cover safety, the basic manoeuvres, how to slow and stop, how to cross uneven pavement, and point out hazards and how to avoid them. We will also cover equipment and where to get it and good places in the city you could ski.
Our last chance to try is
- Oct. 22 9:30-10:15 am
Location: High Park. Meet at the Grenadier Cafe parking lot.
Equipment:
- Bike helmet (mandatory)
- Ski boots (mandatory – see below under booking)
- Gloves (any kind, mandatory)
- Optional, but highly recommended: knee and elbow pads. Spills on concrete can happen leading to scrapes. But we will be doing slow manoeuvres on flat pavement.
Prerequisites: being a current HPSC member (this will be checked), the above equipment, experience skiing on snow (skate and/or classic, whatever roller skiing you want to try), and a desire to learn!
To book your spot: email crosscountry@hpsc.ca with the date you are interested and the type of ski boots you will bring (skate NNN, classic NNN or classic/skate SNS with the older Profil bindings that have one metal bar. If you have SNS bindings with two bars, our roller skis won’t work). If you have your own roller skis, you are welcome to attend. He