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Fantastic Kick Off to the HPSC Downhill Season!!

HPSC Kick Off and Test Drive MSLM December 7 2019

Hurrah!!! The ski season has begun!!!!!

It was a superb first day for our two buses to travel to Mount St Louis Moonstone on Saturday December 7! Sunny day, hero snow, lots of friends from High Park and many guests, skiers, snowboarders, beginners, experts. December 7th was also our first Test Drive trip of the season with over 25 guests checking out the club.  

On the following Monday, December 9th, a group of dedicated skiers and boarders also initiated the Blue Mountain season for HPSC.  Despite the light rain, it was a fantastic day!  And a little après at the Irish Pub in the village to top off the day, as well as some seasonal music on the bus ride home.  

There are still a number of trips scheduled before the New Year, including this coming weekend to Mount St Louis Moonstone on Saturday and Blue Mountain on Sunday.  Our instructors will be back from their training weekend in Tremblant. So get your shopping done early and avoid the crazy crowds at the mall . . . come skiing instead!  

After Christmas and Boxing Day if you want to test out your new equipment sign up for MSLM on December 28th or come on a special trip to Mansfield Ski Club on Monday December 30th.  

All of the January alpine daytrips are open for registration!

https://hpsc.ca/downhill-trip-registration-page

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Silver white winters…

Silver white winters that melt into springs…These are a few of our favourite things…

Happy winter and holiday season!

We had a blast at the season opening and test drive with the record number of beginners – downhill skiers and snowboarders. Few cross country members and instructors have opened the season at SilverStar’s XC Supercamps. Silver Star is a unique place with champaign powder quality of snow and stunning mountain views for both downhill and cross country skiers. There used to be a lift that would take cross country skiers to the top of the mountain. Our XC Director Heather has reported on Facebook that now XC skiers have to take gondola: DH & XC together for the unforgettable experience! Joint DH & XC trip in March will be fabulous!

Mark your calendars for January 25th and make it your New Years resolution to attend Cross over Day with Wine & Cheese party , when all downhill skiers and snowboarder are invited to join cross country skiers and snowshoers. Join me for the snowshoeing tour, I’ll be guiding the group of Downhill guests.

LAST CHANCE to join waitlist for Tremblant 3 trip, so we can add 2nd bus. We need at least 30 members on the waitlist to add second bus. This is a great chance for new members to finish the first season strong and with the best spring skiing and Apres ski. Cross country skiers and snowshoers are welcome to join the party! Snowshoeing and hiking options are fantastic, you’ll have a chance to have the views from the top of Tremblant mountain. 

Enjoy holidays season and join the day trips we have scheduled for you.

Best wishes,

Stella

HPSC Volunteer President

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XC members take on SilverStar’s XC Supercamp

First day on skis for many of the group! Here we are at the top of the mountain all smiles in the snow. Photo cred: Heather Steel

Amazing early season snow, a huge trail system, mountain views, and top level coaches makes SilverStar’s XC Supercamps an unforgettable experience.

Break time after skiing to the sun at the top of the mountain! Photo cred: Heather Steel

This year, a group of HPSC members – including a number of instructors – got a kick start to their season from Nov. 30-Dec. 8. We participated in the week-long camp, from all-classic beginner to intermediate and advanced combo and advanced all-skate. A couple members even tried their hand at biathlon (the real deal…guns not frisbees!). There is something for everyone here.

Getting pointers from our coach on the trail. Photo cred: Heather Steel

Supercamp places you in small groups depending on your skill level, fitness, and goals. You are led by an experienced instructor (lots of level 4 instructors out in these parts!). Generally instruction takes place in the morning, followed by a hearty lunch, and then ski time with your group in the afternoon. The combo groups do two days classic, two days skate, and one day the choice of the group. They shuttle participants on two days to Sovereign Lake Nordic Club, which has a teaching stadium and beautiful trails. On the final day, we did a fun photo scavenger hunt to close out the week!

The video doesn’t lie! Photo cred: Heather Steel

Being with the same instructor for five days does wonders to improve your technique in a short time, and gives you lots to work on when you go back home and ski through the season. We highly recommend the camps if you want to become a more efficient skier and have a lot of fun doing it.

One of the best parts about SilverStar is taking the gondola up to the top of the mountain! It’s a rare treat for XC skiers to get a ride up! Photo cred: Heather Steel
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XC season officially launches Dec. 28 at Scenic Caves!

Just in case you get lost on the way to champagne, we’ve created this handy map for you! Photo cred: Howard Gibson

While we are running 4 combo trips before Christmas, our first official XC-only trip is Dec. 28 at Scenic Caves. This is our annual New Year’s Eve Celebration, with bubbly in the log cabin at the end of the day.

Look at that view!

Scenic Caves has 27km of trail for classic and skate skiers and 10km of trail for snowshoers. There are trails from beginner to advanced. At the top of the escarpment, you’ll be rewarded with a lovely view of Georgian Bay and Collingwood, and there is a lovely log cabin to enjoy a hot chocolate with friends.

For snowshoers, you can walk to the famous Suspension Bridge, the longest in Ontario! On a clear day, according to Scenic Caves, you can see 10, 000 square kilometers.

This trip offers guided snowshoeing and regular lessons.

Our New Year’s Eve trip last year. Lots of snow!

Join us! Register here.

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A note from a long term member

Hello There Just a thank you note for all the fun I had as a member of HPSC. I’m pretty old and my bones are quite full of holes so I’m giving up my membership with some sadness but deep gratitude for the great lessons, kind people and joy that I had skiing with you. I hope to hold onto the pleasure of being out in the snow in a quieter way and will not miss getting up at 5:30 to catch the bus. Ski safe everyone, keep laughing and have fun!

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Some Small Changes on Downhill Daytrips

Each year your Downhill Daytrips team attempts to improve the overall process of trips.  This year we have a couple of small tweaks to let you know about.

Liberty Village pick up: As previously announced, on two bus trips we will also have a pick-up location in Liberty Village on the west side of Lamport Stadium.  Please see https://www.hpsc.ca/Day-Trip-Pick-Up-Locations

Cashless Buses: Starting this year, Bus Captains will no longer be responsible for collecting cash on the bus for walk-ons or any other money. Any money owed will be recorded and will be billed onto your HPSC account.  You will need to pay the invoice prior to booking for another trip or paid event. 

Dedicated Bin for Ski School Instructors Equipment:  We have always asked that you allow our Instructors to get off the bus first so that they can get started at arranging for ski assessments and lessons.  However, most times they end up pulling off all of the skis from the bus to get to their own.  We are requesting that all Ski Instructors put their skis in a dedicated marked Instructor bin (usually Bin 4).  Members can put their equipment in any of the other available bins on the way to the resort.  On the way home, all skis/boards etc. (including Instructors) should be in the bin for their desired drop off location as is currently done.   

Rowan’s Law – concussion protocol:– In Ontario there is a new law regarding concussion protocols for young adults that all sports programs and sports clubs (such as HPSC) must follow.  All participants in HPSC (members and guests) 25 and younger must sign a waiver indicating an understanding of what they need to do in case of a possible concussion and ways to prevent concussions.  This is the reason that in registration we are asking if you are 25 or younger – it is especially important when you register any guest on a trip that we know if they are under 26 so that we can get them to sign the additional Rowan’s Law waiver. 

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Get some skiing in prior to the New Year!

Can’t wait to get on the hills – Neither can we! After our kick off on December 7, we have scheduled six more trips in December to choose from. 

Midweek Skiing: For those who like to ski mid-week and want to get some extra days in on their 5X7 or Ikon pass, we have a couple of trips to Blue Mountain (Monday December 9; Wednesday December 18). 

Get the Rust Off/Sleep In Days: Do you really want to do a ski assessment on your first run of the year?  For the weekend of December 14 and 15, while our instructors are off on their annual training excursion to Mount Tremblant, we are offering a couple of sleep-in “Get the Rust Off” days to Mount St. Louis and Blue Mountain respectively.  These are combo trips with our Nordic members, and since the entire day will be free skiing we have agreed to use the slightly later Nordic pick-up times (starting at 7:50 from Bloor/Indian Rd.)   Because we are leaving the city off a little later in the morning, we get to stay at the hills a little longer, allowing for more Après time!

Avoid the Crazy Mall Crowds – Go Skiing Instead: Get your shopping done early so you can avoid the crazy crowds at the mall on the last weekend before Christmas and instead enjoy the fairly empty slopes at Mount St Louis and Blue Mountain. December 21 and 22 our instructors will be back, so we are back to our regular trip schedule.

Can’t Wait to Try Out Your New Equipment?: For those who just got new equipment as a gift or on Boxing Day and just can’t wait to try it out, we have scheduled a trip to Mount St Louis on Saturday December 28.   

Avoid the Crowded Holiday Slopes – Ski with Us at Mansfield Ski Club Instead: Our last trip of 2019 is on Monday December 30 when we are off to Mansfield Ski Club for a special treat during the holiday break.  While the other resorts may be crowded with everyone else who just got new equipment, we will be skiing at a private club which prides itself on having fantastic conditions for it’s members and guests. And due to it’s closeness to the GTA we will be starting off a later than normal (first pickup is 8am from Bloor/Indian Rd.), which means of course more Après time in the afternoon.  Celebrate an early New Year with your HPSC friends!    

https://www.hpsc.ca/downhill-trip-registration-page

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Long Trips

Open Trips

The homepage will show an “On Sale” label for a trip with an open seat. But you can add your name to the waitlist for any other trip. Cancellations happen from time to time and members on the waitlist get called first before opening the trip up to others. There is no cost to adding your name to a waitlist.

Charters:

C6 Silver Star, 1 seat for a Male

C7 ClubMed Les Arcs, France 2 seats

Overnight bus trips:

W4 Mt Ste Anne, 10 seats

W7 Lake Placid, 21 seats

W9 Holiday Valley-2, 15 seats

Second Holiday Valley

The 2nd Holiday Valley trip added to the schedule last month is filling up W9 Holiday Valley-2 , Jan 31-Feb 2, 2020. Both Holiday Valley trips leave the city after work on Friday and return early Sunday night. On Saturday night after a great day of skiing you will enjoy the pretty town of Ellicottville, NY. A passport is required, make sure yours is up to date.

Parking for Overnight Trips

If you plan to park at the bus pickup point, you will have to pre-pay online at least 2 days beforehand. There is no option for a cash payment so you cannot arrive at the lot with payment in hand. If you know definitely that you will need parking, you could pay for parking when you register for the trip. You’ll find the parking webpage this way: Login > OUR TRIPS > MY LONG TRIPS > Trip# Payment for Parking. Check the itinerary for the correct parking lot because unlike last season, each trip has a different bus pickup point.

Bill Bates, Director

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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