High Park Ski Club Blog

HPSC’s snowshoeing program has grown in the last few years. There are many reasons to choose snowshoeing – it’s a less intense physical activity than skiing, but still a good workout; you really get in the forest and up close and personal with nature; and it’s a fun social activity. Best of all it gets you outside and moving in the winter! We have many members who both snowshoe and ski.

While you can certainly snowshoe on your own, it’s definitely more fun in a group. And beginners who are unfamiliar with the trails definitely feel more comfortable being led by someone more experienced. If you’ve been snowshoeing with the club for a few years now, please consider becoming a snowshoe leader!

No special training beyond experience snowshoeing with the club is needed (and perhaps the ability to read the resort maps!). If you are going to snowshoe anyway, why not lead a group? The more leaders that we have, the more, and varied, experiences we can offer to club members – we can have groups that go at different paces and do routes of varying difficulty. This is not a big commitment – you can do as many or as few as you want.

We are happy to have new volunteers work with an experienced guide the first time.

Snowshoe leaders are recognized with complimentary bus and trail fees for the trip on which they are guiding.

The club runs on volunteers and more hands mean lighter work for everyone! If you are interested in volunteering, please contact crosscountry@hpsc.ca and we’ll connect you with our head guide and snowshoe coordinator.

Joining a club trip can be intimidating when you’re new. We’re here to help! If you’re preparing to come out on your first day trip with us, here is how you can expect your day to unfold. Note that times are approximate as they depend on how far the resort is from Toronto. But it gives you the general idea.

745am-845am

• Get to your bus stop. You can find out locations here. Pick up times are communicated on the status page (log in to see it) and the email that is sent to all participants on Friday. Arrive 10 minutes early as the pick up times are departure times. Don’t be shy; introduce yourself to the others waiting.
• When the bus arrives, stow your skis below the bus and get on with your bag(s) and ski boots.
• Choose a seat. You will sit in the same seat on the way back.

845am-1030am

• Once all skiers are on the bus and we are on the highway, the bus captain will make announcements about the day.
• The bus captain will then come around and check off your name and ensure that you are registered correctly for the activities you want to do. If not, you may owe money (to be paid online after the trip) or you may be owed a refund.
• The ski school director of the day will come around and confirm lessons. If you didn’t sign up in advance, we will try to fit you in, but we can’t make any guarantees as lessons are popular.
• As we approach the resort, the bus captain will make more announcements, confirming the facilities that are available, departure times etc..

1030am-1100am

• Upon arrival, the renters get off with a designated instructor and go get their equipment. The bus captain goes inside to get the trail passes. Everyone else remains on the bus. There are  a couple exceptions to this; listen to the bus captains’ instructions.
• The bus captain returns, and everyone gets off the bus, collects their trail pass from the bus captain and equipment from under the bus, and heads to the chalet.
• Find a place inside to put your bags and get ready. Ask other members if you aren’t sure where you can store bags. Sometimes we have our own room, other times we are with the general public. Cross-country resorts are generally very safe; while you should carry valuables with you (i.e., wallet, phone), theft is rare. There are a couple resorts where we need to store our bags on the bus (but generally you can take your stuff inside, get ready, and then bring it back out).
• Students and snowshoers meet their instructors/guide in front of the chalet approx. 30 mins after arrival. Not taking lessons? Go ski!

11:00am-1230pm

• Lessons, followed by lunch. Most resorts have indoor space to eat; if not, the bus will be available for lunch.

1230pm-4:30pm

• Free ski time!
• The bus leaves promptly at 430pm. Be sure you are back to the chalet in enough time to get ready and be on the bus by 425pm.
• Put your equipment in the marked return bin (based on where you are getting off the bus), sit in the same seat you were in on the way up, and enjoy the ride home! The bus captain will make announcements about the upcoming weekend.

If you are new and have additional questions, see our FAQ.

Get ready for yet another year of fun cross-country ski races! Our race program may have been competitive in the past, but now it’s all about fun. Test your skills with a group of your closest ski friends and maybe win a prize in the process. Bonus: prizes are by draw, not by finishing time! We encourage wide participation, but you should be able to move around the trail for at least a few kms (even if it’s not particularly fast!).

Look out for these events throughout the season…

Race #1: Fourth Annual Frisbee Biathlon! Probably our most popular race of the season, we kick off the race program with our frisbee biathlon at Highlands Nordic on Jan. 4. The race director creates team of two. One person skis a very short sprint track, then you play frisbee! If you drop the frisbee, you have to do a penalty lap before your partner can ski. Fast skiing doesn’t matter…it’s all in the frisbee throwing.

Race #2: Return to Hardwood (Freestyle). On Jan. 12, we will have our first race at Hardwood since the devastating fire they had a couple years ago. Let’s celebrate our return with a freestyle race. Choose classic or skate and test yourself on a relatively short course (4kmish).

Race #3: Fourth Annual Pine Trail Classic at Wasaga. Your race director’s favourite race, this 3kmish classic race starts and ends at the fire shelter and takes you along the rolling hills of the beautiful Pine trail. Classic skiing only. Will this be the year no one gets lost? Probably not. January 18.

Race #4: Crossover Day Scavenger Hunt Race! On Jan. 25, join us for a fun team-based scavenger hunt race on the upper trails (the section with the lookout etc.). Solve clues along the way to find your way to the finish. Smarts and map skills probably outweigh fast skiing!

Race #5: First Annual Beginner/Advanced Spring Fling Costume Race. We close out the season on Mar. 8 at Horseshoe where we will do our annual beginner/advanced day (choose your own adventure – one course is shorter and flatter, the other longer and hillier) but with an added costume element! Celebrate spring in style and get bonus points if you ski in costume. Extra bonus points for the best costume!

There are often random bonus points given for ridiculous reasons and if you participate in one of these events, you will get an invite to our fun end of year party!

A couple of your HPSC instructors were treated to a wonderful day of skiing Nov. 16 at Scenic Caves…earliest start date ever, and it was like mid-January conditions! We hope this bodes well for a very snowy winter.

If you want to ski before Christmas, we’ve got four chances for you to get out on the trails!

We’re running our early December trips with our downhill friends. We’ve got trips on Dec. 14/15 and Dec. 21/22. Dec. 14/15 will be run on the XC pick up schedule, and Dec. 21/22 will be run on the downhill schedule (so earlier than normal but worth it to ski!). 

We have XC modules up for informational purposes, but you will register for the trips on the downhill modules. Read the XC module information so you know how to register properly. Once you get over to the downhill module, check “none” under lift ticket and “XC ski $30” under bus options.

Enjoy!