Buying & Selling Equipment

1. You must wear a mask while in the Highlands Nordic building. Please respect this policy. 
2. There is no cost to put equipment into the ski swap, however 15% of all sales goes to theHighlands Trailblazers Ski Club. All sales are processed through the Highlands Trailblazer Race Society, then cheques are mailed out. 
3. You will need to book a time slot to enter the ski swap. Each time slot will be for 1 hour. Each person entering the swap needs to book a time slot. There will be a $10 charge to book your time slot, which will act as a credit towards your ski swap purchase. There will be an option to “drop in” on Saturday October 31^st, 2020 between 1:45PM to 3:45PM. There is no charge to drop in, although we cannot guarantee when you will be able to enter the swap.
4. The Ski Swap runs from 10AM to 4PM on Saturday, and on Sunday from 9PM to 2PM. Time slots will be spaced out according. 
5. We will start receiving equipment on October 19^th, 2020 at 9:00am. Equipment must be dropped off by 5:00pm on October 28^th, 2020.
6. Any unsold items not picked up by 5:00pm on Sunday November 8^th, 2020 (unless otherwise arranged) will automatically be considered a donation to Highlands Trailblazers.
7. Please refrain from touching or handling merchandise as much as possible unless you plan on making a purchase. 
8. Cleaning procedure. There will be a 15 minute window between each time slot to wipe down equipment, washrooms, clean the high contact areas and tidy up equipment to make it easier to find things. 
9. Due to the high demand of service needs during the ski swap, we are unable to provide binding installs, ski waxing and other in depth ski service “while you wait” during the ski swap. There will be service intake where we can sort out what you need. Any service equipment dropped off during the ski swap will be ready for pick up by Saturday November 7^th, 2020.

Tips For Purchasing Kids Equipment

As we are limited to the number of people we are able to allow in the swap. We suggest recreational classic skiers 10 years and under stay home, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get them set up for season!

Here are some steps that will assist you and our volunteers to get the young skier in your life set up for the winter.

1. Trace your skiers foot on a piece of cardboard or cardstock. This will allow us to compare their foot to the insole of the ski boot. We suggest going a little bigger to get about 2 years of use. Fill the boot with an extra insole, and put on a good ski sock. Once that gets too tight you can take the extra insole out. 
2. Measure up to their shoulder in centimetres. This will be for their ski poles. This measurement is a little taller than the typical ski pole sizing. This sizing would typically get about 2 years of use out of the equipment. If you plan on just using the equipment for 1 season measure up to their armpit. New skiers 5 years and under do not need ski poles.
3. Measure to the top of their head in centimetres. This will be for their skis. Depending on their ability we will choose a ski from head height to 10cm over top of their head. At this age having their weight is not as important. Kids skis are designed to be soft, which means the ski makes more contact with the snow to give them more control. 

How Your Equipment Will Be Prepared – we will assist you

1. Fill out Ski Swap File. Create a code to represent you, with your initials then combine the code and an individual number for each item. 
2. Write out tag each item like the attached picture. Make sure to include your code, size (European), description, and price. Repeat the same information twice on the tag. We can give you a suggested price range, however you must be the one to set the final price. Ski Swap attendees will not be able to barter with the price.
3. Tag each item. Fasten the tag securely to the item. 
4. Keep equipment together! Use an elastic to keep skis together (tape around skis will have to be cut for ski testing). Use tape to keep poles together. Use string to tie boots together, please make sure string is at least 24 inch’s long so that boots can easily be tried on without cutting.

Sample of Ski Swap Tag

tesy

Our Mid-Week Winter Programs are designed to introduce children to cross country skiing, snowshoeing, winter survival skills and winter ecology. Fully certified instructors and staff bring a wealth of experience to our school programs offering an unsurpassed level of quality and expertise.

Please be advised that although Highlands trails are patrolled, it is our policy that students be with an adult at all times.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Winter Program 1: Cross Country Skiing / Snowshoeing

Half Day – $15.00 Per Visit Per Student if 10 or more students

Note: If less than 10 students, public fee rate applies, plus an instructor fee of $40/hour

Either cross-country ski or snowshoe

Skiing:  students have a half-hour lesson in which they learn proper skiing techniques. After the lesson, students, teachers, and parent volunteers explore nature unique to the Niagara Escarpment along our marked trail system. Includes half-day trail fee, ½ hour lesson, and classic no-wax rentals.

Snowshoeing:  per session, the class may choose one of: winter survival, shelter building, predator/prey survival game, wildlife hike, or Trappers and Traders.  Includes trail fee, snowshoe rentals, and snowshoe guide/outdoor interpreter.

Full Day – $20.00 Per Visit Per Student if 10 or more students 
Note: if less than 10 students, public fee rate applies, plus an instructor fee of $40/hour

For each session, students participate in cross country skiing 
for half the day and snowshoe for the other half of the day. 

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Winter Program 2: for grades 1 to 6

Half Day Indoor Curriculum Based program/ Half Day Outdoor Skiing or Snowshoeing

A select number of our core curriculum based, half day Science/Geography/Social Studies programs are now being offered ALL year.  Elementary students from grades 1 to 6, spend half day indoors with hands-on learning as they rotate through a series of dynamic activity centres then the other half day, outdoors on cross-country skis or snowshoes enjoying the beauty of a Canadian Winter.

A list of programs available can be found under “Programs – Outdoor Edcuation”.

Full Day – $20.00 Per Day Per Student – includes all ski/snowshoe rentals
Note: if less than 10 students, public fee rate applies, plus an instructor fee of $40/hour

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Teachers and Volunteers Ski and Snowshoe for FREE.

Please note that we expect volunteers to assist students with skis, snowshoes and with trail supervision.

For safety and proper fit, it is recommended that all participants use the Highlands Nordic rental equipment.

ALL students must attend the classic ski lesson unless a skate lesson has been requested.

Students MUST be able to tie their own boot laces.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Contact:

Have any questions? Want to book a date?

Neal Jankowski (Highlands Program Director)
E-mail: hoec@highlandsnordic.ca
Phone: 1 800 263 5017 or (705) 444 5017

When your trip has been booked

1) Call Highlands Nordic: Confirm final numbers of students, teachers, and parent volunteers. Confirm number of lunch specials. If participating in the ½ day Welcome to Winter program ,we will confirm if your students will be doing snowshoeing or skiing during their first visit.

2) Included in your notice to students, the following list of items they will need to make their day enjoyable:

• Winter Hat
• Sunglasses
• Warm Mitts or Gloves
• Water Bottle
• Warm Socks
• Healthy Snacks
• Layers of Clothing
• Winter Jacket
• Snow Pants
• Lunch (if applicable)

* If involved in the full day program please bring an extra hat, mitts, and socks.

3) Highlands Nordic Inc. will review a list of rules and etiquette on your groups’ first visit. This helps ensure your students’ day is safe and fun. A copy of our Rules and Etiquette will be sent to you along with a final confirmation. In order to invoice each visit with us, we require a teacher to sign off on the number of students in attendance from your school. This helps to ensure an accurate invoice is issued to your school. Upon completion of your school’s elective program or day visit, Highlands Nordic will send/email your school an invoice.

Click on the links below for all your “Electives Pre-Trip” Information.

Responsibility Code

Trail Etiquette

Food Services

View Larger Map

History of Highlands Nordic and Highlands Outdoor Education Centre

Highlands Nordic, owned by Larry Sinclair and the Sinclair family, started as a Cross Country Ski Centre located in the Member’s Clubhouse at Duntroon Highlands Golf Club in 1992.  Highlands Nordic built its own lodge in 1997 on one hundred acres of Niagara Escarpment property, which is a UNESCO Biosphere reserve.  Highlands acquired another 100 acres of property in 2003 and has expanded its ski trails to 23km.  By 2013, an additional 7 km of snowshoe only, trails were in use.

Highlands Nordic is not only one of the top Nordic ski centres in Ontario, but now hosts an Outdoor Education Centre, and Highlands Wilderness Day Camp, making Highlands Nordic a well known, year round facility.

Highlands Outdoor Education Centre (also known as HOEC) started as a pond and sensory stroll program for kindergarten students in the year 2000.  Over the years, HOEC has expanded to include programs for all elementary grades.  HOEC’s programs are based on the Science and Technology, Health and Physical Education, and Social Studies, History and Geography strands of the Ontario Education Curriculum guidelines.

Highlands Outdoor Education Centre is a for-profit program run by Highlands Nordic Inc., which is an Ontario Incorporated Business.