Summer’s half way over!!!  Some kids (and adults) are already going back to school at the end of this month, but you have plenty of time to hit the beaches, do a little angling, go on a famous Hoyte lead hike, or whatever tickles your fancy!

MEMBERSHIP – if you haven’t yet joined or renewed yet, what are you waiting for?  Here’s the membership link >> membership form <<

SUN PEAKS Week Trip – Feb 8-15, 2014 –  2nd largest ski resort in  British Columbia and 3rd largest in all of Canada!  Sun Peaks boasts of 3,678 acres of skiing and almost 3,000 vertical feet of skiing!!!  Dry snow, large vertical, and big terrain!  More info below in Armand’s President’s Message. 

FWSA Week Trip – March 6-15, 2014 – Next season, the Far West Ski Association, of which NSC is a member, is going to Zermatt, Switzerland.  Join Armand on this trip to the land of chocolates, cows, cuckoo clocks and alpine trains!  The Swiss are famous for their trains.  In fact, trains are used en lieu of ski lifts for some of the slopes! For more info: >> FWSA Zermatt Link << . Nota Bene – this is not an NSC event. 

President’s August Message

Summer is gradually coming to an end and fall will soon be upon us. Signs of fall: students returning to school, tree leaves changing from green to yellows and reds, and warm evenings spent outside after a picnic or BBQ. Of course, I’m always thinking about the upcoming ski season. Perhaps that’s because I’m busy with the Sun Peaks trip next February, followed by my Zermatt trip in March. Have you been entertaining thoughts about the upcoming ski season? Will it be a good season with lots of powder and plenty of snow? Or will we head into another drought season? Well, whatever Mother Nature provides us, I’m sure that we’ll all try to make the best of it.

The Mountain View Obon Festival held on July 20-21 was a great success and lots of fun based on the pictures and video that Bill Lee took (thanks Bill). I would like to thank the following members (and a few non-members) for volunteering their time and enthusiasm that contributed to the festival’s success: Angie Fong, Brian Hess, Ken Kato, Bill Lee, Kay Lee, Doris Leung, David Miura, Haruko Nagaishi, Jerry Nishimura , Curtis Otaguro, and David Uyeda. Once again, NSC members have contributed their time to participate in voluntary activities for the local community. (Editor’s note – click on the picture for a video of a young girl’s day of snow cones, duck ponds, bingo and glowing bunnies at this year’s Obon Festival)

The Sun Peaks ski week trip already has eight signups, with six more in the queue, and I’m sure there’ll be more. If you haven’t signed up then now is the time to do so. In order to qualify for lodging and lift ticket discounts we need to get to 20 signups. So get your check outs, fill out the sign-up forms and be part of what should be a great trip.

Membership Activity 

~Da Prez~
The month of July was almost a no-membership month with only one sign-up, which gives us a total of 37 members (just slightly less than the same as last year).  August, September, and October there is typically a rise in membership due to signups for the ski week. However, this year all signups for the ski week need to be completed by September 15th. We still need to double our membership to ensure there will be enough signups for the weekend ski trip for next year. One way of increasing our membership is for someone in our great membership to host an event (e.g. wine tasting, pool party, etc.) so we can invite former members and new members to attend and join the club. Is anybody out there willing to spend some time on hosting an event? The board can help with planning and advertising so let us know if you have an event in mind.

Sun Peaks Ski Week 

Currently we have eight members signed up for the Sun Peaks ski week trip, and I know of at least six more that are planning on signing up. If you’re thinking of going then now is the time to sign up and send in your deposits. Although there are reservations for 32 (I’m very optimistic) we do need a minimum of 20 in order to take advantage of group discounts for lodging and lift tickets.  By September, which is next month, flight reservations will have to be released for unfilled seats. So, if you’ve never been to Sun Peaks don’t miss out on this opportunity to ski someplace different.

I’ve also been informed that there is a shuttle bus that takes you to Revelstoke, which offers Heliskiing and Cat Skiing. Heliskiing is a hoot and should be on your bucket list. Yes, it’s a little pricey at $745, but then the best things in life are usually worth it. You don’t have to be an advanced or expert skier, just a good, solid, intermediate. Heck, half the fun is riding in the helicopter. Cat Skiing is not as expensive as heliskiing but still offers the opportunity to ski on untracked, powdery slopes, and you don’t have to be an advanced skier. 2013-14 rates are $475 and since demand is extremely high reservations are recommended. If interested let me know. At the Panorama trip in 2007 I convinced about 10 NSC members to join me on a wild ride on a helicopter and some great powder skiing.
~Armand~

 

UNTIL Next Month – get out and play! – Ed….