Archive for category Articles

LET IT SNOW…WE’RE READY TO GO! by Doug Weaver

Trip 2 for Nisei skiers finds new friends on the snow-bus to Reno/Tahoe.

It takes an adventurous sort to make the commitment for spending a weekend on a loooonnnng bus ride… both ways over Donner Summit to the below-freezing enchantment of Lake Tahoe.  But, ahhhh, skiers have that destination-driven gene that makes them seek out the thrills of the hunt for perfect snow, steep trails, short lift lines, and good hot chocolate by the fireside at day’s end. Read the rest of this entry »

Ski & Snowboard with Us for as Low as $89

The Nisei Ski Club is offering you a special deal if you have never been on one of our bus trips and if have never been a member of NSC. If you bring your own roommate, then each of you will pay only $89 for one of our weekend bus trips (normally $135 for members and $160 for non-members). If you don’t have your own roommate, then we can assign one to you and you will pay only $99. Furthermore, if you decide to come back for a second or third trip, you will receive a free membership to NSC for the remainder of the year and you can sign up for the bus trips at the member rate. (Click “read more” below for more details).

Read the rest of this entry »

President’s February Message

Prez Pix 2-10bA happy belated New Year to all of our NSC friends!  As I write this month’s message, the 2010 ski season is in full swing and as this happens to be an El Nino year, the snow reports are encouraging.  On the National ski scene, Colorado and Utah have epic snow.  Finally, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics is set to thrill the world with international winter sports competition.

So far, the NSC kicked off this season with Bus Trip #1 to Squaw Valley on Jan. 8-10.  You can see some details of this trip in an article by NSC newbie, Tammy Lee.

Also, a happy NSC band of brothers and sisters converged on Whistler, British Columbia for our annual weeklong ski trip Jan. 24-31 led by yours truly.  While everyone came home content and exhilarated by the trip to the venue of the upcoming Winter Olympic games, we all felt the rush of the week go by oh so quick.  Stay tuned for next month’s articles on this great trip.

As our country’s president gives a State of the Union address in January this year, I will give a brief “State of the NSC Union” here.  In brief, the past few years have been challenging for our club in that our bus trips have been more difficult to fill.  While we are still a strong organization by most standards, it is time to start aggressively recruiting new members so that new people will inject this grand organization with new blood.  Read the rest of this entry »

NSC Board Elections: It’s Not Too Early to Think About It

I know it seems early for most people, but it really is time to start thinking of who should be on your board of directors next year.  Actually, we should be thinking about it as soon as the previous elections are over.  We should always be on the lookout for people who are energetic and seem to know how to get things done.  If you are one of these people, think about volunteering yourself, as Allen Hu, David Jensen  and Frank Chang did last year.  We welcome new board members without experience and don’t consider it too bold to volunteer.  All we request is a desire to help your club in the following year and in return, you will get a new sense of satisfaction and new friendships with other board members.   So if you are one of these people or know someone who meets these qualifications, please step up and identify yourself.  We also need a few people to be on the nominations committee.Our by-laws state that at least one member who is not already
on the board serve on this committee. To express your interest in the board or to recommend a
potential board member, contact Alice Horio at

What a Way to Start the New Year! (Trip One) by Tammie Lee

tammieMy first trip with NSC was Squaw Valley – a new resort for me, one time Olympic host, a place I’d heard about through friends and the media. One thing I noticed was the high elevation – at 6200 ft the resort entrance was already pretty high up. When I reached the top of the Funitel where my lesson was held,  it was 8200 ft and overlooking the lake at the highest resort I’d visited aside from Heavenly. That day fog covered the Lake, making it appear mysterious. Some of the newcomers in my class had not realized that it was the Lake.

John, the instructor on my first day, taught us how to ski in low-, bumpy, and high-sloped terrain. I was excited and confident to be in the class. We learned to turn our uphill knee out Read the rest of this entry »

What do you call a group of …….?

Owls: A parliament of owls
Parrots: A company of parrots
Partridges: A covey of partridges
Peacock:A muster or ostentation of peacocks
Plovers: A wing or congregation of plovers
Pheasants: A bouquet or nide of pheasants
Rabbits: A nest of rabbits
Rattlesnakes: A rhumba of rattlesnakes

This month’s puzzle

A man walks into a hardware store and picks up an item. He asks the clerk “How much for 1?” The clerk says “Fifty cents”. “How about for 36?” asks the man. “That would be $1.” says the clerk. “Well then, how much for 105?” asks the man. “That would cost $1.50.” says the clerk. What was the man trying to buy?

Too easy? Try this one:
Take 10 objects and place them so that they form 5 rows of 4 objects each. The rows will be all the same length and the spacing between adjacent objects is all the same.

President’s December Message

SLC_Denver_2003 025aSeason’s Greetings from your 2009 NSC Board!   While this has been a challenging year for everyone, the NSC has kept plugging along with our numerous ski and non-ski events and our spirit is running strong.  The Board wishes all members, their friends and family happy holidays and we all look forward to an exciting 2010 ski season kicking off a great year.

The NSC had another successful ski season last season with three Tahoe area weekend bus trips.  Ex Officio, Curtis Otaguro led the NSC to Telluride, CO for a successful weeklong trip.  Karen Soo and Tom Lee led a great long weekend trip to Mammoth Mountain resort in March.  Hoyt Nelson, Dick Wong and Brian Chan led a handful of Bay Area hikes.  In the spring, we had another successful chicken salad sellout at the San Jose Nikkei Matsuri Festival.  We had a great Hawaiian-themed post season event in May.  We tried our hands at Bocce Ball in October, biking south San Jose in September, and even waged on horse racing in November.  Finally, in November, we held our Olympic-themed preseason event and gave out quite a lot of prizes.  There was great food, drink and socializing.  Yes, the NSC held quite a few fun events this year! Read the rest of this entry »

A Day at the Races

racaes IMG_0937aA group of 21 showed up for a fun day of races at Golden Gate Fields. We were greeted by our host and seated at our tables in the upper viewing boxes  The view was perfect. We could see the entire race track, the finish line and the viewing stables where they paraded the horses before the race. The buffet was already open and some of us went for breakfast, and then went back for lunch.. We waited for the lunch menu and studied the racing guide. Better hurry and make my pick.  Post time for the first race was at 10:30.

Read the rest of this entry »

NSC 2010 Ski Season Trips

The snow is falling and the Tahoe resorts already have between 11″ and 16″ of base and more is on the way. Don’t miss out on what is already being considered one of the best Tahoe ski seasons in several years. On top of that, the member prices are only $135 this year.

Trip 1 is on January 8-10, 2019 and is going to Squaw Valley for two days in a row but the deadline is rapidly approaching. Please get your sign-up forms in before December 23, 2009. To incentivize you to sign up early, the first 5 signups for Trip 1 will receive a $5 rebate off the trip, to be given on the bus.

Read the rest of this entry »