~Armand Gutierrez~

2013 is starting out to be a good ski season. As mentioned last month, I made a trip to Tahoe just before the holidays and skied Heavenly and Northstar. Although not all lifts were in operation, the snow conditions made up for that. At Heavenly, there was enough snow to run through the trees and take in some powder runs. At Northstar, the Washoe run on Lookout Mountain had just opened and half the run had 8”-10” of fresh, untracked powder. Well, almost untracked, as I was the third person to go down. It was so sweet that a second run was mandatory!

With all the snowfall up at Tahoe, now is the time to signup for one, two, or three of the trips that have been planned. Karen Soo (trip director) has been working hard on making these trips affordable and fun. The first trip in February is to Squaw and Alpine, and both resorts have plenty of snow. We need your signups to make these trips possible or else they could be cancelled. Last year’s cancellations was understandable due to less-than-desirable snow conditions. But this year is looking real good. So remember why you joined Nisei Ski Club. You joined because the club offered ski trips at great prices, plus you don’t have to drive. So once again, I urge the membership to sign up for a trip (or two), invite a friend (or two), and let’s make this ski season a memorable one.

 Golden Gate Park Dec. 2 by Hoyt Nelson

The rain forecast probably lowered the attendance, but the weather turned out great for 7 of us, led by Karen Soo,  in a tour of the new California Academy  of Sciences in Golden Gate Park.  We got all shook up in an earthquake simulator, craned our necks in the planetarium, climbed up through the giant rain forest enclosure, marveled over the countless fish in the huge aquarium complex downstairs and gazed at the many displays of animals, birds, rocks, etc.  Except for the lack of parking, I believe everyone agreed it was a day well-spent.

Thanks Karen for your continuing support and service to our club.