Indian Summer is here and while that means warm weather for us Bay Area resident’s, that also means that  the Fall Equinox has passed us and the days are becoming shorting.  This means, if the snow gods are watching over us, SNOW will soon be upon us!  Now is the time for skiers to start thinking about dragging your skis and boards out from your storm and root cellars and  having them serviced.

Ski bindings should be calibrated at least once a year by a certified ski technician.  Snowboard bindings should have their screws checked and tightened, strap and cables, if any, checked for cracks or signs of wear.  If you have rust on your ski or board edges, have them “edged” to remove rust and to put a nice sharp edge on them!  For skis, visually check for check the binding’s  anti-friction device’s (AFD)  condition.  For fixed AFDs, check for cracks or broken pieces. For moveable ones, ensure that they glide smoothly.  If the AFD is damaged or doesn’t operate smoothly, have them replaced.  Do NOT adjust ski bindings yourself even if you think you know the DIN setting.  The DIN setting is only a starting point. When a ski technician calibrates the release, the amount of force required to release the binding is measured and the binding is adjusted until the correct amount of release force is achieved, taking into consideration the skier’s age, weight, skier type and boot sole length.  Lastly, your board or skis will appreciate a nice smooth slippery coat of wax and if necessary, flat filed or stone ground.

Coming events –

• Mountain View Buddhist Temple “Oh What a Night” dance – Saturday, October 19
  • more info : Dance Flyer (Not an NSC event)

• SNOWBOMB  – a festival of : ski area information; learn about the new equipment and clothing;  buy gear; Waren Miller movies; and of course, stop by the NSC booth.
  • Nov 9-10 at AT&T Park San Francisco
  • Nov 23-24 at the San Jose Convention Center
  • Web site: http://www.snowbomb.com/festivals-main/
  • Karen Soo and Curtis Otaguro are volunteering at the SF event and Armand will be staffing an NSC table at the San Jose venue. If interested in helping out, see Armand’s monthly President’s Message for contact information.

Last but definitely not least, we have Armand’s monthly President’s Message and his membership & Sun Peaks report.

See you after Halloween!

~ President Armand Gutierrez ~

Towards the end of September my neighbor came up to me and informed me that it had snowed in Tahoe. Not hearing about this event on the evening news didn’t surprise me because I’m sure the amount of snowfall was most likely insignificant and probably didn’t last long. However, perhaps this can be interpreted as an upcoming winter season with a bountiful snowfall. Yes, this is most encouraging!

Reminders of the upcoming winter season are already bombarding my email. The On The Snow reports are already telling me about testing for the 2014 alpine skis, powder skis, all-mountain skis, rocker skis, bindings, and ski boots as well as snowboards, board bindings and boots.  And I’m sure there will be more articles about winter clothing, lightweight clothing, hats, gloves, and other winter-related accessories. And locally, I’m getting offers from Homewood and Sierra-at-Tahoe to encourage our members to ski at those resorts, which, regrettably, are not on the agenda for our weekend ski trips. So what does all this mean? Ski season is on its way!

Anybody up for some dancing to a live band? This is a reminder that Mountain View Buddhist Temple wants to thank the NSC Obon Festival volunteers for contributing to its success and everyone is cordially invited to their “Oh What A Night” dance, to be held on October 19^th.  There will be live 60’s and 70’s music provided by Somethin’ Else. Details are provided in the flyer, and there is a coverage charge.
See the invite here: “Oh What A Night” flyer .

Coming up in November is the annual Snow Bomb Ski & Snow Festival at ATT Park on 9-10 November and in San Jose on 23-24 November. Volunteer signups will be taking place this month. Karen Soo and Curtis Otaguro are planning on attending the ATT festival and I’m planning on attending the San Jose festival. If you’re interested in attending then send a note to either Karen (tripdirector@niseiskiclub.org) or me (president@niseiskiclub.org).
For more info, see the SnowBomb website: http://www.snowbomb.com/locations_old/san-francisco/

The Sun Peaks trip is progressing smoothly and we have 23 members planning on spending a week of skiing, dining, and absorbing the Canadian hospitality offered by Sun Peaks. I’m looking forward to skiing new territory and quaffing a few Canadian ales.

Membership + Sun Peaks Ski Week Report

Membership Activity

The month of September brought in one new member, one former member, and one returning member, which brings us to a total of 47 members. Once again, these members can be attributed to their signing up for the Sun Peaks ski week trip.  The annual Snow Bomb Ski & Snow Festival will be held at ATT Park and in San Jose in November. This will be an opportunity to showcase what NSC has to offer and potentially sign up new members. We’re looking for volunteers for this event so please contact either Karen Soo (tripdirector@niseiskiclub.org) or me (president@niseiskiclub.org).

Sun Peaks Ski Week

There are 23 members signed up for the Sun Peaks ski week trip, which meets our minimum 20 in order to reap the benefits of lodging and lift ticket discounts. Lodging at the Bear Country condos has been confirmed and final flight bookings will be made in October. The souvenir gifts have been ordered and received, and thanks to Karen Soo for her great assistance in this effort!