~ da N.E. ~

Happy May Day! Did you dance around a Maypole in grade school??  I did!  This pagan ritual is still performed in parts of the United States and Europe. In many European countries, May 1, May Day, is celebrated as labor day, as we do in September here in the U.S.

Don’t confuse “May Day” (2 words) with “Mayday” (one word), the international distress cry for help! Etymologically, “Mayday” is thought to have it’s origins en Français.  In French,  “aider” is the infinitive verb for “to help”, but in French, aider is a reflexive verb, hence (without explaining reflexive French pronouns), “help me” is “me + aider” and is always abbreviated as “m’aider” and is pronounced as “may + day”!!!

Onto club business….

May marks the last month of NSC’s 2013-2014 membership year. So, it’s time to renew your membership for the 2014-2015 year.  See President Armand’s Membership Report + Jackson Hole Report for membership renewal details and the $5 early renewal discount!  You can also glean some preliminary information about next season’s week long trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, home of the Big Red tram where your’s truly has skied some incredible runs in deep powder.  It was also at Jackson Hole where I saw a porcupine waddling along under a chair lift!

NSC in the news; A New Season, Same Old NSC; Code of Conduct – these are topics covered by Armand’s “May, 2014 President’s Message“.  Armand describes how his trip to Sun Peaks, British Columbia, is featured in the National Ski Club Newsletter.  More importantly, Armand discusses issues facing the future of our club and how we might be able to increase our membership and hence, the longevity of our club.  Finally, his President’s Message provides an update on the development of a “Code of Conduct” for NSC.

July 19-20 Mountain View Obon Festival Beer Booth – call for volunteers 

This year’s Mountain View Obon festival will be held on the weekend of July 19-20.  We need volunteers for the beer booth. Come on, all you NSC beer drinkers, time to step up & volunteer!
See Karen’s sign up schedule here : Mountain View Obon Festival.

Fall Creek Hike – date to be determined
While the hike date has yet to be determined, start thinking about Hoyt’s next hike along Fall Creek in Felton’s Henry Cowell State Park. As soon as the date is finalized, it will be published in the NSC website.  In the meantime, here is the hike description: Fall Creek Hike.

Until next month, Happy Trails to You!
Your N.E.

~Da President, Arman Gutierrez ~

Ski season is officially over (unless you’re planning on a trip to Valle Nevado or Bariloche) and June marks the start of the 2014-2015 NSC membership season. As usual, you can take advantage of the $5 membership discount if you sign up and send in your membership form before May 31st.

NSC In The News (Again)

Last month NSC was featured in the BAC website with an article about our ski trip to Sun Peaks, BC. Well, NSC has done it again! In the May-June 2014 issue of the National Ski Club Newsletter (NSCN) there was a short article about our Sun Peaks trip in the “Ideas from other clubs” section. This is not the first time NSC has been featured in the NSCN.  The other time was when we were featured with a two-page write-up for our 2007 Panorama, BC trip. The purpose of the NSCN is to provide a forum for sharing ideas amongst the nation’s ski clubs and the publication is sent to the officers of approximately 2,100 ski clubs. I try to submit relevant articles to BAC and NSCN in order to showcase our trips and get publicity for our club. Alas, a confession must be made because I did not submit this article to NSCN, but a big Thank You goes to whomever did submit it.

A New Season, Same Old NSC?

Some may consider that NSC has reached a point of stagnation with the same board, no new ideas, and a declining membership. Well, it’s hard to dispute those notions, but I would like to think that there are opportunities for NSC to consider that could affect the club.

I’ve been told, and recognize, on many occasions that NSC needs new blood and younger members if the club is to be self-sustaining. As our membership gets older we need to focus on getting younger members that are interested in skiing & snowboarding and participating in NSC events (e.g. hikes, potluck picnics, etc.). On our last weekend ski trip to Tahoe we had a family from the Monterey Ski & Social club join us and they brought their teenage son, and since they hadn’t been to Alpine Meadows before I gave them a morning tour of the ski area. Although the parents preferred the groomed runs it was obvious that the young boy was interested in something a bit more challenging. So, the parents were directed down the groomed runs and their son joined me down several black runs, which he handled fairly well. The next day at Northstar he managed to find all the black runs on the backside and enjoyed skiing so much that he was one of the last ones to return to the bus at the end of the day. So what does this tell me? Perhaps the club should consider allowing parents with kids to join NSC and bring them on our ski trips and other events. This might get more people on the trips and introduce the young folks to NSC, and potentially they would become future members. This subject will be brought up again at one of our future board meetings and I would like to invite anyone interested in joining the discussion to attend that board meeting. Can’t wait that long? Very well, please send in your comments and ideas to any of the board members. Incidentally, our next board meeting will be held at the Texas Roadhouse in Union City on May 18th at 11:30am. Join us for lunch if you can.

Code of Conduct for NSC

Last month there was a discussion about creating a Code of Conduct for NSC. This effort is still in progress and once it gets to a final stage it will be presented to the membership.

~ President Armand Gutierrez ~

Membership Activity

There was no activity for April, which was no surprise. However, May is upon us and it’s time for you early birds to download a membership form and send it to me and be eligible for a $5 discount on the membership. Last year we had a great ski week at Sun Peaks and a great weekend trip to Tahoe. This upcoming 2014-2015 winter, we’re going to Jackson Hole and I’m hoping to get 40 members to go on this trip. Although Tahoe was weak on the snowfall, Jackson Hole had plenty of snow. So get your forms in now and be a part of the 2014-2015 season.
Use this Membership Form link

Jackson Hole Ski Week (24-31 January 2015)

Arrangements for the Jackson Hole ski trip are well on its way. I’ve received preliminary costs from Sports America and once those are finalized look for a flyer in the June newsletter.

~ Karen Soo, Trip Director, Head Beer Barmaid ~

Hello NSCers and friends!  The Mountain View Obon Festival will be upon us before we know it, on the weekend of July 19-20.  NSC will staff the beer booth and we’re looking for volunteers who love beer, meeting people, and enjoy  having a good time!

Below is the current schedule.  If you want to volunteer, please contact me, Karen via email at: tripdirector@niseiskiclub.org

Come on, you NSC beer drinkers!  There are many of you out there!