The Tahoe region has received its first decent snowfall and several resorts have already indicated opening dates by the end of November. Weather forecasts look promising as low-pressure systems move in and provide us with rain in the bay area and snow up at Tahoe. Let’s hope Mother Nature comes through with plenty of snow this season.

Code of Conduct

At our last board meeting Brian Hess presented a draft of our new Code of Conduct and was reviewed by the board. The draft was well written and required a few minor changes. At our November board meeting we’ll be reviewing the final copy and then have it published by the December Newsletter.

BAC Winterfest Meeting

This was the 6^th annual winter festival held on Monday, 3 November, and was attended by board members Karen Soo, Curtis Otaguro, Frank Chang, and yours truly. The purpose of the winter festival is to meet with ski resort and industry reps, silent auction and raffle, and enjoy a great dinner with other BAC representatives from bay area ski clubs. Karen Soo won several of the raffle prizes while I got outbid on the Big White and Whitefish ski trips on the silent auction. We also met with reps from Sun Peaks, Whistler/Blackcomb, Mt. Bachelor, Telluride, Homewood, Squaw/Alpine, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Sugarbowl, and Mammoth.

1. Membership Activity

Normally October, and following months, doesn’t usually have new/returning members join but we did get one returning member that wanted to go on the Jackson Hole trip. Yes, there’s still some interest for Jackson Hole but that will probably come to an end now that we’ve passed the deadline for signups. Currently we have 91 members in the club.

I would like to welcome the following returning member:  Eden Wong

2. Jackson Hole Ski Week (24-31 January 2015)

With the latest signup we now have 74 intrepid skiers waiting for the chance to demonstrate their skiing abilities on the slopes of Jackson Hole (Corbet’s Couloir anyone?). Now that the deadline for signups has passed I don’t anticipate any more people signing up, plus the extra airline seats had to be released by the end of October. Although there is room in some of the condos getting an airline seat may be difficult at this time (but still possible). Here are some interesting facts about our trip:

• 41 people departing from SFO
• 33 people opted for Land Only (but some are also departing SFO)
• 3 people are driving
• Out of state members: Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, Hawaii, Nevada, British Columbia, and Mexico

Arrangements for our Farewell Dinner are in progress and I hope to be receiving the souvenir gifts soon so that they can be embroidered with our NSC logo. I’m also planning on having an Orientation Meeting at my house either in December (13^th or 14^th) or January (10^th or 11^th) so keep those weekends available.

Don’t forget to download the Jackson Hole mobile app called JH Tapped. This app provides a comprehensive all-season guide to Jackson Hole and includes webcams, trail maps, weather conditions, and lift status just to name a few. You can download this app for your tablet or smartphone from the Jackson Hole website (http://www.jacksonhole.com). Click on “mobile app” in the top row for a complete description and how to download.

The leaves are starting to change their colors. The air is getting cooler. Football season is on. A good indication that fall is here and the best part… The Giants are heading to the World Series. It’s time to start planning our 2015 weekend trips.

Putting all the holiday obstacles aside (Presidents Day weekend, Daylight Savings, Easter Break) I had narrowed down the weekend dates for 2015. We will have 2 weekend trips. We need 35 people to make our weekend trips happen.

Trip 1 – February 27 – March 1^st (Alpine / Northstar)

Trip 2 – March 13 – 15 (Squaw Valley / Sugar bowl)

Due to rising cost of gas these days, the cost of the weekend trips will go up slightly. We will do our best to keep the prices down.

The weeklong trip to Jackson Hole led by Armand G is at its full capacity with 74 people on the trip.   If you are interested in going, we can only put you on the waiting list.

There are a couple of ski shows coming up in the bay area. Snow Bomb Festival will be held at the following areas.  http://www.snowbomb.com/ski-board-festivals/

• Fort Mason during the weekend of Nov 1 and 2
• San Jose Convention Center weekend of Nov 8^th and 9^th
• Sacramento – Cal Expo Center Nov 15 -16

If you like to attend these shows for free and get the freebies with it. You only need to volunteer for 2 to 3 hours and promote the clubs who are members of BAC. More info to follow.

New Benefits: Nisei Ski Club is a member of the Bay Area Ski Council, which is a member of the Far West Ski Association. With this being said, Sugar Bowl will offer a free CORE pass ($20.00 Value) to all club members who show FWSA membership cards for the 2014-2015 season. I will distribute these cards at the Jackson Hole weeklong trip and weekend trips.

The core pass will help you save on your lift ticket purchases and skip the ticket lines.

All Daily CORE tickets include free membership in the CORE Rewards Program, offering special perks, deals and discounts. Plus Daily CORE pas holders enjoy direct-to-lift convenience so you’ll never have to wait in a ticket line again!

Please email Karen Soo at tripdirector@niseiskiclub.org for more information.

Oy Vey, it’s been a hot start to October. With local temperatures reaching the 90s, it has been hard to think about snow sports, but never fear, winter will arrive.  Outdoor and ski/snowboard stores are actively bringing in snow equipment and clothing.

Speaking of snow gear, the annual SnowBomb festivals will be held in San Francisco’s Fort Mason on November 1-2 followed by the San Jose Convention Center event on November 8-9, concluding in Sacramento on November 15-16.  The SnowBomb festivals are a treasure trove of resort and gear information as well as gear and clothing for sale.

Want to attend for free?  Did I say FREE???, then see President Armand’s October President’s Message for details on volunteering to get a free admission!

MEMBERSHIP and JACKSON HOLE – Want to know how large our memebership has become? Want to see whom are the lastest new members? Updates on Jackson Hole?  Well don’t miss Armand’s October Membership and Jackson Hole Reports.

ROCKRIDGE HIKE RESCHEDULED

New Date Oct 26, 2014

ROCKRIDGE Hike – and last but not least, don’t forget the upcoming Rockridge hike in the Oakland Hills stairway hike on October 26.  See : October 26 Rockridge Hike  for details.

NON NSC EVENTS:

• HOCKEY – San Jose Sharks vs Vancouver Canucks on November 6.
  Ticket purchase deadline is looming – October 9 ticket deadline
  Details in the BAC announcement:  2014 BAC Sharks Game 

  For more info, contact Dennis Heffley (bac.president@skibac.org) or 925-998-4415

• Far West Ski Association 2015 Whistler trip  – for those of you not going on the Jackson Hole trip, consider the FWSA Whistler trip from January 31 through February  7, 2015.  Actually, it would be possible to do BOTH trips as they only overlap by 1 day!
  Details here in : Whistler BAC Flyer – Complete

Happy Halloween to All!

Google 2013 Halloween Doodle