Lots of information and photos this month about the upcoming ski season, ski trips, the annual picnic, and restaurants in the area. Enjoy your reading!

by Armand Gutierrez, President

Are the Hot August Days and Nights going to extend into September? Much of that depends on how quickly the raging infernos in Northern California and the Sierra foothills can be extinguished and let Nature’s air conditioner roll in and bring that cool, moist, onshore winds to clear our smoky skies. As we do roll into September it’s time to think about the upcoming ski season and what to expect in terms of pandemic-related restrictions.

NSC Annual Membership Meeting and Luau Picnic

The NSC Annual Membership Meeting and Luau Picnic took place on Sunday, 29 August and was well attended, and we were blessed with a comfortable, mild afternoon with just a hint of a breeze. As usual, there was a variety of cuisine that would satisfy the most discriminating palates.

National Ski Council Federation Report (NSCF)

The National Ski Council Federation (https://skifederation.org) was formally established in 1999, and consists of the largest 30 ski councils in the United States and boasts a total membership of approximately 300,000 snow sports enthusiasts. Our local Bay Area Ski Council (BAC) is a member of the NSCF.

In June I attended the NSCF meeting, via Zoom, and picked up the latest information from various ski resorts, ski-related industries, and travel organizations. See the accompanying article for details on what was discussed regarding the upcoming ski season.

2022 NSC Ski Week to Steamboat, CO

The Steamboat trip is fully booked, and a waitlist has been created for one late-signer and possible additional signups. And at our annual picnic there were several members that expressed an interest in going on the trip.

Steamboat is on the Ikon Pass, and is also good for Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows. Here is what you need to know about the Ikon and Epic Passes for the Steamboat trip:

• Purchase an Ikon Pass (Squaw/Alpine) from Sports America and receive a:
  • $30 trip discount for an Ikon Base Pass, or 
  • $50 trip discount for an Ikon Pass.
  • Go to this link to purchase: : www.sportsamerica.com/ikon-nisei.
  • The Ikon Base Pass is good for five days skiing at Steamboat.

• Purchase an Epic Pass (Northstar, Heavenly, Kirkwood) from Sports America and receive a:
  • $30 trip discount for an Epic Local Pass, or 
  • $50 trip discount for an Epic Pass
  • Go to this link to purchase: www.sportsamerica.com/epic-nisei.
  • Epic passes cannot be used at Steamboat.

• Purchase both the Ikon/Epic passes and you will receive a combination trip discount based on the type of passes you purchase.

If you have any questions about either of the passes then drop me a line at president@niseiskiclub.org.

QotM: Followers want to be liked; leaders don’t give a damn – Ed Alzate.

by Karen Soo, Membership Chair

Another successful Hawaiian Luau picnic at Las Palmas Park is in the books. This was Nisei Ski Club’s first outdoor gathering since our picnic last year was cancelled due to the pandemic!

With the wildfires near South Lake Tahoe creating smoky conditions, we thought our picnic was going to be a bust. Adding to that, the day before was a scorcher with temperatures well in the 100s.

So, we tried to get the word out to start the picnic earlier. As it turns out, the weather was beautiful and sunny. A nice breeze in the shade helped to lower the temperature. The air quality was moderate and quite clear.  

Thirty past and present Nisei Ski Club members showed up, bringing plenty of food to share. We had vegetarian sandwiches, chicken wings, BBQ ribs, hot dogs, chicken salad, chili, pulled pork, roast pork buns, fried rice and plenty of pasta salads. And don’t forget the dessert and chilled watermelon. A big thank you to those who brought something to share. No one went home hungry.

We decided not to proceed with the LEFT, RIGHT, CENTER game because of the fear of multiple handling of dollar bills from person to person.  

Everyone had a good time gathering and catching up. If you think about it, it’s been over year and a half since we’ve seen some of our members in person.  The talk of the day was about who was going on the Steamboat trip. The trip is now filled. If you are still thinking about going, please send in your deposit so we can add you to the waiting list.

Look for future Nisei Ski Club events which include a Zoom cooking class and a bicycle ride in October / November.  

Be safe all. Keep wearing those masks if you are in an indoor group setting. 

by Armand Gutierrez, President

On June 29^th I attended the NSCF monthly meeting as a rep for BAC. The purpose of the meeting was to present and discuss various topics regarding the 2021-2022 ski season, both domestic and overseas venues. Major speakers included:

• Adam Feehan (Alterra Mountain, Ikon Pass))
• Stephen Hall (Skigroup.net owner, travel agent)
• Gloria Woods (ski.com, travel agent/resources)
• Colin (Sun Peaks)
• Larry Young (Steamboat)

Here are some of the major highlights from that discussion:

Resort Operations

1. Resorts will be returning back to pre-COVID conditions, although masks may be required based on current conditions. 
2. Online food ordering will remain for “to go” orders, and possibly no reservations in restaurants.
3. Some resorts are limiting groups because there is more revenue on individual sales. 
4. Staffing is becoming a challenge due to VISA requirements. There is also a housing shortage for employees.
5. It is anticipated that American/Canadian borders will be open, possibly with COVID restrictions. 
6. Airlines/Ski Resorts are imposing non-refundable deposits, same with Ikon/Epic passes.
7. Big resorts may want smaller groups, small resorts want bigger groups. Some resorts are going to be more restrictive in limiting lift ticket sales.
8. AirBNB/VRBO are becoming more predominate and this could result in a possible shrinking of lodging availability in the next 1-2 years.  Ski resorts rely on a variety of house availability for their staff. Any shortage in housing will impact hiring staff.

Lift Ticket Sales

1. There will be a variety of lift ticket options, and online purchases will be non-refundable. 
2. Dynamic ski lift pricing based on demand will continue.
3. Reservation systems will continue to be used and the best prices will be from online purchasing. 

Trip Insurance

Trip Insurance is designed to reimburse you in the event that you have to cancel due to illness or bodily harm (e.g. broken arm, sprained ankle, etc.) prior to the trip. Most policies do not cover COVID. Specifically, policies will NOT cover if you cancel a trip because you think you might get COVID, only if you actually get COVID before the trip.  Bottom line: read the fine print on any insurance policy before purchasing.

by Hoyt Nelson, Board Member-at-Large

Indoor dining is picking up around here.  Some places have reduced hours or have gone out of business, but I recommend the experience in general.  They are frequently almost empty and haven’t lost quality. Many offer outdoor seating.  Call to see when they are open, however.  

Our experience with some South Bay Japanese restaurants is that they change or go out of business.  There are some, like Gombei in SJ Japan Town and Yuki Sushi (at Pruneridge and Winchester in Santa Clara) that are consistently good, but even some of the reliable old places like Azuma on Stevens Creek seem (to us) have lost some of their luster.  Over the last several months however, we have eaten several great meals at Suro Sushi Grill about .3 mi. south of 280 on Saratoga Ave in San Jose.  They specialize in fancy rolls (which are good) but we prefer the standards like tempura, nigiri, donburi, etc.  Where Suro shines for us is the bento.  The tempura is not at all greasy and the sashimi is excellent and very generous.  My only complaint is that on two consecutive trips, the tea was good, but not hot.  Prices are fairly reasonable and the atmosphere is nice. 

We recently found Joy Dumpling on S. Blaney at Bollinger in San Jose.  In spite of their name, they have relatively few actual dumplings on the menu, but they are good and we were impressed with their quality.  We will return.  Still on our list to try are two places with the same name in SJ: Scott’s Seafood Chowder at 111 W. St. John and at 200 S 1^st in San Jose.  They are associated with the old Scott’s, but are supposed to be more casual and a little less expensive.  NOLO in Palo Alto was our favorite New Orleans eatery, but in the last couple of years, have dropped some of our favorite menu items.  We tried Bywater in Los Gatos (another New Orleans place) about 2 yrs ago on Santa Cruz Ave..  They only have a few of the old standards, but they aren’t as expensive as many Los Gatos places and are pretty good.  While in that area, don’t forget the Indo Café in Saratoga.  It’s amazing that it’s doing so well in such a hard-to-find location but I think it’s the best Indonesian restaurant in S Bay area.  

Check out my Google Drive section on restaurants for more info and contact me by email (hoiytnelson6@gmail.com) if you have specific questions. I will also send you my links to restaurant segment and other sections (so you won’t want to copy a random 24 letter address into your browser address bar).

As always, please send me info on your favorite places.  I always have my antenna up for interesting places..

There is still space available – Solden, Austria will be the setting for the 2022 International Ski Week.  Dates are February 26 – March 5^th and will include 7 nights lodging at the 4-Star Tyrolerhof Hotel, including daily breakfast & dinner at the hotel.  We’ll be offering an optional day tour during the week if one chooses to explore the local culture. There will be an extension to the Black Forest, Germany, March 5-11, 2022.  If one chooses to not go to Solden, but wants to do the Black Forest extension, we will fly you from the US to join us for the extension trip – we call this the “Stand Alone” trip.  For more information, contact Debbie Stewart, VP of International Travel:  fwsaintltravel@prodigy.net.

contributed by Roland Lee

Continuing the Japanese tradition of care and support for Seniors, the Kimochi Center has provided culturally sensitive, Japanese language-based programs and services to 3,000 Bay Area seniors and their families each year. 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of this valuable center! Services include transportation; referral and outreach services; health and consumer education seminars; healthy aging and senior center activities; social services; congregate and home delivered meals; in-home support services; adult social day care; 24-hour residential and respite care. Operating since 1971, there are Kimochi Center facilities in San Mateo and San Francisco.

On FRIDAY OCTOBER 29, 2021, a raffle drawing will be held to raise funds for the Kimochi Centers. The raffle tickets, at $10 apiece or 6 for $50.00 will give you a chance to win TWO roundtrip tickets to Japan, Korea, Hawaii, Spain, or New York City! Tickets are good for two years.

Please e-mail me if you are interested: Rolandlee3@gmail.com, and I will give you information about how to get your tickets. Click on this link for the flyer. Please call Diane Noguchi, Assistant to Executive Director at Kimochi if you have other questions or would like to schedule a visit. (1715 Buchanan Street, SF 94115)