by Armand Gutierrez, President  

It’s November and we’re all thinking that ski season is around the corner. I’ve never skied in November because there just hasn’t been enough snow to make it a worthwhile 4-hour drive to Tahoe. And sometimes December can be on the bleak side as well. But let’s hope for the best and that the rains and cold weather blanket our favorite Tahoe resorts with a grand coating of snow.

Warren Miller Movie

If you need to get an early skiing fix then you can attend the showing of Sno-Ciety at the Pruneyard Cinema in San Jose. The Pruneyard Cinema is a small theater with large comfortable seats and you can enjoy dinner at the same time. Show times are as follows:

• Nov 18, Tuesday, 6:30pm and 9:00pm
• Dec 16, Tuesday, 6:30pm and 9:00pm
• Location: The Pruneyard Cinemas, $22
• https://warrenmiller.com/events/pruneyard-cinema

You will need to go the website to reserve and purchase your seats.

Where To Ski Over Thanksgiving

The big event in November is Thanksgiving and that brings up plans for heading to the slopes for some Thanksgiving weekend skiing. But, the big question is – will there be enough snow?  OK, he’s not exactly a turkey, but a skiing ostrich is awesome!

• November 21 – Heavenly Valley
• November 21 – Northstar
• November 26 – Palisades/Alpine
• December 5 – Kirkwood
• No Date Provided – Mt. Rose

FWSA Digital Membership Card

The FWSA digital membership card is now available as a downloadable card and can be accessed at this link:

https://fwsa.org/handlers/celinks.ashx?id=68874. You can customize the card with your name, club name, and council (Bay Area Sports Council). An FWSA membership card identifies the cardholder as a member of not only their own local club and council, but a member of Far West Ski Association, and entitles the individual to a variety of benefits and discounts including lodging and ski rentals. For more information on FWSA Benefits go to https://www.fwsa.org and click on Member Corner/Benefits.

2026 NSC Ski Week to Park City, 7-14 February

The Park City trip is fully booked with 34 Park City Warriors occupying nine condos. Now all we have to wait for is Mother Nature to provide the snowfall for the season.

Questions: contact president@niseiskiclub.org

QotM: The truth has no defense against a fool determined to believe a lie. – Mark Twain

By Armand Gutierrez, presidente de membresía

Going into November we reached a milestone that I haven’t seen in a number of years: our 100^th member! And with the following new members our new member headcount goes up to 37 (another milestone). So how did we accomplish the increase in membership? I would like to say that it’s been the hard work of VP Jeanne Katsuro and the non-ski travel trips, the members that have been willing to sponsor the number of events scheduled throughout the non-ski season period, and 10 new members on the Park City ski week trip. Included in the 102 are three new members:

Mary Hutchinson (number 100)

Evelyn & Phillip Chin

by Curtis Otaguro, Board Member

After the Giants were roughed up by the Dodgers in a home series back in July, I was hesitant to attend the NSC event, REPEAT PERFORMANCE – SF Giants VS LA Dodgers on Sunday, September 14.  However, a late surge by the Giants lifted my spirits, so I decided to go at the last minute along with my baseball buddy, Steve.  We joined 18 family and friends for the finale of the weekend series at Oracle Park.  The first game of the series started off with a bang on Friday night, when Patrick Bailey hit a walk-off grand slam to beat the bums, 5-1.  Unfortunately, the Giants could not ride that momentum, losing 13-7 on Saturday, setting up the rubber match on Sunday.  Could the Giants take the series by winning the final?

Steve and I had an early start on Sunday, riding Caltrain to the ballpark arriving early at around 10:00 am, so we could get our free Willy Adames t-shirt.  After the gates opened at 11:00 am, we headed to the View Reserve level to meet the NSC gang.  No one was there yet, so Steve and I went to hang out in the View Box seats to enjoy the beautiful views of the bay and pleasant warm weather.  A flotilla of kayaks and boats dotted McCovey Cove, eagerly hoping for a splash hit during the game.  We then returned to the food court and met Jeanne and her carpool mates John and Lorraine.  Judy and her extended family, Tina and Arthur, and others soon joined us for a delicious lunch of Oracle Park offerings, including the famous Crazy Crab’z sandwich, Giant Nachos w/ Chicken, and Pita Lamb and Beef Gyros.  Yummy!

With our appetites now sated, it was on to the game!  I was anticipating a great matchup with All-Star Robbie Ray of the Giants facing Tyler Glasnow of the Dodgers.  Ray had a great start, retiring the Dodgers in order in the top of the 1^st inning, including a strikeout of Ohtani.  The Dodgers went ahead in the 2^nd inning, scoring one run.  The Giants answer with one of their own in the bottom half of the inning.  Dodgers scored one more in the 3^rd.  Ray finally faltered in the fifth inning, giving up a walk, single, and a double with the Dodgers scoring another run.  He was replaced by the normally reliable reliever Peguero, but the misery continued with a walk, single and disengagement violation, scoring 2 more runs for the Dodgers, now leading 6-1.  The Dodgers added 2 more in the 6^th inning, increasing the lead to 8-1.  At this point, my fellow NSCers lost hope and started to leave the game, leaving just Steve and me to contend with the obnoxious Dodger fans.  Single runs in the 8^th and 9^th by the Dodgers and a single run by the Giants in the 8^th ended the scoring, with the final score of 10-2.  It seems that the NSC event name, “REPEAT PERFORMANCE” was a harbinger of things to come since the Giants also lost at the first matchup at the NSC Members at the Yard event.  Maybe we should have named the event “BEAT LA” instead!

Although the Giants missed the playoffs again this year, I believe that there are better times ahead with the addition of Devers to the core group (Adames, Chapman, Lee, Webb, Ray) of players and arrival of a new manager that will hopefully get the most from this team.  And NSC will be there so we can see a victory next time!

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) has issued a La Niña Advisory, as La Niña has formed in the tropical Pacific Ocean and is likely to continue through February 2026. La Niña is just one phase of ENSO, or El Niño Southern Oscillation, a global climate system that impacts circulations across the world, influencing the weather.

La Niña is often considered the cool phase of ENSO, because La Niña is when the waters of the tropical Pacific Ocean are cooler than average. This causes dry, sinking air over the tropical Pacific, while air rises near Southeast Asia, leading to more clouds, rain, and storm activity there.

As for the United States and North America, what will La Niña bring for winter this season? It all depends on your location!

Winter this season

The jet stream during a La Niña winter is more variable across North America. It drifts farther north into the northern Pacific. And while it often drifts farther south across the southern United States, there is variability with that location of the jet stream as well.

This sets up a pattern where southern Alaska through western Canada and into the northern plains of the United States will likely end up with cooler and wetter than average weather. Meanwhile, the United States stretching from California through the Gulf Coast and out toward the Carolinas will likely be drier and warmer than average. Areas closer to where the jet stream will meander – typically around the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys – will likely experience wetter than average conditions.

Winter weather outlook

The Climate Prediction Center has also released its Winter Weather Outlook for the United States. It is influenced by the fact that La Niña has developed and is expected to continue through February.

Meteorologists and climatologists don’t use astronomical winter for their forecasts and outlooks. The winter solstice – or the astronomical start of winter – is December 21 this year. But it varies from year to year. That’s because it’s tied to when the sun is above the Tropic of Capricorn.

Meteorological winter begins every year on December 1 and runs through the last day of February. This set range is better for temperature and precipitation averages for a season, as the dates are always the same.

So, what’s the CPC’s winter outlook for the United States for December, January and February? It has a good portion of the U.S. outlined in a higher likelihood for warmer-than-average temperatures. This includes California through Texas and the Gulf Coast as well as the southeast and up toward the Mid-Atlantic. The northern plains are the most likely to experience cooler-than-average temperatures.

For precipitation, much of the northern and middle United States has a better chance of experiencing a wetter-than normal winter, with dry weather most likely for the southern half of the country.

These seasonal outlooks are not exact forecasts. La Niña will play a role in what we can expect this winter. But just because an area is expected to be drier than normal doesn’t mean it won’t experience days of rain or even snow. It also means areas expected to be below average may still experience unusually warm days during winter.

This outlook means that through the entire three-month season, this is the most likely scenario. Make sure to stay up to date with your local forecasts through the winter through your local National Weather Service office.

Bottom line: La Niña has developed and should stay in place through February. This will impact what kind of winter we will experience, but it depends on your location.

by Jeanne Katsuro, Vice President

Nisei Ski Club Potluck

Save the Date!

Invite your Friends!

Saturday, January 17, 2026

Starts at 12 Noon

Ends when the Fun Ends!

Miraido Village in San Jose Japantown 550 N 6th Street

Bring a Main Dish or Appetizer

We will take care of the salads, desserts & drinks

Let’s Play Mahjong, Card, Games and Let’s Talk Story!

Email: Subject Line “Potluck” ClassicRock570@aol.com

To let us know that you are coming! ~ Jeanne Katsuro

by Jeanne Katsuro, Vice President

Kingdoms of Southeast Asia Vacation

October 28 – November 15, 2026

Only 21 spaces left

Sign up: Fast!  This is a Very Popular Trip! https://groups.gocollette.com/en-US/link/1337636

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

Figs are baked into an almond batter for this rustic cake to have with coffee or tea. With figs, ripeness is

everything. A ripe fig (the object of your desire) is soft, yielding, beginning to crack, nearly wrinkled.

When you cut into it, the flesh is bright and juicy and the taste is ethereal.

Bon Appetite – Julia Child and Karen Soo share the same birthday.

Makes 1- 9″ cake

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter, melted, plus butter for greasing pan

1 cup natural raw almonds (not blanched) I used almond flour

1/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling

1/4  cup  all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4  teaspoon salt

3 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon almond extract

12 to 14 figs

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan or pie pan; set aside. Put almonds and P4 Cup sugar in a food processor and grind to a coarse powder. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; pulse to combine.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, melted butter, honey and almond extract. Add almond mixture and beat for a minute until batter is just mixed. Pour batter into pan.

3. Remove stem from each fig and cut in half. Arrange fig halves cut- side up over the batter. Its ok to put them closer together. Sprinkle figs with sugar and bake for 30 minutes, until golden outside and dry at center when probed with a cake tester. Cool before serving.

Throw out those diets. Enjoy your Thanksgiving celebration with your family and friends.

by Karen Soo, Trip Director

Check out Warren Miller’s new movie SNO-CIETY

Find out where it is playing in your neighborhood. https://warrenmiller.com/film-tour