by Armand Gutierrez, President  

My week of skiing at Chamonix brought back memories from 2012 and there was plenty of snow. That’s a group photo of us skiing at La Flégère, one of six resorts at Chamonix. After returning from my ski week (and week in Paris/Normandy) I thought I’d be able to get a few more weekends of skiing up at Tahoe. Wrong! After looking at the Northstar, Heavenly, and Palisades webcams it became apparent that my ski season was over. Would it be correct to assume that this ski season was one of the worst for Tahoe? Let’s hope that next season is better than this season.

Here is a list of resort closing dates:

April 12, Northstar

April 19, Heavenly

April 26, Kirkwood

April 26, Mt. Rose

May 24, Mammoth

May 25, Palisades/Alpine Meadows

Keep in mind that the numbers of open lifts/trails are limited.

Upcoming Events

There are a numerous events scheduled for 2026 and a few for 2027. Many thanks to Jeanne Katsuro for putting together a Calendar of Events and those events are now on the Events & Ski Trips tab on the website at: https://www.niseiskiclub.org/events-ski-trips/.

Membership Report

Let’s welcome new member Geoffrey Wong that joined in March and our total is now 114 members.

2027 NSC Ski Week

Plans for Snowmass for 2027 are in progress, with lodging confirmed 6-13 February. The Ikon Pass includes Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, and Buttermilk, and the Ikon Base Pass is good for only Snowmass. So, stay tuned for further developments in the coming months

Use this for Epic passes: https://www.sportsamerica.com/epic-nisei

Use this for Ikon passes: https://www.sportsamerica.com/ikon-nisei (requires a password that will be sent as a separate email).

Board Nominations & Elections

Well, it’s that time again for holding our board nominations and elections for the 2026-2027 season, and an email for making your nominations for the board will soon find its way to your inbox. There is an opening for a regular board member as Joel Hayashida has decided to take a break, so please consider nominating yourself if interested. As you know,volunteers run this club, and without them this club would cease to exist, and it’s been in existence for over 65 years! You are encouraged to take this opportunity to nominate an individual for one, or more, of the board positions. All individuals that accept the nomination(s) will go through an election process in May, and final results will be announced in the June Newsletter. Many of you have served on the board in the past, and your efforts were greatly appreciated and perhaps you would like to join the board again. For those that have never served then perhaps now is the time to consider a board position and provide new ideas and useful experience.

Questions: contact president@niseiskiclub.org

QotM: If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

By Sandy Kiyomura, NSC Member

On February 21, Linda Moran and I joined 70 members of the Hawaii Ski club in Honolulu for their annual trip to Japan. This was my 4^th ski trip to Japan and I had never skied at Rusutsu, (neither had Linda). Hawaii ski club offered the week for $3500, which included air from Honolulu, a 5-star hotel, daily breakfast, 3 group dinners and 5 days of skiing.  I can see why the skiers in Hawaii like Japan. It’s a shorter flight; lift tickets are cheap ($50) and the food Oishi.

Our hotel, the Rusutsu resort was ski in, ski out and had an onsen. These are the requirements for Hawaii ski club when choosing a destination. The Rusutsu resort hotel had a variety of restaurants, and some offered music at night. I especially liked the Hokkaido cream puffs and ice cream. Hokkaido milk is very tasty and makes good ice cream and desserts.

Rusutsu is a small resort made up of 3 “mountains”. I found the skiing challenging, especially since it was icy the first few days. Although there was no fresh powder, the skiing was fun anyway. The views were breath taking and the company better.

Alan Teremura, the group leader provided daily tours. He’s an expert skier and I think my skills improved because of him. Did I mention that there were 8 members from NSC on the trip? Besides Linda and myself, there was Roland Lee and his wife Rosa, Karen Kimura and Sarah Lowe, and Jay Fukuda and Ed Ho from Hawaii.  It was fun skiing with them but also eating and “hanging out”. There was a double decker merry-go-round that Jay and Roland seemed to enjoy. The hotel also had arcade games (for kids big and small). Jay tried out his pitching skills on one and Roland tried “whacking a mole”.

After skiing 5 days, some of us took a trip to Sapporo. The bus ride was 2 hours each way, which gave us only 3 hours to shop and eat. We looked like we were on “the Amazing Race” looking for stores and food.  There was excellent ramen in Ramen Alley.

If you want to ski in Japan, the Hawaii ski club has a trip every year.  Everyone gets a lanyard with their name, a calendar for the week and a yen conversion table.  You also get a Hawaiian print ribbon to put on your helmet so you can recognize fellow club members on the slopes. The members are friendly and I felt welcomed.

PS: I went to Big Sky with them in 2012 and they will be going to Big Sky in 2027.

CHECK OUT THE SLIDE SHOW

by Jeanne Katsuro, Vice President

Meet at Lake Chabot Marina Parking @9:30AM

Please text Jeanne Katsuro 408-569-1415

Join the NSC for a beautiful Bay Area hike at the Lake Chabot Regional Park (East Bay RPD Link), and continue the fun by strolling the Castro Valley Creek Downtown (YouTube Link) zone “après hike” and explore the shops and eateries led by Led by Roland Lee and Judy Hom.

The 3.8-mile loop (396 foot elevation gain) hike that links portions of the Indian Cove, Ten Hills, Cameron Loop, and East Shore trails (AllTrails Chabot3) has gentle hills and refreshing water views.  Along the way, we will see early spring blooms,  trees, the lake, and wildlife!  Park at the Lake Chabot Marina Parking Lot (Lake Chabot Parking Entrance). 

The all-day parking fee is $5 per vehicle and the kiosk accepts major credit cards and quarters.  Carpooling is suggested.  Bring: hat, sunscreen, sturdy shoes, water… 

Downtown Lake Castro activity will be ad hoc with a plan but with a plan subject to change based on group interest.  The plan is to park at the Luckys.

Final details will be provided to signees via email.  Please sign up so that the hike leader can provide last minute fine-tuned details.

by Tina Woo, NSC Member

Saturday, May 9, 2026 from 11:00am – 2:00pm 

Sunnyvale Tennis Center

$20.00 per member

$25.00 for non-members

One of the 4 courts will be designated to teach Beginners how to play

Lessons will be given by intermediate Nisei Players.

Please bring a potluck item to share at 12:30 pm

We’ll play from 11:00-1:00pm – Snack and eat until 2 pm.

The Club will provide pickleballs and water

For more information email Tina Woo pickleball@niseiskiclub.org

Write Check Payable to Nisei Ski Club

Send check to Nisei Ski Club c/o Tina Woo, 21577 Villa Maria Court, Cupertino, CA 95014

by Judy Hom , NSC Member

Do you love mahjong? If you’re looking for somebody to play with, want more practice, or just learn how to play, then sign up for the NSC Mahjong event and potluck! Our coaches can teach newbies the basics and give tips to people who already know how to play.

We focus on the Cantonese style where we play with 13 tiles and flowers. We will explain how to score, both HK and Classical Chinese scoring. If mahjong is on your bucket list, then sign-up! We know that all NSC members like to eat so this is also a potluck event. 

For more information Email Judy at mahjong@niseiskiclub.org

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

These Italian almond cookies are one of the simplest and most delicious cookies. They’re soft, naturally oil-free, easy to make in just one bowl.

These are gluten-free Italian cookies made with almond flour, which is naturally rich in fiber and protein, gluten-free, and lower in saturated fat—without any added butter or oil.

Best of all, you can make these cookies in one bowl—ready in about 30 minutes, with no special tools required. They’re perfect for sharing with family or guests when you want something quick and homemade. Enjoy!

Bon Appetit – Julia Child and Karen Soo shares the same birthday

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 3 cups almond flour
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar + 3 tablespoons for coating the cookies
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 orange the grated zest

1. Combine Ingredients: Preheat your oven to 340°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper so the cookies don’t stick.

• Put 3 cups almond flour, ⅔ cup powdered sugar, 1 large egg white, 1 tablespoon honey and the grated zest of 1 orange into a bowl.

• Mix the Dough: Stir with a spoon, then use your hand to gently squeeze and pinch the mixture. It will look dry at first—this is normal! Keep squeezing until it comes together into one ball.

• If it still won’t stick after about a minute, add a tiny bit more egg white.

• Shape: Sprinkle 3 tablespoons powdered sugar onto a plate.

• Break off pieces of dough and roll them into small balls (you should get 15 balls—about 1 ounce). Roll each ball in the powdered sugar.

• Press and Bake: Place balls on the baking sheet, then gently press your thumb into the center so the edges crack a little.

• Bake at 340°F for 12 minutes. The cookies should stay pale and soft and will not spread. Let them cool before eating—this helps them set and taste their best.