Armand Gutierrez, NSC President

It looks like 2017 is off to a good start with new snowfall up at Tahoe, and more is predicted in the upcoming weeks. I had planned on getting in a few days of skiing in early December but conditions just weren’t good enough due to limited lift operations and very few open runs. Now that I’m back from spending Christmas with family in New York (actually, Long Island), I’m ready to make up for some lost time. Conditions up at Tahoe look a lot better so I’m planning on getting in my first trip after the New Year’s crowd returns home.

Ski Instructor Course

Ever thought about becoming a certified ski instructor? Well, here’s an opportunity that’s coming up in January for you to take a week-long course on how to become a ski instructor. The course is January 8-13 at Heavenly Ski Resort and total cost is $707. If you’re interested, then you can contact

Heidi Ettlinger, PSIA/AASI-W Education Chair and Course Leader
Email: heidiettlinger@yahoo.com
Phone: 530.318.8661


Snowmass Ski Week 2017

The Snowmass trip is at the end of this month so hopefully everyone has had a chance to get their “ski legs” and be ready for a week of skiing. Aspen Snowmass has been receiving a lot of snow and the majority of lifts are open. By the time we arrive lifts should be in full operation and all runs open. The Snowmass Orientation meeting will be held on Saturday, January 7th so mark your calendars. This will be an opportunity to meet other members on the trip, socialize a bit, and pick-up the souvenir gift. If you didn’t receive the Evite then let me know so you won’t miss this event.

Karen Soo, Trip Director

A very Happy New Year to you and your family! Over 2 feet of snow has fallen in the Lake Tahoe area this past Christmas holiday and we are gearing up to a start of good a ski season.

There is just another month to go before 65 NSC members heads out to Snowmass where they been getting a steady snow fall.Armand will be having his orientation this month and I am planning the Snowmass pot luck for our trip.

NSC is planning its bus trip to the North Shore Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, dates: March 3 -5, 2017. The sign up form is now available on the NSC website. We were able to keep the same cost as last year. If you’re on the Snowmass trip and have the Mountain Collective pass, you will be able to use your pass on the weekend trip. Please send in your money early so we can plan this trip. We need 35 people to make this trip happen.

Date with Warren Miller

Curtis Otaguro, Greg Wong, and I had a date with Warren Miller’s new movie called Here, There & Everywhere, which was shown in Cupertino. We didn’t win any grand prizes but we did get our 2 for 1 lift tickets to Squaw Valley/ Alpine.

Amazon Link

If you need something from Amazon.com, click on the Amazon link, which is located on our Nisei Ski Club website (right hand side). Our club will get a small percentage from your purchases.

Looking for some discounted outdoor gear?

Are you looking for some discounted outdoor gear? All you have to be is 50+ and sign up at Senior Skiing. On the right side of their website, you can sign up for the Promotive deals.

ProMotive.com is the online community for industry experts and influencers. It matches qualified ski members such as yourself with top brands offering exclusive discounts on all your favorite gear.

We’re looking forward to a great season. If you have ideas for a great season, let me know.

Karen aka Trip Director for how many years now?

Sandy Kiyomura

Nisei Ski Club is affiliated with the Bay Area Ski Council. One of the benefits is that our members can purchase lift tickets at the discounted corporate price. You can buy tickets at corporate price of $84.15 instead of the at resort price of $109. That’s a $24.85 savings! For information on how to buy your Mt. Rose tickets, check out the flyer on how to buy your Mt. Rose tickets at the Bay Area corporate price.

Armand Gutierrez, NSC President
 

Ski Season Officially Opens

The ski season has officially begun with numerous resorts opening during the Thanksgiving weekend thanks to a series of snowstorms to hit the Tahoe area. Of course, these resorts have limited lift operations and perhaps only 5% of open terrain. But still, that’s better than no skiing. Let’s pray to the Snowgods for more snow in December.

Mystery Ski Spot

Congratulations to Andrea Stewart and Judy Hom for correctly identifying our Mystery Ski Spot as Sierra-at-Tahoe. It’s been a real long time since I’ve been to Sierra so I couldn’t say where this photo was taken.

Snowmass Ski Week 2017

The Snowmass trip is almost here and hopefully you’ll get in some skiing before the trip. Please send in your final payments no later than December 10th. The Snowmass Orientation meeting will be held on Saturday, January 7th so mark your calendars. This will be an opportunity to meet other members on the trip, socialize a bit, and pick-up the souvenir gift. An Evite will be sent out later in December.

Ride Sharing Service

Last year, Sandy Kiyomura set up a ride sharing service for NSC members to facilitate getting to the slopes with other members. The service is called rideNSC and members can make a post to the group to either offer a ride-sharing opportunity or make a request that you’re interested in joining with somebody that might be going skiing. For information contact Sandy at (skiyomura@gmail.com)

Christmas Greetings

This has been a good year for NSC with the popular Park City/Canyons Trip, numerous hikes, the Week 1 Football pizza social, and what looks like the start of a good ski season. On behalf of the NSC board, I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

Hoyt Nelson, NSC Vice President

Eight of us met up at the Carmel Safeway and drove about 6 miles south to the Soberantes Canyon trail leading to a bluff that overlooked dramatically crashing waves. Next, after a stop for lunch at the north end of the Bixby Bridge, we sampled a bit of the old dirt road that everyone used before the 2 big bridges were built and drove south to at great view of McWay falls at the Julia Pfeifer Burns State Park. A few miles north of there we finally rediscovered the charming Tanbark trail that lead up Partington Creek (closed for about 10 years due to a forest fire in the area). By the time we reached our next hidden trail off Ribera Road just sout of the Carmel Valley Road, it was too dark to continue. So, we went back to the Safeway shopping center and ate dinner at the Rio Grill. Hopefully, people will find this and another gem in downtown Carmel in the future. Maps were handed out at the start.

Ernie Handa passed away on November 19. He was the NSC President during 1970-1971. His memorial service is Sunday, December 11 at 11am. It will be held at the Willow Glen Funeral Home, 1039 Lincoln Avenue, San Jose, CA. For more information and photos, see Ernie Handa’s obituary on Dignity Memorial.

Armand Gutierrez, NSC President

October ended with some long-needed rainfall and now it’s up to November and December to continue that trend. Unfortunately, the recent rains are the product of a leftover typhoon that contained a lot of moisture but not the cold mass of air required for producing snow at our local ski areas. So, let’s hope for a Polar Express, low-pressure system to come in and bless us with snow in the upcoming weeks. Nobody guessed the ski resort in the photo, and the correct answer was Kirkwood.

So, here’s another opportunity to check out your ski resort knowledge by identifying this location.

For those of you that are planning on some early skiing here are the latest opening dates:
Heavenly – November 18
Northstar – November 18
Kirkwood – November 18
Squaw – November 23 (Tram rides only)
Alpine – No date given

Snowmass Ski Week 2017

The Snow mass trip is full with 66 signups. The second payment is due November 10th so be sure to remit your payment if you haven’t already done so. And while the checkbook is open, go ahead and get ahead of the game and make the third payment as well and be fully paid up!

Hoyt Nelson will be leading a hike on Saturday, November 13 to explore hidden places from Monterey to Big Sur. Carmel and Monterey are quite pleasant in the fall and we will explore a number of lesser-known sights in the area. The club last did this hike in March 2009 but some sights were closed at that time.

We meet at my place in Campbell at 9:30. Bring the usual layered clothing, strong hiking shoes, camera, snacks, liquids and lunch. Bathroom facilities are limited to my place, the shopping center at the Carmel Valley Road, and gas stations in Big Sur. Total hiking is less than 3 mi. but at least 100 miles driving. If we all eat in Monterey, we will probably be back to San Jose about 9pm. Due to logistics, this trip is limited to 15 people. Sign-up early so we can figure out car pooling and parking at various stops.

For more details, download the hike flyer.

For more information, contact Hoyt at monterey@niseiskiclub.org.

McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

Election Day is November 8

If you’re registered, make your vote count. Vote on or before Election Day.

Happy Thanskgiving

I particularly like this Thanksgiving Day thought from Dan Lew, your previous newsletter editor. Happy Thanksgiving.

Give thanks for what you have,
Hope for what you don’t have,
Be kind to others,
Help those who are less fortunate than you

Armand Gutierrez, NSC President

The first rains have appeared and snow has been falling in the Tahoe area. Although the early snowfall has only resulted in a slight dusting of that fine, white powder at least it’s a start for what hopefully will be a good winter season. If you’re a seasoned ski veteran then perhaps you can identify the ski resort in the picture (hint: it’s in California). Drop me a line (president@niseiskiclub.org) if you think you know the answer.

Click for a larger picture

Coastal Cleanup

Under the guidance of Judy Hom, members of NSC hit the beach armed with buckets and gloves and convened on Crown Beach to pick up litter and trash. Thanks go to Karen Soo, Sandy Kiyomura, Curtis Otaguro, and Winston Fong for helping to keep our bay area clean and a job well done!

September Pizza Social

The September Pizza Social at The Garret was well attended and everyone had a great time. Fortunately The Garret wasn’t that crowded and we were all able to sit at a big round table and enjoy pizza and beer. Although the intent was to watch a football game most of our time was spent discussing a variety of topics, some NSC-related and some not related. I’m hoping to turn this into an annual event with a Pizza Social for Week 1 of the football season.

Halloween Party

Halloween is this month and that means witches, goblins, and all sorts of creatures of the night. Dave Schultz will be your tour guide to a big neighborhood Halloween party so be sure to read his article.

SnowBomb Shows in October/November

The annual SnowBomb shows are coming up this month and November. The San Jose show will be on October 29^–30 and the San Francisco show on November 5^–6.  We’re looking for volunteers to support the BAC booth at both locations. As a volunteer you get free admission to the SnowBomb event, talk with people about the various clubs that are part of BAC, and do some self-promoting of NSC. Arrive early, or stay later, and visit the other ski-related booths or perhaps pick up something at one of the retail booths that have discounted prices on ski gear. If interested then drop me a line (president@niseiskiclub.org) or Karen Soo (tripdirector@niseskiclub.org).

Snowmass Ski Week 2017

The Snow mass trip is full with 65 signups. This is way more than I was expecting but I’m glad to have such a great turnout for this trip. There is a wait-list for those that are still interested in going on the Snowmass trip.

Karen Soo, Trip Director

Fall is just around corner just as the days are starting to get shorter. I’m not ready to put my golf clubs away but it’s a good time to think about the upcoming ski season. Now is the time to inspect your ski and snowboard equipment and see if there are gouges and scratches that needs to be taken care of. Your equipment deserves a good yearly tune up. Check your local ski shops for early tune up discounts.

Our Snowmass weeklong trip is wrapping up its planning stage with Armand leading the pack. There are 64 attendees. While he is finishing up with that, I’ve been planning our weekend trip for 2017.

Save the Date – March 3-5

NSC is planning a bus trip to the North Shore – Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows – Dates: March 3 -5, 2017

If you’re on the Snowmass trip and have the Mountain Collective pass, you will be able to use your pass on the weekend trip.

The good thing about our weekend trip is that cost will be the same as 2015/2016. Please sign up early or give me a verbal. We need 36 people to make this trip happen. If you have friends that are interested in a weekend trip, please bring them along.

We are planning one bus trip for 2017. Surely, we can plan some other weekend car trips.

We will go up during BAC race weekend. NSC can get discounted tickets on those race days. The race schedule is not available yet. As member of the Bay Area Ski Council, we are eligible to get the discounted lift tickets as low as $65.00 per person and you don’t have to race.

Other Trip Possibilities

Another possible weekend car trip to Squaw Valley is to see the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Down Hill races on March 11-12 weekend. Olympic champions Julia Mancuso, Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin will be on hand for the Giant slalom and slalom races.

Mammoth anyone? Ski 3½ days with condo lodging. Again, you can use your Mountain Collective pass here. Please let me know you are interested and if you are available to drive.

We can make it all happen if there are interests out there.

Snowbomb Schedule

Snowbomb is coming to the bay area.

• San Jose: Convention Center
• Oct 29 – 30, 2016
• San Francisco: Fort Mason
• Nov 5 – Nov 6, 2016
• Sacramento: Cal Expo
• Nov. 12-13, 2016

We would like to welcome volunteers to promote our club and talk about our weekend bus trips. You can help out for 2 to 3 hours and get free admission to the show. Sorry as volunteers, you will not be eligible for any free lift tickets.
Please email me if you are interested in helping out – tripdirector@niseickiclub.org.

A Date with Warren Miller

Warren Miller’s new movie called Here, There & Everywhere is coming to the South Bay on November 19th at The Heritage Theatre in Cupertino, 6:00pm showing.

Tickets are $21.00 per person and free swag, like 2 for 1 lift tickets to Squaw Valley/ Alpine will be given out to each ticket holder.

Let me know if you are interested. Maybe we can get a group together and have some pizza and beer afterwards. Armand is buying the first round.

Shopping at Amazon?

If you need something from Amazon.com, check out Amazon through our website at the Nisei Ski Club Website. Our club will get a small percentage from your purchases.

Discounts for Seniors

Looking for some discounted outdoor gear? All you have to be is 50 + and over and sign up at Senior Skiing. Check it out at www.seniorsskiing.com.

On the right side of their website you can sign up for the Promotive deals. ProMotive.com is the online community for industry experts and influencers — matches Qualified ski members such as yourself with top brands offering exclusive discounts on all your favorite gear.

We’re looking forward to a great season. If you have ideas for a great season, let me know.

Karen aka Trip Director for how many years now?

Dave Schultz

Yes, the party is on and it’s a big one. There is a big Halloween party in the San Jose Alum Rock area. It occurs over 6 square blocks, bordered by Toyon Avenue, upper Golf Drive, Pepper Tree Lane, and Tallent Avenue. Most of the homes in that area will offer candy at the door. Some will have “fun houses” or “haunted houses” set up on their lawns or in their garages. At the top of Golf Drive (just before the condos at GolfView Drive), is a booth run by the condo dwellers, where they serve soft drinks, hot drinks, beer and wine, and more candy. Most people visiting this block party will be in costume.

Let’s meet at my old house around 7pm, which is 3972 Golf Drive (about four or five houses up from Toyon Avenue). It’s typically cool on Halloween night, so a warm (but not hot) costume may be beneficial.

Rather than trying to park near my house, it may be easier to park on lower Golf Drive or on nearby Richardson Drive (below Toyon Avenue). There will be a lot of kids on all the streets in the block party, so be extra careful if you drive on those streets.

Feel free to contact me at 510-512-6441 or email me at dave_schultz28@hotmail.com with any questions.

Frank Chang
On Sunday September 11th, the NFL capped its first weekend of the 2016-17 season with Sunday Night Football in Arizona. Meanwhile, the NSC kicked off our 2016-17 season with a Pizza Social at The Garret in Campbell, CA. True to the description in Armand’s invitation, we all did “gather around, quaff a few ales, dine on outstanding pizza, and watch New England and Arizona battle it out on the turf.” Eleven club members attended this event. Armand went early and saved the biggest round table in the place so that all of us could sit around the same table. Topics of conversation ranged from the upcoming Snowmass trip, to the Patriots v. Cardinals game (most were rooting for Arizona), to the Monday night 49ers game at Levis stadium (Go Niners!), to individual stories of our experiences with general anesthesia (don’t ask how we got to this topic…). A good time was had by all! Thanks Armand for organizing what we hope will continue to be an annual event.

Judy Hom

The California Coastal Cleanup is part of the Ocean Conservancy’s international cleanup effort. On the 3rd Saturday in September, people join together at all sites around the world to pick up litter and trash from beaches, lakes, and waterways. This year, 5 volunteers from Nisei Ski Club assisted with the cleanup of Crown Beach in Alameda. This effort is part of NSC’s community service work.

Karen, Curtis, Sandy, Winston, and I got out to Crown Beach would 8:30am. Armed with gloves, bucket, and trash picker, we spent 2.5 hours cleaning up the beach. Part of the job was to itemize and tally up the trash we found. This way, the coastal commission can put policies in place to reduce trash and litter. For example, the ban on one-time use plastic bags was put into place because the coastal cleanup collected so many plastic bags during their cleanups. I am happy to say that we didn’t find plastic bags but cigarette butts comprised the majority of our trash.
It felt good to be part of the effort to clean up the coast. Our planet needs some help from time to time. There are many sites that need to be cleaned around the state and some of the sites may be in your “backyard”. Think about volunteering next year. Check out the California clean up map for a list of sites.

NSC cleanup crew

Winston is ready to cleanup!

Armand Gutierrez, NSC President

Summer is giving way to fall and the next thing we know it will be winter. Are you ready for the upcoming ski season? With the warm temperatures I’m still busy with my summer activities and haven’t started thinking about the ski season, yet. If you need new equipment then starting in October is when the ski shops start having some sales for last year’s inventory. And then in late October/early November we have the annual SnowBomb shows in San Jose and San Francisco. These events offer great deals on ski/snowboard equipment, clothing and accessories, plus it’s like attending a great big party.

This month there are several events designed to get the membership together and have some fun and give some volunteer time to the community. Let’s get together for a fun evening at The Garret in Campbell for a Pizza Social, and then you can make a difference in the community with the Coastal Cleanup that is being organized by Judy Hom.

September Pizza Social – September 11th

Last year, we had an August Pizza Social at The Garret that was well attended, especially for a Thursday evening. This time we’ll have a September Pizza Social on Sunday, September 11th at The Garret (Campbell) so we can gather around, quaff a few ales, dine on outstanding pizza, and watch New England and Arizona battle it out on the turf. Although the game starts at 5:30 we can meet at 5:00 and still catch most of the game. If you’re planning on attending then let me know at president@niseiskiclub.org

SnowBomb Shows in October/November

Coming up in October and November are the annual SnowBomb ski shows in San Jose and San Francisco. I usually attend the San Jose event and Karen Soo and Curtis Otaguro attend the San Francisco event. We’re looking for additional volunteers to support the BAC booth at both locations. As a volunteer you get free admission to the SnowBomb event, talk with people about the various clubs that are part of BAC, and do some self-promoting of NSC. Arrive early, or stay later, and visit the other ski-related booths or perhaps pick up something at one of the retail booths that have discounted prices on ski gear. The San Jose event is October 29-30 and the San Francisco event is November 5-6. If interested, then drop me a line at president@niseiskiclub.org or Karen Soo at tripdirector@niseiskiclub.org.

Snowmass Ski Week 2017

The Snow mass trip is full with 54 signups. I originally targeted 44 people but was able to secure two additional 2-bedroom units. There is one new group of six that made their own air/lodging arrangements but they will still be part of the NSC group. A wait list will be created for those that are still interested in going on the Snowmass trip.

Judy Hom

This is a reminder that I am organizing an NSC team for Coastal Cleanup day on Saturday, September 17, 2016. I’ve picked Crown Beach in Alameda as our clean-up site. 10 spots are available. Send an email to cleanup2016@niseiskiclub.org to let me know if you want to participate. Lunch will be provided courtesy of NSC. For more information see the August Coastal Cleanup article.

Winston Fong

On August 27, a group went on the 7.5 mile Alum Rock hike lead by Dave Schultz. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were lucky that we hiked on the North Woodland and South Rim Trails, which were shaded. This was a fairly steep trail. If you fell, you would roll a couple hundred feet downhill. If you survived, you would surely have a bad case of poison oak. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining because we got some pretty good views of Silicon Valley. We saw some turkey vultures and Rick talked of hang gliding with them.

We saw a sign that said “Trail closed. Do not go beyond this point”. Dave said that he didn’t see anything when he hiked up here a couple of weeks ago. So, he told us to keep going and to ignore the sign! It turned out that the hillside had eroded and the trail was washed out with dirt. Okay, it wasn’t that big of a deal. We had to walk carefully 30 or 40 feet. This was our big adventure for the day. I guess that’s why we signed the NSC waiver.

I found out that Alum Rock Park was the place for the health nuts back in the late 1800s through the 1930s. It was famous for the health benefits of its mineral springs. I understand that there were 27 mineral springs and as many as 10,000 visitors on a Sunday afternoon. I didn’t see 27 minerals springs but I did see a few decomposing baths. Some baths were hidden by vegetation and you could still smell the sulfur.

At the end of the hike, we visited the Youth Science Institute (“YSI”). We saw live owls. The owls live at the YSI because they’re injured or handicapped. One was blind and another had an injured wing. We also saw stuffed animals like a mountain lion, bobcat, gray fox, badger, hawks, shorebirds, and ducks to name a few.

At the end of our hike, we enjoyed snacks at Dave’s house. Thanks for a fun time, Dave!

Our hike leader – Dave Schultz
	Panoramic view of Silicon Valley
Remnant of mineral bath	The whiteness of the water is from sulphur
Injured barn owl	Stuffed mountain lion

Armand Gutierrez, NSC President

Although summer is here and once again I’ve been receiving notices from Mammoth Mountain to lock in on low season pass rates for the upcoming season. Mammoth seems to be the only early bird on season pass notifications, but I’m sure that the Tahoe resorts will soon be sending out their notices.

Last year at this time there was quite a bit of talk about El Niño and a wet winter. So far I haven’t heard anything about an El Niño, but there has been some talk about La Niña. Now, La Niña can have an opposite effect on the weather so it’s very possible this will not be a wet season like last year. It’s still too early to predict so we’ll have to wait and see what our winter season will have in store for us.

Last year we had an August Pizza Social at the Garret that was well attended. I completely forgot about discussing it at our July board meeting so I’m going to have a September Pizza Social at the Garret in Campbell. Date and details will be in the September newsletter.

Mt. View Obon Festival – July 16th and 17th

The Mt. View Obon Festival was quite exciting this year and I would like to thank the following volunteers: Bill Lee, Trisha Le, David Miura, David Uyeda, Frank Chang, Brian Hess, Curtis Otaguro, Alex Kami, David Ng. and Alice and Dick Horio. Once again NSC has stepped up to the plate and volunteered for this event. I was there on Sunday with Jeannie and her two grand-nephews (ages 9 and 11) and the boys had a great time playing the carnival games. The only rule was that they were not allowed to play any games that involved goldfish in the bowls, and they did bring home lots of toys.

Snowmass Ski Week 2017

The Snow mass trip is about half full (21 signups) so if you haven’t signed up yet then now is the time to do so. If you’re interested in signing up, here is the link to weeklong trip flyer.The Mountain Collective Season Pass (https://mountaincollective.com) is closed for the summer and will reopen in the fall so check the website often. The MC season pass will be good for two days skiing at Aspen Snowmass, plus a third resort of your choice. The Mountain Collective is also good for Mammoth, Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows.

Sandy Kiyomura

Summer is quickly coming to an end and our thoughts are turning to the ski season. I just saw the race schedule for next year. For those of you who race or ski, tuning your skis is a must if you want them to keep them in good condition. This is your $700-$1000 investment and some of you have many pairs of skis. Did you know that you can get a $200 service card at Granite Chief for $100? There is a limited number available so it’s good to get one soon. It is good for mounting and adjusting bindings and tuning and repairing your skis. You can also share the card with friends. Here is the link for the Granite Chief service card.

Armand Gutierrez, NSC President

Summer has officially arrived and we can now expect warm-to-hot temperatures for the next three months. Our wet winter is behind us and drought conditions are not as much as a concern as last year. However, one year of above-average rains is not going to alleviate the drought problem. Yes, El Niño brought us a good rainy season, but now La Niña is expected to impact our weather system and that could bring us another dry winter season.

Mt. View Obon Festival – July 16th and 17th

This is an annual volunteer event that NSC participates in and is always a fun event. After all, there’s a variety of food, carnival-style games, cultural events, lots of people, lots of food, and the famous Beer Booth. There’s room for a few more volunteers to work the Beer Booth and the new Chicken Teriyaki so look for information in the newsletter or contact Karen Soo tripdirector@niseiskiclub.org.

NSC Annual Membership Meeting and Luau Picnic, June 11th

Once again we had a great turnout for our annual membership meeting and Luau picnic, and the weather was most cooperative. And once again I didn’t win the Left-Center-Right game that Karen sponsored. Congratulations to Rick Dumlao for being the big winner. Even if he had lost, it would have been to his wife Patt because they were the only two left. Thanks to everyone that showed up and had a great time.

Snowmass Ski Week 2017

Applications have been coming in for the Snowmass ski week so if you haven’t signed up yet then what are you waiting for? There are quite a few from Hawaii coming on this trip and I expect it to fill up quickly. Link to the flyer: Snowmass 2017 week trip.

It’s not too late to consider getting the Mountain Collective Season Pass https://mountaincollective.com, which will be good for two days skiing at Aspen Snowmass, plus a third resort of your choice. The Mountain Collective is also good for Mammoth, Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows.

The Mountain View Obon Festival is July 16 and 17. NSC provides volunteers for beer booth at the Mountain View Obon Festival every year. We need 2 more volunteers for the Sunday noon-3pm shift. If you’re interested in signing up for this slot, please email Karen Soo.

If you want to volunteer for other activities, you can sign-up on the Mountain View Obon volunteer site. Here are links to the various activities that need support:

Pre-bazaar activities (during the week preceding the 16th and 17th)

• preconstruction staging and booth assembly
• manju making
• chicken, vegetable, and beef preparation

Bazaar weekend (July 16th & 17th)

• tempura booth
• udon concession in dining hall
• take out booth
• chicken teriyaki booth

Post-bazaar clean-up (during week following obon and bazaar

• post bazaar deconstruction

The Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one’s ancestors. The festival has been celebrated at the Mountain View Buddhist Temple’s current location since the temple was completed in 1957. The Obon is the Mountain View Buddhist Temple’s biggest event of the year.

Link to Obon information: Mountain View Obon 2016

Rick Dumlao

We had the annual Nisei Ski Club picnic at Las Palmas Park in Sunnyvale. Thanks to the Board members and organizers for picking a perfect warm sunny day. As usual I arrived late for the event. Hawaiian fashions was the theme to wear. I got some flack for not wearing a Hawaiian shirt but the bantering was all in good fun. There was lots of good food to be had on the tables. People brought tasty dishes like couscous salad, grilled asparagus, veggies, and fruit salads. I can’t forget desserts like lemon poppy seed cake, mango cake, fruit cake, banana bread, and on and on. Curtis’ master chef skills at the BBQ rewarded us with great ribs and hot dogs. We had about 33 people which included a few new faces. Everyone enjoying each other catching up in conversations with the upcoming Snowmass trip, a big topic.

The usual highlight of the picnic is the “Left-Right-Center” game, played with 3 lively dice and a few $$$. You never know which way the ebb and flow of money will go. At the end with only two out of twenty one players are left, Patt had 3 dollars in her hand and I had a measly $1 bill — barely surviving. Surely she would out last me. She throws the dice into the pan and everyone peers in to see how it landed. Wh-a-a-a-t . . . no . . . couldn’t be . . . 3 C’s are showing in the pan with a pile of dollar bills! She throws her bills into the pan and I throw my fists into the air with a victorious smile, yes!

The Nisei Ski Club again shows its great sense of community and camaraderie as a club having events like this. Looking forward to other events.

Armand Gutierrez, NSC President
June has arrived and that signifies the start of the 2016-2017 NSC season. Since there were no new nominations and all board members agreed to serve once again, then this season will be a continuation of last season. Thanks to all of you that took the time to vote.

Election Results
The 2016-2017 election results are as follows:

• President – Armand Gutierrez
• Vice President – Hoyt Nelson
• Treasurer – Frank Chang
• Trip Director – Karen Soo
• Membership – Greg Wong
• Newsletter Editor – Judy Hom
• Board Member – Brian Hess
• Board Member – Allen Hu
• Board Member – Sandy Kiyomura
• Board Member – Curtis Otaguro
• Board Member – Dave Schultz

Upcoming Events

The Mt. View Obon Festival is on July 16th and 17th. This is an annual volunteer event that NSC participates in and is always a fun event. After all, there’s a variety of food, carnival-style games, cultural events, lots of people, and the famous Beer Booth. There’s room for a few more volunteers to work the Beer Booth so look for the flyer in the newsletter or contact Karen Soo tripdirector@niseiskiclub.org).

NSC Annual Membership Meeting and Luau Picnic, June 11th
Mark this down in your calendar for the NSC Annual Picnic on June 11th at Las Palmas park in Sunnyvale (same place as last year). See the flyer in the newsletter and the Evite invitations have already been sent out. If you didn’t get an Evite in the mail then please let me know (president@niseiskiclub.org).

Snowmass Ski Week 2017

Plans are moving smoothly for the Snowmass ski week trip for 2017. Take a look at the flyer and make that all-important decision to be on this trip. You might also consider getting the Mountain Collective Season Pass (https://mountaincollective.com), which will be good for two days skiing at Aspen Snowmass, plus a third resort of your choice. The Mountain Collective is also good for Mammoth, Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows.

FWSA St. Anton am Arlberg Ski Week 2017

As a member of NSC you are eligible to participate in any of the FWSA/BAC ski trips. For 2017, FWSA is going to St. Anton am Arlberg, one of Austria’s most famous and extensive ski towns. The Arlberg area of ski resorts includes 94 cables cars and ski lifts, 210 miles of groomed pistes and 120 miles of deep snow runs.

Len Bridges and David Schultz

On May 1st, David Schultz led a happy band of twelve club members into the Pacific Heights region of San Francisco for Stairway Hike #4. This hike hadn’t been done by the club since July of 2010. Considering the beauty of this hike, it was long overdue. The weather was gorgeous and it was a very clear day.

Starting in the Marina district on Yacht Rd., we walked across the street to the Palace of Fine Arts, where the old Exploratorium used to be. The Palace of Fine Arts is always impressive. It’s like being thrown back into ancient Greece or Rome. Walking among the huge columns and rotundas, you might expect to see people wearing togas. Actually, there were some ladies in full white gowns, since the Palace is still very popular for weddings.

This photo gives you an idea of the scale of the buildings.

As we exited the park, we stopped for a group photo. Sunscreen anyone?

David had the maps and the path laid out by club member Hoyt Nelson. Of course one could conclude that David was only the titular leader, as knowledgeable ladies in the group took part in directing us in different directions. This was fine with Dave and the group was congenial, fun, and hung together as a team.

As we walked into Pacific Heights, the hike became challenging and even more fun. We traveled up some really steep steps, and plenty of steep streets as well. The hike was also educational. In the photo below, we walked past the home of Henry Casebolt, an inventor in the 1870’s who made it possible for one cable car track to cross another while maintaining control over the train car. He also invented a better grip and lever for operators to slow and accelerate the cable cars. As you can see, he obviously made a good living and built a fabulous house on Pierce Street.

We saw beautiful maintained neighborhoods, with staircases full of gardens, flowers, and expansive, exhilarating views of the marina and the bay.

We passed consulates of foreign governments as well as home of famous people. We started our descent back to the Palace of Fine Arts at the intersection of Lyon and Pacific streets. Here begins one of the most famous stairways in all of San Francisco – the Lyon Street stairs. Postcard views don’t come much better than this.

The stairways eventually drop down into a neighborhood of Italian Renaissance style homes before passing alongside the Presidio.

Before getting back to the Palace, Hoyt’s instructions had us turn left into the Presidio at Francisco Street. Within a short distance we reached the Letterman Digital Arts Center. This four-building complex, finished in 2005, is the headquarters of Lucasfilm and houses Industrial Light & Magic (the company responsible for so many movies’ special effects). In front of the complex is a pretty park with a pond, ducks, a Yoda statue, and plenty of large rocks for sitting on or hopping over. The pond was a nice spot for a nice break before the group split up.

Most people went home after leaving the Letterman Center, but five of us went to a restaurant called the Squat & Gobble that Maggie Chang recommended. We walked there via Chestnut Street, which actually has a lot of restaurants. The menu at the Squat has so many interesting items — it was difficult to choose. Len picked the fruit crepes with double scoops of ice cream (hey, it was a challenging hike and there was a need to replace calories, you know). Dave had a florentine omelet that was disguised as a salad. All in all, we had a fun time filling up on the fine food.