~ Celeste Rogers ~

Can you imagine being in a tree house with the city of San Francisco at your feet? That was the first thing we saw on Saturday as we trooped out of Hoyt’s van. The Tree house (next to our meeting place) is in a huge redwood patio equipped with a nice sized BBQ grill, lots of potted plants and interesting garden sculptures such as a bench shaped like a long tortoise.

Bernal Heights is a large rocky hill south of the Mission with a radio tower on top. Some of us dutifully and meditatively walked a nearby rock labyrinth while we waited for the rest to gather around for a group picture taken by Karen Soo.

We set off to climb a few steep stairways – from a few steps to about 100, some winding and some through community gardens. Some streets have cars parked 90 degrees to the streets that were so steep you felt a slight push could tilt them over.

As usual, San Francisco is beautiful, with blue skies, some patches of clouds and fog blowing in from Golden Gate. As much as we sweated from the steep stairs, it was not all that tiring since the cool breezes invigorated us. Trees were flowering with red flowers, community gardens laden with tomatoes, vegetables, garden flowers, profuse bougainvillea and many “ Naked Ladies” – the flowering plants, in case you are wondering. Some eucalyptus trees were so fragrantly swaying in the breeze that it felt good to be alive.

Along the way, we had time to be a kid again sliding down a long, dual metal slide using floor mats, jackets, cardboard or just plain jeans.

After some more arduous stairs – probably more than a thousand, we snacked and rested while being rewarded with a sweeping view of the Golden Gate Bridge on the far left and Downtown SF on the far right.

Soon, we were back near where we started, but were told that we had done only the first half. As we started the second half, we passed a few patches of bushes laden with blackberries ( but only a few worth picking). We stopped to admire a blue house with many water fountains in front, made out of discarded watering cans, buckets, funnels, milk containers, sinks and pumps. I am not sure which was more attractive of the two: the trickling water sounds or the creative water fountains, but we stayed a while to enjoy them.

One of my two guests, Johann, (born in Russia, but lives in Germany) proudly pointed out to me that a German was the brains behind Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF) that had created some of the gardens we passed. Johann was unexpectedly glad to meet and talk (in Russian) with another of our hikers named Ann who was also Russian!! Hoyt was delighted with the meeting!

After one of the last and steepest climbs I turned back, I saw a view of SF that was worth all the huffing and puffing. It reminded me of the many uneven steps, dirty and unsafe surroundings in Rio de Janeiro and how lucky that SF has these stairs that are evenly spaced, with hand railings and flowers and shady trees and without animal poop littering.

Ending the hike, I raced up the Bernal Heights Summit and was out of breath but managed to take a quick video of the awesome 360 degree view.
As usual, Hoyt’s hike was amazing and showed us places in SF that we don’t know about- a hike with wonderful people to chat, catch up and share food with, rewarding views that never fail to fascinate, and a delicious Peruvian lunch to top it off.

A very wonderful way to spend a Saturday!! Cheers, Celeste Rogers (with a few edits by Hoyt)
Thank you, Hoyt!!

Have you ever been cruising along a run and looked off to the side to see some nice glade skiing? Or how about venturing off the main run to head into the trees to poach some untracked powder? I have, and many times was tempted to jump into some sweet skiing without crowds or other people only to remind myself not to go it alone. When skiing I always like to apply what I call the “scuba diving” rule: always have a partner. Yes, the fresh powder may be tempting but if you should fall and get injured no one may be around to help you. I raise this issue because here is an email that I received from fellow skier Sandy Kiyomura:

hi Sandra,

bad news.  I hear that Toby is really laid up and I’m hoping he wont be disabled.  One leg has been operated on, but the other is shattered and they’re waiting for it to stabilize before they operate on it.  It’s a good reason not to ski alone.  I don’t know how to contact him since he hasn’t replied to any emails.

I dont know how we’re going to run the ski club since Toby has been doing mostly everything like the newsletter and the financial problems by himself.

How are you doing?  where are you going skiing this year?

Cathy

Below is an excerpt from MENAFN.COM (Middle East, North Africa, Financial Network):

Skier survives freezing night in mountains of New Zealand

MENAFN – – 8/20/2013 1:43:59 PM

Skier survives freezing night in mountains of New Zealand

Aug 20, 2013 (Menafn – The Honolulu Star-Advertiser – McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) –A 72-year-old Hawaii skier suffered two broken legs, then survived a night in the frigid mountains of New Zealand by fighting to stay awake and exercising his arms to avoid hypothermia, a New Zealand newspaper reports.

Kamehameha Heights resident Toby Kravet, president of the Hawaii Ski Club, “lives for skiing,” his friend Geof Chu told the Star-Advertiser. “He goes every year to New Zealand. This is a yearly ritual for him.”

While skiing alone Sunday at Treble Cone resort, South Island’s largest slopes, Kravet got lost, and police expressed “grave concerns” when he missed his bus back to Queenstown, The Press reported online Monday at stuff.co.nz.

A helicopter search using night-vision equipment failed to find Kravet that night, and the search resumed at daybreak Monday….

Full article: http://www.menafn.com/8b4bad40-702d-4cfb-b8b3-6e721bc150fa/Skier-survives-freezing-night-in-mountains-of-New-Zealand?src=MWHEAD

I would like to thank you and the members of Nisei Ski Club for supporting the Mountain View Temple’s 2013 Obon and Bazaar.  The preparations leading up to and including the Obon and Bazaar week-end were very busy and the help of many volunteers was a key element in the event’s success.

Thank you again on behalf of the Mountain View Buddhist Temple,

Ron Murata,

Volunteer Coordinator

the MVBT ABA invite Nisei Ski Club to come out and dance the night away on Oct 19th to the live music of “Somethin’ Else”

Summer’s half way over!!!  Some kids (and adults) are already going back to school at the end of this month, but you have plenty of time to hit the beaches, do a little angling, go on a famous Hoyte lead hike, or whatever tickles your fancy!

MEMBERSHIP – if you haven’t yet joined or renewed yet, what are you waiting for?  Here’s the membership link >> membership form <<

SUN PEAKS Week Trip – Feb 8-15, 2014 –  2nd largest ski resort in  British Columbia and 3rd largest in all of Canada!  Sun Peaks boasts of 3,678 acres of skiing and almost 3,000 vertical feet of skiing!!!  Dry snow, large vertical, and big terrain!  More info below in Armand’s President’s Message. 

FWSA Week Trip – March 6-15, 2014 – Next season, the Far West Ski Association, of which NSC is a member, is going to Zermatt, Switzerland.  Join Armand on this trip to the land of chocolates, cows, cuckoo clocks and alpine trains!  The Swiss are famous for their trains.  In fact, trains are used en lieu of ski lifts for some of the slopes! For more info: >> FWSA Zermatt Link << . Nota Bene – this is not an NSC event. 

President’s August Message

Summer is gradually coming to an end and fall will soon be upon us. Signs of fall: students returning to school, tree leaves changing from green to yellows and reds, and warm evenings spent outside after a picnic or BBQ. Of course, I’m always thinking about the upcoming ski season. Perhaps that’s because I’m busy with the Sun Peaks trip next February, followed by my Zermatt trip in March. Have you been entertaining thoughts about the upcoming ski season? Will it be a good season with lots of powder and plenty of snow? Or will we head into another drought season? Well, whatever Mother Nature provides us, I’m sure that we’ll all try to make the best of it.

The Mountain View Obon Festival held on July 20-21 was a great success and lots of fun based on the pictures and video that Bill Lee took (thanks Bill). I would like to thank the following members (and a few non-members) for volunteering their time and enthusiasm that contributed to the festival’s success: Angie Fong, Brian Hess, Ken Kato, Bill Lee, Kay Lee, Doris Leung, David Miura, Haruko Nagaishi, Jerry Nishimura , Curtis Otaguro, and David Uyeda. Once again, NSC members have contributed their time to participate in voluntary activities for the local community. (Editor’s note – click on the picture for a video of a young girl’s day of snow cones, duck ponds, bingo and glowing bunnies at this year’s Obon Festival)

~ Armand Gutierrez ~

Last month’s Post-Season Picnic at Las Palmas Park in Sunnyvale was a great event. About 30 members convened at the designated picnic area, which was next door to last year’s picnic spot, with plenty of food for everyone. Looks like Las Palmas Park is a popular venue for picnics so perhaps NSC can start a tradition by having Pre- and Post-Season picnics here every year. Besides the variety of food, Karen Soo had us all gather ‘round for her popular dice game. Would you believe that the winner is related to last year’s winner? I won’t reveal her name because she’ll have her own write-up in the newsletter. See Amy’s report here: << Picnic Report >>

The Mountain View Obon Festival is July 20-21 and if you’re interested in volunteering for the beer booth (or other booths), then please contact Karen Soo ( tripdirector@niseiskiclub.org ) and let her know. They also could use help in several other areas: pre-construction and post-destruction staging (this sounds like fun), manju making, strawberry shortcake booth (is sampling allowed?), and other food booths. So what are you waiting for?

Next year’s FWSA International trip is to Zermatt, Switzerland and a second week in Spain. It’s been 30 years since the last time I was in Zermatt so I just had to sign up for this trip. Yes, it’s a little pricey (more than the Chamonix and Innsbruck trips), but viewing and skiing next to the Matterhorn is priceless. Zermatt is a quaint little town that does not allow automobiles on the streets. Yes, you walk everywhere: to the restaurants, shopping, and the ski lifts. There are horse-drawn carriages for those that would like to see the town the old fashioned way. I’m looking forward to skiing Zermatt and possibly some side trips to various nearby Italian ski resorts (Monte Cervinia is on the other side of the Matterhorn). If you have any questions about the Zermatt trip then contact me at president@niseiskiclub.org.
(FWSA Website: http://www.fwsa.org/Travel/InternationalSki/2014-FWSA-Zermatt/2014-FWSA-Zermatt.html)

The Sun Peaks ski week trip already has seven signups and I’m sure there’ll be more. If you haven’t signed up then now is the time to do so. Normally final payments aren’t due ‘till November or December, but Alaska Airlines is requiring final payments by October. So get your check outs, fill out the sign-up forms and be part of what should be a great trip.

~ Armand Gutierrez ~

1.      Membership Activity

The month of June was a repeat of May with 18 members joining, which gives us a total of 36 members (about the same as last year).  We need to double our membership to ensure there will be enough signups for the weekend ski trip for next year. This is where we need your help in ensuring our weekend bus trips actually take place by talking to former members that haven’t joined yet and getting them to join. The board can only do some much by hosting social events and planning trips, so now is the time to recruit some members. NSC is not only a ski & snowboard club but also a “social” club where we get together for a variety of events. With that in mind don’t forget to invite “non-skiers” that would enjoy our social events.

2.      Sun Peaks Ski Week – Feb 8-15, 2014

Currently we have seven members signed up for the Sun Peaks ski week trip. If you’re thinking of going then now is the time to sign up and send in your deposits. Although there are reservations for 32 (I’m very optimistic) we do need a minimum of 20 in order to take advantage of group discounts.  By September, which seems months away, flight reservations will have to be released for unfilled seats. So, if you’ve never been to Sun Peaks don’t miss out on this opportunity to ski someplace different.

Info & sign up form here =>SUN PEAKS

By Amy Tsuhako

Saturday June 22 was picnic perfect weather at Sunnyvale’s Las Palmas Park. As we circled the parking lot looking for an empty stall, kids were running around tossing water balloons; and adults were stringing up piñatas and firing up grills. We spotted NSC’ers already noshing on food and knew we were at the right spot! As with NSC tradition, food was plentiful as the four picnic tables were covered with buckets of fried chicken, chili, BBQ ribs, chicken wings, maki sushi, California rolls, dumplings, egg rolls, lettuce wraps, sausage and peppers, somen salad, cabbage salad, quinoa salad, fruit salads, chocolate strawberries, an assortment of cookies, brownies, homemade toffee brittles and cheese cakes.

It was so hard to decide what to load up on my plate, as the creativity of some of the dishes rivaled those of Master/ Iron Chef creations. David and I sampled Karen’s roasted beet quinoa salad, Hoyt’s homemade chili, Greg’s pork and green bean lettuce wrap, David Tom’s “not your grandma’s BBQ’ed ribs”, and Liz’s cabbage salad. Even though we were stuffed, we could not resist Haruko’s berry cobbler and Wes’s homemade toffee. Absolutely scrumptious! And no picnic is complete without a slice of watermelon –seedless, super-sweet and handpicked by Debbie. YUM just about sums up the food coma I was in at the end of the picnic.

As we ate and chatted, we felt really grateful that the NSC board of volunteers took the time to organize this picnic so that we could catch up with our friends old and new. We met up with people that we had not seen in a while such as Frank and Wendy, Jackie, Liz (and her mom, a former NSC member!), Melissa, Desmond, and Brian. And it was really heartwarming to see that NSC friendships span not just years, but decades.

We also learned a few tips that afternoon. It was amusing to learn from Carol that being a sushi chef is not that easy. And we discovered from David M. that discounted, usable postal stamps are available online. And from, Frank, we learned that you can make money off of interest free credit card loans—whoa… I usually throw away those mailers—that’s why he’s our treasurer! But most importantly, we learned that our resident ski instructor, Randy, will be sporting a new orange “easy-to-follow” Arcteryx jacket! –Although whether I will really follow him down the hill is still debatable…

And to round off the entertainment for the event, Karen organized the now NSC traditional dice game of Left,  Center, Right. I really didn’t want to win, I swear!!! But, as the dice rolled, and excitement ramped up, screams of “Left, Left, Left”, or “Right, Right, Right” could be heard clear across the park. In the end, it came down to Bill and me with a single dollar each left in our hands. With just a flick of the wrist, Bill rolled the die, and we held our breaths as we watched the outcome—Center. And just like that, the pot of dollar bills ended in my hands—all 66 of ‘em. One couple winning two years in a row is I believe grounds for exclusion from the game next year…

~ by Armand Gutierrez  ~

1.      Membership Activity

The month of May saw a good number of members taking advantage of the discounted membership fee by renewing their membership.  We had 18 members join, plus the returning board members (8), and Morgan Hua has decided to take a break from the board after serving a number of years. That brings us to 30 members.  Also, congratulations to Joe Feng for being the first to renew his membership.

2.      2013-2014 Election Results

I would like to thank the membership for participating in this year’s NSC board nominations and elections. There was a 40% turnout for elections and the results are as follows:

a.      President – Armand Gutierrez
b.      Vice President – Hoyt Nelson
c.      Treasurer – Frank Chang
d.      Secretary – None ~ position is available!
e.      Trip Director – Karen Soo
f.       Newsletter Chairman – Dan Lew
g.      Board Member – Joel Hayashida
h.      Board Member – Curtis Otaguro
i.       Board Member – Bryan Hess

~Armand Gutierrez~

Last year I volunteered to be President of NSC because Morgan Hua had already served two terms and he decided that it was time to pass the gavel to another NSC member. This year I volunteered to be on the ballot along with any other nominees for President. Well, there were no other nominees or write-ins so it looks like I’m back for another season. Once again, the board will remain the same; with the exception that Morgan will be taking a “break” from serving on the board. I would like to thank the current board members for remaining “on board”, and a special thanks to Morgan for serving on the board for a number of years. Besides my duties as President I will also continue my Membership Chairman position.

This past ski season was slightly better than last years, but not by much. The season started off well with snow in November and December, but after that it seemed like Mother Nature decided to take a nap. The highlight of the season had to be the Steamboat trip where everyone was treated to the famous champagne powder.

This year’s ski week will be at Sun Peaks, BC. I picked Sun Peaks because it offers great skiing on a variety of slopes, Nisei has never been there, and I figured it was time to explore new territory. Take a look at the flyer on the website and sign up for what should be a great ski experience.

This month we’re also having a Post-Season Picnic at Las Palmas Park in Sunnyvale. There was such a good turnout at last year’s picnic the board decided to have this event to once again reunite old friends, meet new friends, and get everyone excited about the upcoming season. Read the flyer for details and look for an Evite invitation in your email. One other upcoming event is the Mt. View Obon Festival on July 20-21. If you’re interested in volunteering for this event please contact Karen Soo (tripdirector@niseiskiclub.org).

I’m hopeful that this season will bring us an increased membership, a few more social events, and a good ski season.

Ischgl, Österreich

~Armand Gutierrez ~

Sad to say, but, I’ve finally acknowledged that the ski season has ended. It wasn’t  the best of seasons with Mother Nature giving us great hope in November and December and then leaving us high and dry from January to April.  Still, it was a better season than last year and this was one of those seasons that I didn’t have to use 4WD up at Tahoe, which means either I missed the snowfall weekends or it just didn’t snow that much. Fortunately, there was plenty of snow on my Innsbruck trip. Three days at Innsbruck, one day at St. Anton, and one day at Ischgl provided some excellent skiing. A return trip to Ischgl is in the cards because I was amazed at how big this place is. Think three or four Vails put together and you have what Ischgl has to offer.

This is also the end of our 2012-2013 season and it’s time to bring in the 2013-2014 NSC season. Last month we had our nominations and this month it’s time for elections. Based on the nominations it looks like there won’t be much of a change on the board, but we’ll still have the election ballot go out to everyone so you can due your duty of voting. Lucky winners will be announced at the June NSC Post-Season Picnic.

We’re currently finalizing plans for the June NSC Post-Season Picnic at Las Palmas Park (Sunnyvale) on June 22^nd. As mentioned last month, this will be a potluck lunch where you provide your favorite dish and the Board will provide the beverages (beer, soda, and water). Details will be in the June Newsletter.

Interested in volunteering for a worthwhile event? Well, the annual Mt. View Obon festival is scheduled for 20-21 July and they could use a helping hand, especially for the ever-popular beer booth. If interested then contact either Karen Soo ( tripdirector@niseiskiclub.org ) or me ( president@niseiskiclub.org ) for details.

 Membership Activity
~ Armand Gutierrez ~

We’re ending our 2012-2013 season with a total membership of 58 members and I’m hopeful that the upcoming season will see an increase in membership. The 2013-2014 season starts in June but if you send in your completed membership form during the month of May the early membership fee is only $25 instead of $30. This last season our membership was sufficient to plan and have one weekend ski trip (we did have three planned but two had to be cancelled), and the ski week had 28 lucky skiers at Steamboat. So now is the time to for you to recruit some friends and if we can get 75+ members then we can start planning on a possible 2^nd weekend ski trip.

Byline – C. Otaguro

Having three of the most popular American parks, Yosemite, Joshua Tree, and Sequoia / Kings Canyon in California, it’s easy to overlook the newest national park, Pinnacles.  Luck for us, this gem can be found right in our back yard in the Gabilan Mountains just east of the Salinas Valley.  This enticed 16 NSCers and guests to make the 1.5 hour trek on March 30^th to visit Pinnacles, America’s 59^th national park.

The threat of rain showers almost cancelled our trip, but our worries were unfounded as we headed out under light overcast skies.  Hoyt drove us (Morgan, Greg, Tony, Karen, and me) from his home heading south of San Jose then through Hollister.  As we neared the park, Hoyt suggested that we first meet at the east entrance instead of the original meeting place, Bear Gulch Visitor Center, just in case the parking lots were full since it was the Easter weekend.  Entering the east entrance, Hoyt’s foresight came true as we saw a long line of visitors  waiting for the shuttle bus after parking in the overflow lots.  David Tom soon drove up with Bev, Jenni, and Michelle.   We didn’t see David and Amy there, but assumed they were already waiting at the Bear Gulch Visitor Center since they left before us.  After parking, we deliberated whether it would be faster to walk or take the shuttle 2 miles to the start of the trailhead.  Taking into account that there were 2 shuttle buses carrying approximately 20 – 25 people, the number of people waiting in line, and a pick up time of around 15 minutes, we decided the best choice would be to wait for the shuttle.

After a short wait, we boarded a shuttle bus and rode to Bear Gulch Visitor Center where we spotted David and Amy.  Luckily, they managed to get one of the few remaining spots at a lot closer to the center.  The original plan for the day was to hike the High Peaks trail counterclockwise then hike to the Bear Gulch Caves, time permitting.  However, since the majority of the group desired to see the caves, we opted on a clockwise route, planning to double back from the High Peaks trail if we ran out of time.  We also decided on a lunch stop at the Bear Gulch Reservoir, next to the caves as it was already past noon.

We started hiking on the Bear Gulch Caves trail which climbed steadily, running parallel to a road along a narrow canyon.  Trees provided shade as we hiked toward the caves.  We walked alongside a small stream as we entered the talus caves – tunnel-like caverns created when massive boulder toppled into the narrow ravines.  I pulled out my headlamp to explore the darker spurs, hoping to catch a glimpse of bats which colonize these caves.

We climbed upwards, passing water spilling over boulders, a small pool, and saw shafts of sunlight slipping past huge boulders overhead.  Marked arrows led us deeper into the caves, where we were forced to squeeze through some tight sections.  A four-story climb up stairs cut from the side of a rock wall led us out from the caves to a reservoir which opened up towards the western side of the park.   Eventually everyone from our group left the caves and joined the throng of hikers who had stopped for the view.

I found a spot near the reservoir and unpacked the bentos that I was carrying for Karen and myself.  The homemade bento consisting of chicken, musubi, and Spam musubi was very satisfying!  A ranger came by and played an Indian song on a flute and then proceeded to give a history of the Pinnacles.e throng of hikers who had stopped for the view.

The Pinnacles volcano came into existence an estimated twenty-two to twenty-three million years ago.  It slowly grew over time to nearly the size of Mount Saint Helens.  However, the  steady movement of seismic plates of the San Andreas Fault slowly destroyed the volcano over time leaving one-third of it in Southern California and moving  the other two-thirds of it in Southern California and moving the other two-thirds to the current park location.  The volcano slowly sunk and eroded over time by wind, rain, and ice, forming ravines and monoliths and colonnades alongside massive walls and lonely pillars.  Boulders fell from lofty recesses to top narrow stream channels forming the talus caves.

We estimated that we had enough daylight to finish our planned route, so we continued on the High Peaks Trail after lunch.  The trail wound around some pinnacles then headed northwest.  A few miles later, we reached the base of the High Peaks where we encountered a series of switchbacks.  Jenni identified the patches of Manzanita with its characteristic red bark and stiff, twisting branches that we saw alongside the trail.  We were rewarded near the top with a view of condors leisurely riding the thermal updrafts.  At the top, we enjoyed the views as we waited for the rest of our group.  David and I scrambled up some rocks to a higher vantage point and were rewarding with a fantastic view of the park.  Everyone showed up except for Hoyt and his neighbor friends.  We conjectured that they may have decided to double back on the trail, returning to the trailhead, so we decided to hike on.o the current park location.  The volcano slowly sunk and eroded over time by wind, rain, and ice, forming ravines and monoliths and colonnades alongside massive walls and lonely pillars.  Boulders fell from lofty recesses to top narrow stream channels forming the talus caves.

The trail continued along the ridge of the High Peaks.  We climbed up and down some narrow or steep sections with cable railings.  As the trail headed east, we enjoyed stunning views of the Balcony cliffs.  Wildflowers such as Indian paintbrush, Parry’s larkspur, and Peak rush-rose dotted the trail.  The light started slowly fading as we headed down switchbacks towards the end of the trail.  Fortunately, we reached the Bear Creek Gulch Visitor Center before the shuttle service ended for the day, so David Tom was able to shuttle down to the outer parking lot returning to pick up Bev, Karen, Jenni and Michelle.  A stranger offered the rest of us a ride so Greg, Morgan, and I rode down with him to the park entrance.  David and Amy hiked to the nearby lot, picked up their car, then drove back and waited at the trailhead for Hoyt and his friends.

Once we got to the park entrance, we only found Hoyt’s van there – his friends van was nowhere to be seen.  We started worrying since Hoyt could now be hiking by himself.  Much to our relief, David and Amy saw Hoyt hike out and returned with him back to the park entrance.  We found out from Hoyt that his friends had doubled back to the trailhead, but he had hiked on, completing the difficult loop back on the High Peaks trail – what a trouper!

Jenni suggested having dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Hollister, so we drove there after Hoyt returned.  Recounting our day’s adventures over a delicious dinner of tamales and tacos was a nice end to a tiring, but enjoyable day.  Thank you Hoyt for planning another memorable hike!

~ Armand Gutierrez ~

Well, it’s that time of year again. This is the time of year when spring has officially begun and thoughts of skiing are giving way to golfing, mountain biking, hiking, and other activities. Of course, there is still snow up at Tahoe and spring skiing can be enjoyable. There’s nothing like cruisin’ down the slopes without all the bulky clothing, basking in the warm sunshine, and just enjoying what Mother Nature provides. Can you tell? My season isn’t over just yet.

It’s also time for our time-honored traditional democratic process to take place. That’s right. It’s time for NSC Board nominations and elections. This month you will receive notice to provide nominations for the Board. If there’s anybody you feel would be a good representative as a Board member then by all means, nominate that person. After nominations are received in April , the Board will confirm that those nominees will accept the nominations and be placed on the election ballot for May. Then, you will have the opportunity to vote on all the nominees, and the lucky winners will be announced at the June NSC Picnic. Volunteers are also greatly appreciated.

Did I say NSC Picnic? That’s right, folks. Mark your calendar for June 22^nd for our Post-Season Picnic event. This will be a potluck lunch where you provide your favorite dish and the Board will provide the beverages (beer, soda, water). We’ll also say goodbye to the old Board members and welcome the new Board members (that is, if there are any changes).  The picnic will once again be at Las Palmas Park in Sunnyvale – details to come…

On the heels of Morgan’s most excellent ski week trip to Steamboat, it will be difficult to arrange (as ex officio) next year’s ski trip with the champagne powder that you experienced (I’m still jealous). However, if you remember the snow ghosts of Big White and the excellent snow conditions, then get your passports in order for next year’s ski week at Sun Peaks Resort, BC.  In their words: “If you haven’t been here, You Have No Idea What You’re Missing”.

Sun Peaks, British Columbia

~Karen Soo, Trip Director ~

It’s upsetting to see our ski club dwindling down with such low membership. Three weekend trips were planned back in September of 2012 and everyone had plenty of notice of when we were going on our trips in 2013.

Doug W from MSSC and Tony M from NSC

We had 13 sign-ups for Trip 1.The first trip of the season had to be cancelled due to low sign-ups. We needed 30 people to make a weekend trip happen, thirty to break even. Prior to Trip 2’s departure, we had 15 signups. Emails were sent and phone calls were made. With Monterey Ski and Social Club’s gang of 11 sign-ups, we finally had 37 people for Trip 2.

Now I was left with another problem – We needed a bigger bus. The 36 passenger bus was too small. I made a few phone calls to Bonjour Transportation and we were able to get a 57 passenger bus. It cost everyone an additional $7.00 but it was worth it for the leg space and comfort.

With Amy Tsuhako as my co-trip leader, we left the bay area around 8:00pm due to an accident delay on 880 North. As usual, dinner was served on the bus. What was on the menu? Thai chicken green curry over rice with mango pudding as the dessert was served. We plugged in a DVD into the player,Flight with Denzel Washington, and we were on our way. Before you know it, we arrived at the Sands Hotel in Reno around 12:00am.

The Crew from Monterey

When we arrived at the Sands, everyone got their $5.00 casino voucher, the keys to their rooms, a quick introduction to their roommates and everyone scurried off to bed.

On Saturday morning, we departed at 7:30 am for Alpine Ski Resort. Amy and I collected the money for the group rate lift tickets on the bus and called to order the lift tickets. By the time we arrived at the parking lot, the Alpine sales coordinator came over and handed me the lift tickets. The tickets were distributed and we were on our way.

The skiing at Alpine Meadows was great. Sunny skies and plenty of snow. Most people skied the entire day and got back to the bus by 3:30pm. We had our après ski at the bus with drinks and plenty of snacks donated by the people who came on the trip. ~”Thank you” to those who brought home made goodies.

By the time we got back to the Sands, it was 6:00pm. We had an hour to get ready for 7:00 dinner. Where did we go for dinner? A group went out to the Vietnamese restaurant across the street from the hotel, Seafood Buffet at the El Dorado and Hash house A Go Go at Harrah’s.

Snow at Northstar

On Sunday morning, we went to Northstar Ski Resort. Thanks to Sidney Mar, I was able to secure 18 – $50.00 lift tickets from the Tahoe SAFE Alliance. (A local Tahoe charity) Those who signed up early on the trip were able to get this limited deal. Those who signed up late for the trip had to get their own lift tickets. This is not the usual case; the cost of these tickets was lower than the $70.00 group rate, a price we could not refuse.

The weather for Northstar was wet with a light drizzle at the parking lot. When we got to the summit, there was 6 inches of fresh snow and fresh tracks made.  It was fantastic plus it was still snowing on top.

Some people who opted out from skiing that Sunday morning went back to the bus, changed to their ski gear and came out again.

Après Ski at 3:30

It turned out to be a great day. Dennis Heffley from BAC came out to meet us. He brought his famous cookies filled with whole almonds, chocolate chips and apricots.

Dennis – Can I get the recipe? Or is this a secret family recipe?

Again, we had après ski at the end of the day. For dinner, we tried something different.I know that the tour leaders were supposed to provide dinner but you know what? Amy and I did not have time to do this. We decided to order out at Ikeda’s in Auburn. Tom Lee helped out with everyone’s order and call in the order at Ikeda’s.

Walking Billboard for
Marmot

We had 4 people, charging 4 groups of receipts. The food was bagged and the names and amount was put on every bag. The only problem that we ran into was that 2 bags were switched on their orders. All was cleared and everyone had a hot meal going home.

It was smooth sailing going home.  Grady, our great bus driver, worked wonders in getting us home on time.

An extra thank you to Greg Robinson – President of the Monterey Ski and Social Club for getting their 11 members onto our weekend trip. We had had a blast, plus it was a great way to get the 2 clubs together. We hope to continue this collaboration in 2014.

Uhh.. What happened to Trip 3? You have to wait and see.

~Ksenia Dyachkova & Bowen Gu ~

Ksenia and I are new to the Monterey area. We are here on a study program, working on our master thesis in Environmental studies. While we are staying here for only 3 months, we wanted to go to see Lake Tahoe.  It was a last minute decision to join the Nisei Ski Club and Monterey Ski and Social Club on their weekend ski trip.  We did not know what to expect from this trip. All we know was that a quick decision was made and there were more surprises during the trip itself. They are not ranked by their surprise level though.

During our limited stay in Monterey, Ksenia wanted to go to the mountains of California, but she had no idea, how to get there. The weekend trip with Nisei Ski Club was full of surprises both me and Ksenia.

Surprise 1: As students at the Monterey Institute of International Studies located in Monterey. Most of our time is spent on research on the computer. Ksenia was surfing the net and found information about a weekend bus trip sponsored by Nisei Ski Club (https://www.niseiskiclub.org/) on the Monterey-Ski an Social Club (http://www.montereyski.org/ ) website. She started to see if it was possible to join them on their upcoming weekend trip. Upon reading the trip description on the website, the bus departs from San Jose and she already lost hope that she could not make it. After sending a few emails to the trip director Karen Soo, Karen was kind enough able to help with the transportation   She was able to coordinate our rides to San Jose with members of the Monterey Ski and Social Club and we were able to get to San Jose for the start of our adventure. Thank you to Monterey members, Ted Hill and Bill Robinson for driving us is there.

Surprise 2: The trip was sooooooo well organized and all the club members are so friendly. As soon as we boarded the bus at San Jose, the two of us felt we were part of a big happy family. Once the bus departed, we knew that it was not an ordinary ski trip, but a trip filled with laughter, friendship, warmth and FUN. We truly appreciated the efforts of the trip leaders Karen Soo and Amy Tsuhako for their organization and the friendliness from its club members.

Surprise 3:  The accommodations at the Sands in Reno were more than sufficient.  Comfortable bedroom with 2 queen-size beds, hot shower, TV and Wi-Fi.  We were staying on the 12th floor and it was a bit noisy from the casino and club on the main floor. When we arrived, everyone was given a free Gambling card. With an initial deposit, we made $3.00 on the slot machines Yahoo!! 🙂

Surprise 4:  As an experienced snowboarder, Ksenia decided to take some skiing lessons at Alpine Meadows. With the experience she had from snowboarding, Ksenia was able to move up 3+ times in a day from level one. By the end of the day, she was skiing comfortably on the challenging runs.  Discounts for the all-day long classes were such a bargain; she had no hesitation to take a lesson!

Surprise 5: On Sunday, it was raining on the base and I decided to try my first attempt at SNOW SHOEING. The peacefulness of walking in the deep snow in the forest at Northstar was definitely different than the extreme excitement of skiing at Alpine Meadows on Saturday.

Surprise 6:  A little rain on Sunday scare a few members and many took the day off. Skiing at Northstar turned out to be absolutely the best.  Fresh tracks, moguls and fresh snow in between the trees. It was not raining on top and Northstar had 6 inches snow on the top summit. We also got our pictures taken by the Epic Mix Camera crew, provided by resort. The pictures were easily shared on Facebook for free!

Surprise 7: FOOD – While skiing and snowboarding is the most exciting and expected part of the trip, the dinner, breakfast and snacks were also impressive.  Even a vegetarian option was available on the bus. We had dinner with a few of the Nisei Ski members at the Hash House a Go Go at the Harrah’s (http://www.harrahsreno.com/restaurants/hash-house-a-go-go.html)

To our surprise to the both of us, the multicolored lemonade and the huge portions were more than enough to eat for the 2 of us after a full day of burning calories on the slopes.

To sum up in a simple way, it is a truly, truly FUN and memorable trip for two international students almost new to the US and totally new to the Nisei Ski Club.

A great big THANK YOU to all the members of Nisei Ski Club and Monterey Ski and Social Club for making our trip a memorable one.

If you were so unfortunate to have missed the Pinnacles National Monument hike on March 30th, here is a pictorial essay to soothe your sorrows.

Missed opportunities. Ever have one (or two)?  Missed opportunities come and go, and all one can do is lament about what could have been. Well, the Steamboat Gang certainly was at the right place at the right time. When I heard that the Steamboat Gang enjoyed a week of fresh powder there was a missed opportunity. I’ve been to Steamboat on ski week trips several times and the champagne powder has always eluded me. From what I’ve heard, it sounds like everyone had a great time skiing powder and enjoying the slopes. Now, I’m sure there were skiers on that trip that said, “I don’t know how to ski powder”. Hopefully, after skiing several days in that white, fluffy stuff you can now say “I skied powder, and I liked it!” Of course, now that you’ve tasted the champagne, powder skiing in Tahoe will never be the same.

Karen Soo, our Trip Director, tells me that Trip #2 is going and that’s good news for everyone. After Trip #1 was cancelled there was major concerns about future weekend ski trips. But, everyone rallied and now Nisei is going to Alpine Meadows and Northstar the first weekend of March. The snow is still pretty good up there so it should be good skiing, and Sidney Mar now has a chance to try out his new skis/boots.

As for me, well, I’ll be in Innsbruck, Austria from 2-10 March. I’ve skied quite a few places in Austria but this will be my first trip to Innsbruck. There are about 6-7 ski areas and I’m looking forward to new territory, meeting some friends I met with FWSA last year, and perhaps an opportunity for me to practice my non-fluent German.

28 people signed up for the NSC Week Trip to Steamboat Springs,Jan 26 – Feb 2, 2013. Due to medical issues, three people dropped out right before the trip, so only 25 people arrived at Steamboat.  We had a quick shuttle ride, 40 minutes, from Hayden (HDN) airport to our condos at The Ranch.

I’ve always heard of the fabled Champagne Powder.  I’ve skied over 20 years and I’ve never seen the light fluffy snow that you see in the Colorado Travel Ski Videos.  I once asked Dan Lew about this fabled power and he said he’s only seen it twice in his many many years of skiing.

In Dec, Steamboat had 100” of snow, but nothing until the week we arrived.  It snowed 2” the first night we were there and we got to make fresh tracks on our first day of skiing.

 

Then it snowed 14” the next day and I got to experience Champagne Powder. I was skiing in powder up to my hips and it was as light as air.  At one point, I tried to write NSC in the snow and I was only able to push the whole pile with only my finger tip and it was so light, I couldn’t feel the snow and I was only left with a bit of moisture and a breath of coldness on my finger tip as proof that I had touched it.

It continued to snow the rest of the week.  On Thursday morning, we had 24.5” of fresh powder (see photo).  We got Champagne Powder the WHOLE week.   I think we got a total of 45” the week we were there.  Thursday was the day the locals from Denver showed up, they skied until noon – where all the powder on the groomed runs was trampled down to packed powder, but the powder was still in between the trees.

 

On one run that was rutted out, I avoided one jump, but didn’t see the second one and wound up tumbling.  While in the air, I thought it was going to hurt when I crashed, but when I hit, it was like landing on a feather comforter.  I was not jarred and it was painless, pleasantly surprised, I just laid down in the snow and enjoyed the experience.

 

Snowboarders jumped 20 foot drops, crash landed, tumbled, and popped-up unhurt.  It was amazing.

 

The condos were great, the snow was great, and I had a great time skiing with all the NSCers on the trip.

 

I’d also like to thank the people on the trip for giving me such wonderful Thank You gifts.  The tablet and fleece have been getting more use than any other gift I’ve ever gotten.

 

You guys are all great and I know this is one of those once in twenty year experiences.

 

Thanks,

Morgan Hua

View the trip photos here: https://www.niseiskiclub.org/photos/

As President Armand noted in last month’s newsletter, Hi Fujii had to give up skiing for health reasons, and his Atomic racing skis were available to any member who could use them. I’m the grateful recipient of Hi’s skis. My eight-year-old skis were probably outdated and had outlived their usefulness, and the length of HI’s skis was the same as my old skis. Being the recipient of such great, gently used skis, I had to go out and buy new ski boots to accompany them. Thanks to Karen Soo’s recommendation, I was able to find great boots that fit well.

Sydney’s Former Skis

Now I’m all dressed for the ball with nowhere to go. Although I signed up for all three weekend trips, I was disappointed to learn from Karen that Trip # 1 to Alpine and Squaw Valley was canceled because only 12 people signed up. Trips # 2 and 3 are in jeopardy, too. As Karen noted in her plaintive E-mail, “the end of an era might be upon us.” Therefore, fellow NSCers, please get off your sofas and sign up for Trips # 2 and 3 and tell your friends about our great weekend ski trips so they can sign up, too.  Give me a chance to do justice to Hi’s skis and bomb down those double diamond hills. Oops, sorry, I got carried away. Give me a chance to intelligently and elegantly ski down those hills, just like Hi would have.

Sidney Mar