by Armand Gutierrez
Last year at this time Mother Nature was quite busy with record rainfall north of the Bay Area and snowfall in the Tahoe region. So, what happened? February is going down in the record books as the driest February with no rain, and definitely no snow. Temperatures have been in the 50s in Tahoe and I’ve heard reports that some runs are showing brown patches of dirt. Not good. Historically, March is usually a wet month with plenty of rain and snow in Tahoe. And last year at this time Squaw Valley was advertising skiing on the 4thof July. Let’s hope March comes through with rain and snow so we can all enjoy pursuing our favorite winter endeavors.
Whistler Ski Week
We’re back from the Whistler trip and I’m pleased to report that everyone had a great time experiencing a variety of weather and snow conditions. There was one clear day where everyone enjoyed the fresh powder from a good overnight snowfall. The other days were met with cloud and low visibility conditions at the top, but still great powder skiing thanks to new snow almost every day. One of my favorite experiences was watching the Whiskey Jacks (local term for the Canada Jay) as they use people as their landing targets. Yes, that’s one of them on my head. My arm is extended because they also were feeding on a crumbled granola bar. The Whiskey Jacks were found at the base of the 7thHeaven lift on Blackcomb and the Symphony lift on Whistler.
2020 FWSA Ski Week to Davos, Switzerland
Judy Bracken, Elaine Graves, Roland Lee, and I are off to Davos, Switzerland for a week of skiing with FWSA. There are six resorts to choose from in the Davos Klosters area, and I’m hoping to ski the more popular resorts (Parsenn Davos, Parsenn Klosters, Jakobshorn, and Rhinerhorn). Davos Klosters offers 300km of snow pistes, 110 slopes, and 57 transport facilities (cable cars, gondolas, lifts, and T-bars). Like Whistler, there’s enough skiing to keep us busy for the week.
2021 NSC Ski Week to Breckenridge, CO
Next year’s ski week will be at Breckenridge, CO from 23-30 January, 2021. Breckenridge is part of Vail Resorts so you can pick up an Epic Pass for the next season. Once again, Sports America will be offering the Epic Pass promotion-lodging rebate of $30 for an Epic Local Pass and $50 for a full Epic Pass.
Board Nominations
Now that it’s March it’s time to think about Board Nominations for the 2020-21 season. If anyone has an interest in joining the board for the next season and has questions about what it entails then just drop a note to any of the current board members, or perhaps you have someone in mind to nominate for the board. Please keep in mind that the Nisei Ski Club relies on volunteers to be on the board and undertake the running of the club. It’s not all work and no play. Board meetings are fairly informal and afterwards we usually go out for lunch and talk about skiing or upcoming club events.
