newslett er - Nisei Ski Club
Transcription
newslett er - Nisei Ski Club
nisei ski club N E W S L E T T ER AUGUST 2011 current ski club news, events & activities Editor’s Message SUN VALLEY WEEK LONG This month in history—On August 2, 1873 - 1st trial run of SF ca- SKI TRIP ~ Jan 21, 2012 ble car, Clay Street between Kearny & Don’t get left behind!!! Sign up for the Sun Jones Valley trip. See the info and sign up form within and Morgan’s trip update. So, What’s Happening? For those with a Francophile bent, the Skiing in JULY? At least Chamonix trip (Mar 9-17, 2012) with Far one intrepid NSC skier West Ski can also be found in this skied on Independence month’s newsletter. Day!!! See David Miura’s article and pictures of his October Almaden Quicksilver Park fine day out! How many Hike ~Oct 9, 2011 of you know that the LamMark your calendars for a hike in Alborghini Miura was maden Quicksilver Park. On October 9, named for David’s famAllen Hu will lead an invigorating hike ily??? (Lui è italiano!) amongst the flora and fauna. Detailed information in this month’s newsletter. FROM ARMAND’S DESK, we have the membership report and more info on the Chamonix, France weeklong ski trip. Please Mountain View Obon Festival beer booth. find Armand’s report and detailed informaGrant. Joo, the chairman of the Obon Festival tion about the Chamonix trip. beer booth expressed his gratitude to the NSC volunteers in the enclosed Thank You THE DRAMIMINE EXPRESS— read letter. Karen’Gilligan’ Soo’s report about the maiden voyage of the S.S. MINOW which had set out on a “3 hour tour” in search of wily salmon Our trip director, Karen Soo, has come out of the closet (so to speak)! After years working diligently behind the scenes, Karen is back as our trip director. See her report on our ski trips for the coming winter. A couple of items of note— a South Shore trip !!! and a long weekend trip to Mammoth! Nisei Ski Club Newsletter 1 www.niseiskiclub.org Skiing on the Fourth of July ~David Miura~ With the unusually large snowpack this year, several Tahoe resorts announced they were opening up again for skiing on the 4th of July and I decided to take advantage of the opportunity. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anybody else who was interested in going, so I made plans to go up to Tahoe and back in a day. Sugar Bowl was open, but only to its season pass holders. Squaw Valley announced six lifts would be operating for a $50 lift ticket. Alpine Meadows had a discount going where they would lower the price of the lift ticket by $3.00 for every 1000 people who would “like” their Facebook page, and so the cost dropped to $34. There was apparently some controversy because Squaw and Sugar Bowl were allowing their season pass holders to ski for free that weekend, but Alpine required people to sign up for their 2011/2012 pass in order to ski for free (excluding military personnel who always ski free there.) People complained that it was 2010/2011 snow, but Alpine reasoned that since their fiscal year begins June 1, the new season had started. I arrived at Alpine Meadows at 7:00am and parked in the very front. People were walking around in t-shirts and flip flops so I knew I had dressed appropriately. I had on shorts, a long sleeve t-shirt to ward off the sun, and an aloha shirt. Plus helmet, of course. Two lifts were open, Summit and Roundhouse, and a cheer echoed in the mountains as the lifts started at 8:00am. As expected, the snow was soft and there were bare patches here and there that were well marked. No worse than Spring skiing however. Some of the differences of skiing in the summer are that you can inhale the fragrance of the forest and hear the water cascading around you that you normally don’t experience in the winter. I even saw a black bear walking up the side of the run. After skiing for only an hour I was starting to get tired, so I took a break by sitting in the shade on the grass under a huge pine tree at the base lodge. The atmosphere was quite festive and it was fun to just watch people. One girl was dressed as a female Captain America with a cape. There were two Uncle Sams and a very hairy man who looked like a silverback gorilla. There were a few girls in shorts and bikini tops, and some guys skiing without shirts. Lots of little American flags and pinwheels too. The local Reno TV station was there to interview people and record it all. As the morning wore on, the snow got wetter and more clumped up. It became work to push through the snow and when I noticed I was skiing like a beginner, I decided it was time to quit. In spite of the record snowfall this year, I only managed to get in 5 days of skiing, one of which was futzing around with my little nephews at Badger Pass. So the big decision was whether to count July 4th as my 6th day of skiing, or the first day of 2011/2012. Regardless, I had a great time and enjoyed the novelty of skiing in the middle of summer in the beautiful Sierra Nevada. Nisei Ski Club Newsletter 2 www.niseiskiclub.org Mountain View Obon Festival. On July 16, many NSC members volunteered their time in support of the Mountain View Obon Festival beer booth. Grant Joo, the chairman of the beer booth, expressed his gratitude to all of you with the following letter: Please thank all of the volunteers who helped on Saturday and Sunday at the Mt. View Obon beer booth. It was a pleasure to meet new volunteers and to see returning volunteers. It is without a doubt that the success of the beer booth each year is directly related to the overwhelming response of the volunteers from the Nisei Ski Club. Thank you for your dedication and hard work in making the booth such a success. I personally want to invite each of you to volunteer again next year to keep this tradition going strong. Please forward this message to all beer booth volunteers. Thank you again, Grant Joo Chairman of Mt. View Obon Beer booth VOLUNTEERS Brian Hess Dave Hori Mike Ryall Karen Soo Hoyt Nelson Keiko Franklin Frank Chang Marvin Ozawa Tom Ryugo Curtis Otaguro Haruko Nagaishi Janet Ngai David Uyeda Bill Lee Janice Moy Morgan Hua Mary Jang Rod Ngai Video Links!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgQQjEqoaY8 Nisei Ski Club Newsletter 3 www.niseiskiclub.org I’m Baacck.. Karen Soo – Trip Director After 3 years of volunteering behind the scenes with NSC, I’m back as your 2011 -2012 Trip Director. Who can think of cold weather in August? The West Coast is waiting for their summer, the East Coast is melting with high temperatures and before you know it, snowfall will start covering the hills of Lake Tahoe. I started the early stages of planning our ski trips for the 2012 season, so what are our plans for next year? Trip 1 – February 10- February 12, 2012 – South Shore The last time we went skiing in Heavenly was 2009. Can we do a repeat performance? Trip 2 – March 2 - March 4, 2012 North Shore Trip 3 – Our long weekend trip is planned for Mammoth Mountain March 23 – 27, 2012 The weekend trip will be similar to our 2009 trip. Ski the first day in Tahoe, 3 full days in Mammoth and 1 day in Squaw on the way back. I know everyone had a great time on this trip. If you are interested in going on this trip, please let me know. I sent out a survey to our 2009 Mammoth participants and we have 20 people interested. Prices for all the weekend trips are still being worked on and I hope to get them posted in the fall. With the unpredictable rising gas cost, the cost of the trips will go up slightly. I will do my best to keep the cost down. Just a reminder, our week long trip to Sun Valley, Idaho is scheduled for January 21 – January 28, 2012. As reported by Morgan Hua, 21 people had already signed up for this trip. Hurry up and send in your deposit if you are interested in going on this week long party. Until next month, start getting friendly your Stair Climber at the gym and start working out those core muscles. Ciao…Karen Nisei Ski Club Newsletter 4 www.niseiskiclub.org NSC 2012 Weeklong Ski Trip to Sun Valley Sun Valley, http://www.sunvalley.com, has 2054 acres, 3,400 feet vertical, 9,150 feet summit elevation. The lodge is at 5920 feet above sea level. Sun Valley also has Heli-Skiing. We will be staying at the Sun Valley Standard Condos which forms a horseshoe around the village and is within a ten-minute walk of the Sun Valley Inn or Lodge. http://www.sunvalley.com/trip-planner/lodging/#/condominiums We will be at Sun Valley during Theme Week. Various events are still in being planned by Sun Valley. Last year included receptions, mountain tours, and NASTAR races. Dates: Saturday, January 21, 2012 - Saturday, January 28, 2012. Price: $1200 Package includes: Round trip airfare from San Jose, California (SJC) to Boise, Idaho (BOI). Ground transfers to / from Boise Airport (Bus Tips included). 7 nights lodging at Sun Valley Standard Condominiums, 2 bedrooms/2 bath. 5 of 6 day lift ticket. Farewell Dinner. NSC 2012 Weeklong Trip Souvenir. Theme Week events and receptions. Pricing does NOT include baggage fees. Baggage fees as of 5/22/2011: Alaskan: $20/first, $20/second, boot bag and ski bag is considered a single bag. United: $25/first, $35/second, boot and ski bag is considered a single bag. Contact: Morgan Hua, [email protected], 408-242-6981 Payment Schedule: Full payment or $400 due on signup. 2nd payment: $400 due 8/26/2011. 3rd remaining payment due 11/8/2011. Cancellation Policy: Traveler is responsible for finding a replacement. Any refund due is contingent on applicable fees charged to the Nisei Ski Club by the travel agent. You must be at least 21 years of age and a member of the Nisei Ski Club to sign up for this trip. CST 2098431-40 Nisei Ski Club Newsletter 5 www.niseiskiclub.org NSC Sun Valley 2012 Week Ski Trip Form Name_____________________________ Address___________________________ City______________________ State/Zip__________________ Phone: (H)______________, (W)______________, (C)______________ Email: __________________ Medical Insurance__________________________ Policy #_______________________________ Emergency Contact_________________________ Emergency Contact Phone: ________________ Gender: Male / Female Bedding Preference: king (shared) / twin (dbl occ.) Roommate Preference: _____________ Condo mates Preference: ____________________ Souvenir Shirt Size: ___ XL, ___ L, ___ M, ___S Farewell Banquet: ___ Vegetarian, ___ Fish, ___ Beef Package Options Amount Full Package, Airfare from SJC (San Jose CA) via Alaskan Airlines. 30 seats available. $1200 Full Package, Airfare from SFO (San Francisco, CA) via United Airlines. 10 seats available. $1290 Land-Only Package (no airfare). $890 Add 6th day of skiing +$24 Senior (60+) lift pass discount -$71 Annual NSC Membership (membership required for this trip). Fill out a separate membership form: http://www.niseiskiclub.org/membership.pdf Amount Due +$30 or +$50/hardcopy Total Please make check payable to Nisei Ski Club and mail this completed form to: NSC Sun Valley c/o Morgan Hua 783 Mahogany Lane Sunnyvale, CA 94086. Confirmation will be sent by email or regular mail if a SASE is included. WAIVER AND RELEASE OF LIABILITY, PLEASE READ BEFORE SIGNING! In consideration of being allowed to participate in any way in the NISEI SKI CLUB programs, related events and activities, I _____________________________________, the Undersigned, acknowledge, appreciate, and agree that: 1. The risk of injury from the many of the activities is significant, including the potential for permanent paralysis and death, and while particular skills, rules, equipment, and personal discipline may reduce this risk, the risk of serious injury does exist; and, 2. I KNOWINGLY AND FREELY ASSUME ALL SUCH RISKS, both known and unknown, EVEN IF ARISING FROM THE NEGLIGENCE OF THE RELEASEES or others and assume full responsibility for my participation; and,3. I willingly agree to comply with the stated and customary terms and conditions for participation. If, however, I observe any unusual significant hazard during my presence or participation, I will remove myself from participation and bring such to the attention of the nearest official immediately; and, 4. I, for myself and on behalf of my heirs, assigns, personal representatives and next of kin, HEREBY RELEASE AND HOLD HARMLESS NISEI SKI CLUB, their officers, officials, agents, and/or employees, other participants, sponsoring agencies, sponsors, advertisers, and, if applicable, owners and lessors of premises used to conduct the event ("RELEASEES”), WITH RESPECT TO ANY AND ALL INJURY, DISABILITY, DEATH, OR LOSS OR DAMAGE TO PERSON OR PROPERTY, WHETHER ARISING FROM THE NEGLIGENCE OF THE RELEASEES OR OTHERWISE, to the fullest extent permitted by law. I HAVE READ THIS RELEASE OF LIABILITY AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK AGREEMENT, FULLY UNDERSTAND ITS TERMS, UNDERSTAND THAT I HAVE GIVEN UP SUBSTANTIAL RIGHTS BY SIGNING IT, AND SIGN IT FREELY AND VOLUNTARILY WITHOUT ANY INDUCEMENT. X________________________________________________________ DATE SIGNED:___________________________ (Participant's Signature) Notice: Photographs of this event including participants may appear on the NSC website or in the NSC newsletter. Nisei Ski Club Newsletter 6 www.niseiskiclub.org CANCELLATION POLICY Traveler is responsible for finding a replacement. Any refund of traveler’s payments will be contingent on applicable fees charged to the Nisei Ski Club by the travel agent. PURCHASE MONEY HELD IN SEPARATE (TRUST) ACCOUNT California law requires certain sellers of travel to have a separate (trust) account. The NSC has such an account. Traveler’s purchase payment(s) will be held in this account until used to pay applicable trip fees and expenses. TCRF PARTICIPATION The Nisei Ski Club is a participant in the California Travel Consumer Restitution Fund (TCRF). Eligible California travelers may file a claim with TCRF if the traveler is owed a refund of more than $50 for transportation or travel services which the seller of travel failed to forward to a proper provider or such money was not refunded to you when required per the stated cancellation policy. The maximum amount which may be paid by the TCRF to any one traveler is the total amount paid on behalf of the traveler to the seller of travel, not to exceed $15,000. A claim must be submitted to the TCRF within 12 months after the scheduled completion date of the travel. A claim must include sufficient documentation to prove your claim and a $35 processing fee. Claimants must agree to waive their right to other civil remedies against a registered participating seller of travel for matters arising out of a sale for which you file a TCRF claim. You may request a claim form by writing to: Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation, PO Box 6001, Larkspur, CA; or by visiting TCRC’s website at: www.tcrcinfo.org Sun Valley Update ~ Morgan Hua ~ For the Sun Valley trip, I currently have 21 signups. 4 SFO seats out of 10 are already taken. If you want to book your own air, you can take the Land Only package for $890. We have paid for a charter bus to take all of us from BOI to Sun Valley. Your Land Only package includes this bus. If your flight misses this bus, then you are responsible for your own transportation from the airport to Sun Valley. Our last group flight arrives at BOI on Jan 21, 2012, 1:36pm. Our first departing flight from BOI is on Jan 28, 2012, 12:35pm. If you purchase a LAND ONLY package and you want to catch NSC's chartered bus, you must arrive at BOI no later than the last club booked flight which is scheduled to arrive at 1:36 pm on Jan. 21, 2012. If you are booking your own flight, you may want to fly directly into SUN instead of BOI. If you change your mind about airfare, contact me before November that is when I must release our unused airfare seats. Nisei Ski Club Newsletter 7 www.niseiskiclub.org NSC Hike at Almaden Quicksilver Park Location: Almaden Quicksilver Park, Hacienda entrance (New Almaden) Date & Time: Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011 10:00 AM We will hike the trails out of the Hacienda entrance & see some of the mining relics, such as the Rotary Furnace, Spanish town, English town, etc. This is a moderate hike that allows us to see most of the sights in this end of the park. HIKING DISTANCE: 7.0 mi ELEVATION GAIN (cumulative): 1200+ ft HIKING PACE: Moderate DIFFICULTY: Moderate Estimated hiking time is 4 hours. COST: Free, this is a benefit of your NSC membership Where to meet: Almaden Quicksilver County Park – Hacienda entrance, New Almaden Almaden Rd. San Jose, CA 95120. Meet in the Parking Lot & Parking is free When: Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011 10:00 AM (arrive by 9:45 AM, we will leave on time) Directions: The Hacienda entrance is located at the south end of New Almaden. From Almaden Expressway: proceed 3 miles along Almaden Road through the town of New Almaden to the unpaved parking lot on the right. The Pat Tillman memorial is directly across from this parking lot. Optional Post hike lunch at the Sonoma Chicken Coop on Almaden Expressway afterwards. Sonoma Chicken Coop 5925 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, CA 95120, Tel: (408) 997-1272 Contact: Allen Hu – 408-515-1748, Email – [email protected] How to Sign Up: Email Allen with your contact information (Name, phone #, email address) Sign up by: Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011 Heavy rain cancels the hike. Contact trip leader if the weather looks questionable. Dogs (leashed) are allowed everywhere in this route. There are bathrooms and water only at the Hacienda entrance. There are no parking or entrance fees. Bring adequate food & water. Maps will be provided. LIABILITY WAIVERS NEED TO BE SIGNED AT THE TRAILHEAD Nisei Ski Club Newsletter 8 www.niseiskiclub.org FROM ARMAND’S DESK Membership Activity The NSC continues grow on pace with last year. At the end of July we have 55 members, which compares with 53 members at the end of July 2010. As we get closer to ski season (yes, it will be here before you know it), there should be an increase in membership, especially around the October time frame when everyone starts getting excited about skiing and the weekend ski trips. Also please welcome the following new members: Mary Jang, Carolynn Honey, and Rick Dumlao Chamonix Ski Week When I first read about FWSA planning a ski week in Chamonix, France, it became apparent that this was a trip in my destiny. Why? For starters, I’ve been yearning to return to the Alps (Swiss, Austrian, or French) to explore the many ski resorts that Europe has to offer. I say “return” because I had the enviable position of living in Germany for two winter seasons. And yes, during those two seasons a weekend trip to Switzerland or Austria happened about twice a month. My only trip to France was to Tignes/Val d’Isere (a one week trip), and to Corvatsch, Italy on a weekend trip. And now I get to add Chamonix to the list. Although the trip is in March there should still be good ski conditions. But I’m not only going for the skiing. There’s the Aiguille du Midi, which is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. If you’re afraid of heights then this is not the place for you. Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix Mont-Blanc I’m looking forward to the international flavor of European ski resorts. And I’m not talking about the food, although that is certainly another consideration. The international flavor of hearing people speaking so many different languages is a delight to the senses. If you’ve never been to Europe for a week of skiing, then this is a golden opportunity. Yes, it is more expensive than the NSC ski week trips, but then what price can you put on a trip to Europe if you’ve never been there? So far, my fellow skier, Curtis Otaguro, will be joining me on this trip. If you’re interested or have any questions, then you know whom to call. Nisei Ski Club Newsletter 9 www.niseiskiclub.org Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France Ski Week March 9 to 17, 2012 $ 1,191 per person double occupancy (w/o air) $1,056* for air from SFO (+ $50 for LAX) *Includes estimated US departure taxes, customs, immigration and fuel charge of $557 Chamonix offers skiing and snowboarding for all levels. It has tremendously long slopes, glade skiing, free ride and off-piste slopes. Chamonix, 1924 Winter Olympic Games site, is a popular tourist destination that links Italy via the Mont-Blanc tunnel Prices include: neva via Swiss International Airlines representative private coach pin Alpina Chamonix Hotel in Superior Rooms. (Larger rooms) -around dinner program daily. (Choice of 3 different restaurants for dinner; Alpina, Le Prieure and Croix Blanche) This is an FWSA-sponsored trip and is not subsidized by NSC. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me, Armand Gutierrez, at : [email protected], or 408-377-4401. Nisei Ski Club Newsletter 10 www.niseiskiclub.org A True NSC Test of Patience Karen Soo Seven NCS members and guests ventured out to San Francisco Bay on July 23 for a day of salmon fishing. With 2 doses of Dramamine in my system and my motion sickness band on my wrist, I was ready to go. Most of us got up as early as 4:00am to meet at 5:00am at the Emeryville Marina where Tom Ryugo and I met our fellow castaways. Everyone checked in, handed over $5.00 for the ―Biggest Catch‖ cash pot, and we were on our way. The boat headed north to somewhere between Stinson Beach and Point Reyes, it felt like 2 hours of surfing the waves. Most of us went below deck, trying to catch quick naps before arriving at our designated hot fishing spot. NSC Castaways When the boat finally stopped, I had no idea where we were. There was no land in sight - only the ocean, clouds and the horizon. We dropped our lines and waited. And waited and waited and waited and waited. Where’s the fish? I, myself was trying very hard to keep my eye on the horizon while the boat was rocking left to right. I started to feel a ―little weird‖ something was about to happen. I breathed and thought about my Yoga poses. Downward Facing Dog, BREATHE, Child’s Pose, BREATHE, Happy Baby Pose, BREATHE. Thinking of U2 songs playing through my head. Geez, its only 10:30am, when is this boat turning back? Original Ink drawing from Bill Kumagai Former NSC member Bill Kumagai asked me to do a dance to attract the salmon. I said no way I was taking my hand off the railing. Two hours passed and nothing was biting. Tom was tossing his cookies and I just held onto the railing in front of me and looked out into the horizon. The boat kept rocking left to right, left to right. Bill Kumagai, an accomplished graphic artist, made a really nice ink drawing of salmon swimming in the ocean. We all signed it and gave it to Captain Harry of the Newseeker as a token of our appreciation. Captain Harry has taken NSC on these fishing trips for the past 8 years. With such good karma, Bill finally caught a salmon, 7 pounds and barely legal at 24 inches. WHOO WHEE. Does that mean that it’s salmon feeding time? No such luck. That unfortunate Nisei Ski Club Newsletter 11 www.niseiskiclub.org salmon must of gotten lost, found Bill’s hook and met his doom. Lucky for Bill, he won the cash pot for the biggest fish and the only fish. Tom Ryugo reeled in a 23 ½‖ long salmon, only to find out that it was a ½‖ short of the legal requirement length. He also reeled in 2 undersized ling cods which have an extension on sea life. He had to throw them back into the ocean. Other people landed four silver salmon which had to be released (Silvers are considered endangered in CA). By 2:00pm, we where heading back to the bay area. The sun finally came out and although the rest of the people on the boat ―got ―skunked‖, We had a good time rocking on the boat and testing our patience. Until Next year… Bill Kumagai with his winning Salmon Tony Moy, W es Kawa se Gran dS Kare lam Trip L n So o & T eaders om R yugo Kevin Kumagai Tony Moy – Stil Nisei Ski Club Newsletter Karen Soo , 12 l smiling after lo sing 2 fish www.niseiskiclub.org Discount at DJ's Boardshop. DJ's Boardshop (www.djsboardshop.com) is giving NSC members a 10% discount and a swag bag if you make a purchase. They specialize in selling last year's gear. If you make a purchase, send them an email mentioning NSC and they will throw in a free swag bag. The discount code for NSC is: NISC10 Check it out at : http://www.djsboardshop.com/ NSC 2011-2012 Officers President: Morgan Hua [email protected] Vice President: vacant [email protected] Secretary: vacant [email protected] Treasurer: Frank Chang [email protected] Trip Director: Karen Soo [email protected] Newsletter: Dan Lew [email protected] Membership: Armand Gutierez [email protected] Webmaster: Morgan Hua [email protected] Ex-Officio: Morgan Hua [email protected] Weekend Trip Coordinator: [email protected] NSC 2011-2012 Board Members Joel Hayashida Brian Hess Hoyt Nelson Karen Soo Nisei Ski Club Newsletter 13 www.niseiskiclub.org Nisei Ski Club Calendar Community Calendar See http://www.skibac.org/ for ski-related events. Gen Mtg. 2nd Mon each month Jan 21—28, 2012. NSC Weeklong Ski Trip to Sun Valley - contact Morgan at [email protected] Sundays: San Jose Japantown Farmer’s Mkt. 8:30 to noon Mar 9-17, 2012. FWSA weeklong ski trip to ChamonixMont-Blanc -contact Armand [email protected] Oct 9, 2012—Almaden Quicksilver Park Hike— contact Alllen at : [email protected] . Note: The Community Calendar is for information only. NSC is not affiliated with or claims to endorse these events. Contact the NSC Newsletter Editor for consideration of inclusion in this monthly list by emailing the Editor at [email protected]. Nisei Ski Club MEMBERSHIP To join NSC, please use this link: http://www.niseiskiclub.org/membership.pdf nisei ski club NEWSLETTER CURRENT SKI CLUB NEWS, EVENTS & ACTIVITIES D. Lew c/o: M. Hua 783 Mahogany Lane Sunnyvale, CA 94086 To: «First Name» «Last Name» «Address 1» «Address 2» «City», «State» «Zip» www.niseiskiclub.org