April, 2024

EXECUTIVE ORGANIZATION

   BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  President – Toby Kravet – 808-224-1065
  Vice President - Anita Hodges
  Treasurer - Jonathan Carr
  Secretary - Nelson Dang
  Michiro Iwanaga
  Alan Teramura
  Caroline Sluyter
  Mike Tsutsui
  Carl See
  Sandra Robbins
 -----------------------------------------
  Newsletter Editor
  Toby Kravet

(Click on Contacts for e mail addresses)

CALENDAR OF EVENTS:

Every Monday evening (except on holidays and, of course, during Hawaii Ski Week), at 4:30 PM, a group of ski club members and their friends play tennis at Keehi Lagoon Courts, off  Lagoon Drive.  Stay in shape and enjoy a "careful social hour" afterwards.

April 7 (Thursday) 5:00 PM General Membership Meeting at Mangiamo with announcement of board election results and election for President.

May 2 (Thursday)  5:00 PM  General Membership Meeting at Mangiamo

May 4 (Saturday) Volunteering at Oahu Trifecta, Pre Special Olympics competition for Oahu athletes only (see below).  We need volunteers.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE:

From the write-up below, the Japan ski trips were a resounding success and makes me think twice about not going myself:  During the time of the Japan trips, I am usually in Utah resuming friendships of many years and skiing Alta and occasionally other areas around Salt Lake City.  I'm sure that many of our members have also gone on trips of their own which we may hear about at Mangiamo and other times we get together.  We've had quite a number of new members since the newsletter went on vacation with me:  Eric and Cheryl Uchihara, Andrea Weymouth-Fujie, Scot and Caro Willson, Akiko Miyazaki, Richard Browning, Pamela Menter, Jeffrey Protacio, Scott Kubota, Randall Yuen, Jennifer Honda, and Bryn Turner.  Hope I've gotten everyone. Welcome to all and hope to meet you at some point in the future.  For as long as I can remember, the Club has supplied volunteers for worthy causes on Oahu, where most of our members live (although we seem to be getting more neighbor island and mainland members, not to mention one couple from out of the U.S.), and I'm hoping that we get a good turnout for the Special Olympics' Oahu Trifecta on May 4.  Hope to see many of you at our General Membership Meetings and various activities around town. 

TOBY

UPCOMING SKI CLUB ACTIVITIES:

 

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
WITH RESULTS OF BOARD ELECTION
AND ELECTION OF PRESIDENT
MANGIAMO BY 604
NAVY MARINE GOLF COURSE
943 VALKENBURGH ST.
April 4 (Thursday) 5 PM

Come to Mangiamo on the first Thursday of April to break bread, have a libation or two, and compare notes on the ski season.   Also, Jonathan will be announcing the results of the board election, and we will be voting for President.  Although the meeting itself won't start until 5:30 PM, we'd like you to get there a bit earlier so you can get situated and order your food and drink.  We like to get our business out of the way before the live music starts and makes announcements difficult.  If you haven't yet been to Mangiamo, it is opposite the airport and off of Valkenburgh Street which runs between Nimitz Highway (under the viaduct) and Radford Drive.  Drive almost all the way to Radford Drive and you'll see the entrance to the right.  Mangiamo is on the second floor of the golf course's club house.  See you there.

TOBY

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
MANGIAMO BY 604
NAVY MARINE GOLF COURSE
943 VALKENBURGH ST.
May 2 (Thursday) 5 PM

Finally, a General Membership Meeting without anything special going on, but we may have some updates by this time on plans for Hawaii Ski Week 2025 at Sun Peaks.   Although the meeting itself won't start until 5:30 PM, we'd like you to get there a bit earlier so you can get situated and order your food and drink.  We like to get our business out of the way before the live music starts and makes announcements difficult.  If you haven't yet been to Mangiamo, it is opposite the airport and off of Valkenburgh Street which runs between Nimitz Highway (under the viaduct) and Radford Drive.  Drive almost all the way to Radford Drive and you'll see the entrance to the right.  Mangiamo is on the second floor of the golf course's club house.  See you there.

 

SPECIAL OLYMPICS
OAHU TRIFECTA
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
KAISER HIGH SCHOOL
511 LUNALILO HOME ROAD
HAWAII KAI
May 4 (Saturday) Time: TBA

Last year we had an excellent turnout to help at the June statewide Special Olympics.  This year, upon our application to volunteer again, we were told that where they really needed help was a month early at the Oahu Trifecta, competition in the same events but limited to Oahu athletes - - -so that's what we have agreed to do.   This is only 5 weeks away so please contact Mike Tsutsui,  mike@hawaiisnowskiclub.com  , if you would like to help out.  We are hoping that "past is prologue," i.e. we get the same kind of turnout for this event that we got for last year's statewide competition. 

TOBY

 

PAST SKI CLUB ACTIVITIES:

HAWAII SKI WEEK
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO
January, 2024

Around 50 (I forget the final count) Hawaii Ski "Clubbers"  made it to Steamboat Springs for 2024 Hawaii Ski Week.  The bus trip from Denver to Steamboat, for those of us (approximately half of the group) that took it,  was a bit longer than anticipated (around 4 hours), but after we got there, everything fell nicely into place. The Gravity Haus hotel,  where most of us stayed and where we held our opening and closing events, for those of us who figured it out, was absolutely "ski in," within 10 feet of the side door, and the walk to the Gondola in the morning was just around the corner and a bit uphill on the snow which didn't make it "ski out" but close.  Although the temperatures were a bit warmer than what is expected at Steamboat in January and there was an absence of their famous "champagne powder" the mountain was eminently skiable, and there was plenty of territory for everyone at every level of ability.  Off the slope,  there were plenty of bars and restaurants in the base village to keep ourselves well fueled and lubricated.  Mahalo to Alan and his Trip Committee for all the planning which included figuring out where we could get together on the mountain for lunch every day, meet for drinks in the evening, and deciding whom of us was deserving of one of the "esteemed" awards given out at the Farewell Banquet (We'll get even).

TOBY

JAPAN SKI TRIPS
February, 2024


This was again another epic and truly memorable year for skiing in Japan. We had 86 HSC members that went to Japan this year, and they enjoyed a taste of everything that Hokkaido winters had to offer. We had some bluebird days rarely seen during Hokkaido's cold winters, we got to taste some of the famous Hokkaido powder, and even experienced some spring skiing conditions. There was literally something for everyone to enjoy!

Unlike last year, the first group easily navigated the stopover in Haneda and arrived in Sapporo during the beginning of Lunar New Year which began February 10, the Year of the Dragon. We stayed in the ski in ski out Shin Furano Prince Hotel, which was a little over a two hour drive from Sapporo. Furano Ski Resort had two mountains connected by familiar sounding H1 and H2 ski runs. The Furano and the Kitanomine ski areas differed by the latter having more beginner terrain near the base, but both offered long wide cruiser runs with tree run access. The upper slopes were accessible via “romance chairs” which refer to vintage two person chairs. Unlike other resorts that we have been to, Furano still has more of a local feel to it with an authentic Japanese town only 10-15 minutes away and accessible by shuttle bus or taxi. Many individuals ventured into town nightly for dinner, while others stayed and ate in one of the four excellent restaurants in the hotel. As hotel guests we had access to a beautiful onsen, a short covered walk from the main hotel area.

Of the 37 HSC members who went to Furano, half stayed another week to join an additional 30 persons coming to Rusutsu (total of 50 HSC members in Rusutsu). Instead of a ski resort with a nearby town, Rusutsu is a huge Convention Center complex with shops, restaurants and hotel rooms all under one roof. They had completed a fabulous new onsen several years ago, which was just at the end of the hallway from our rooms. Featuring several indoor pools at different temperatures including a cold plunge, and outdoor lay flat pools that lets snow fall on you as you soak in the hot mineral springs water. Our hotel package included a daily breakfast buffet, where you could choose between delicious Japanese or Western style food for breakfast or you could eat Chinese style buffet or a set menu Japanese breakfast. We also had a buffet dinner on alternate nights where we could sit together and talk story. After a day of skiing, many enjoyed a creamy soft serve cone, a Hokkaido specialty at the Cafe Horn.

Rusutsu consists of three mountains, West Mountain just outside the resort complex, East Mountain accessed by a gondola from the resort and Mt Isola, accessible by gondola and hooded chair lifts. East Vivaldi was one of our favorite runs in the morning from the top of East Mt because it was a long wide run to the gondola at the bottom and is uncrowded but always groomed overnight. The further you go away from the hotel complex the fewer people you encounter, making it possible to find fresh, untracked powder even after several days without snowfall. From the top of Mt Isola you can see the Sea of Japan, Mt Yotei (also known as the Mt Fuji of Hokkaido) and the ski runs at Niseko. Our favorite run on Mt Isola was the furthest run from the resort complex, Heavenly View, from there you have panoramic views of all the snow capped peaks in the surrounding countryside. Rusutsu is famous for its long wide runs with easy access to its renowned tree skiing down into the valleys. There also was night skiing available if you didn't get enough skiing during the day. For dinner you could choose from 7 restaurants featuring French, Chinese, Italian Seafood, Japanese, pub and buffet style dinners, including all you can eat crab legs.

This year nearly 40% of the participants were new Hawaii Ski Club members and many of them had a lot of previous skiing and boarding experience. They came from all walks of life including a judge, lawyers, medical doctors (3 out of the 7 on the trip were new members),school teachers, engineers, conservationists, city and county workers, chiropractor, masseuse, commercial insurance brokers, etc. But their common thread was that they all loved skiing in Japan, many for the first time. There was lots of bonding and camaraderie during both trips with some members volunteering their time providing personalized ski instruction and tips, free ski waxing and group tours for people who were new to Japan or who just wanted someone to ski with. When combined with delicious Japanese meals and lots of fun skiing or boarding with new friends, this year's ski trips to Japan were an extraordinary experience.

ALAN

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

HAWAII SKI CLUB IS ON FACEBOOK

Facebook is the best way to keep current on the Hawaii Ski Club. On your Facebook page on your computer, type "Hawaii Ski Club" into the search box on the top left. On your mobile device, tap the magnifying glass at the top to get the search box.  Pictures from Ski Club activities and other items are posted as they are submitted.  You can submit your own Ski Club pictures and other items you wish posted by emailing them to anita@hawaiisnowskiclub.com

---------------------------

Contributions from the membership to future newsletters are encouraged and will be greatly appreciated: Please e mail them to Toby (see Contacts) no later than 9 calendar days from the end of the month. Thanx much.

Updated club info available at http://www.hawaiisnowskiclub.com and on our Facebook page.

  ,January - March 2024 Newsletter