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JANUARY, 2017
H A P P Y H O L I D A Y S
EXECUTIVE ORGANIZATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President – Toby Kravet – 808-224-1065
Vice President – Jonathan Carr
Treasurer - Geoff Chu
Secretary - Paul Ferguson
Rene "Fergie" Ferguson
Roy Manzoku
Bill Hodges
Alan Teramura
Scott
Parmley
Linda Giers
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Club Historian
Jo Yee
Newsletter Editor
Toby Kravet
(Click on Contacts for e mail addresses)
CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
Additional events, such as concerts, hikes, excursions, may be added. Watch your email for possible updates.
Every Monday evening (except on holidays and, of course, during Hawaii Ski Week): 4:30 P.M. A group of ski club members and their friends play tennis at Keehi Lagoon courts, off Lagoon Drive. Stay in shape and share refreshments afterwards!
January 6 (Friday) 9:55 P.M. Departure for Hawaii Ski Week 2017.
January 19 (Thursday) 5:30 P.M. Board Meeting at Henry Loui's.
January 21 (Saturday) 6:00 P.M. Post Trip Party at the Esplanade, 500 Lunalillo Home Rd. BYOG ("G" is "Grinds") and BYOB. All Ski Club members, regardless of whether or not you went on the trip, are invited to share/hear the stories and, maybe, see some pics. For those who didn't go on the trip, this will be your opportunity to have some input into where we go in 2018.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE:
As I sit down to write the last "President's Message" of 2016, Jackson Hole has 10" of new snow, a base of 22" at the bottom and 78" at the top, and is 23 F at the bottom and 17 F at the top. Hope it warms up a wee bit (but just a wee bit) for us Hawaii folk.
Speaking of the Jackson Hole trip, to those of you who are not on our mailing list but are reading this on the internet (this was already emailed to our membership), one of our female members has a two bedded room by herself at the Snake River Lodge for Hawaii Ski Week (see below) and is looking for a roommate, preferably another female but a male is O.K., to share the cost. You would have to make your own air travel arrangements as our flights are full, but you could join in on the ground package. You would also have to join the Club. For more information, contact jonathan@hawaiisnowskiclub.com .
As you have probably heard, Mauna Kea has gotten a lot of snow the past serveral weeks, and on one day, had the biggest "dump" of anywhere in the U.S.A. You wouldn't believe the number of emails and telephone calls I have received from individuals wanting to travel to Hawaii to ski or vacationers already here who want to know where they can rent skis to try out "the resort." This goes on every year, but this year it has been "off the charts", and I have even been contacted by two news organizations, one in California and the other in Texas, wanting to do a story on our club and skiing in Hawaii. They all think that's what we do. Some day, when you are sitting in front of your computer with time on your hands, Google "Ski Hawaii," "Hawaii Ski Club," "Skiing in Hawaii", "Mauna Kea Ski Resort," or any other similar search string you can imagine and see what comes up. You will be amazed. You will see sites that have "cockroached" our logo, sites that give weather reports for the "Mauna Kea Resort," the fanciful trail map from the Ski Hawaii link from on our website, the site of a company named "Ski Guides Hawaii" which, to our knowledge, no longer exists, and it goes on and on. All of these sites give the false impression that there is a real ski resort up there. And you thought that "Fake News" originated with the most recent U.S. presidential campaign: Not! Below is the latest version of the "canned" response I use to reply to most of the emails I receive on this subject.
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The Hawaii Ski Club, comprised of skiers and snowboarders of all ages and
abilities, coordinates one or more trips per year to mainland USA or foreign
resorts and holds social and exercise related activities throughout the year.
Although the club was initially founded in the early 1950s to promote skiing on
Mauna Kea, which was/is possible at times during the normal northern hemisphere
ski season, and did coordinate ski trips to the mountain at that time, we no
longer travel there as a club and do not endorse it for the following reasons:
1. In stark contrast to the map on our website in the Ski Hawaii link,
some YouTube videos which seem to suggest otherwise, and links on the Internet,
there is no dedicated ski resort on Mauna Kea with laid out trails and lifts,
and there are no services, i.e. warming hut, ski patrol, etc. The map on our
website was a dream in the head of an individual who used to have a small ski
rental shop in Hilo and took people up there----I believe in the early 70s.
According to a story and link on the Internet, there was a company called Mauna
Kea Ski Corporation, dba Ski Guides Hawaii, based in Kamuela, in 2010 or
earlier, that was renting ski equipment and taking people to the summit, but we
haven't been able to confirm this or find them.
2. We are not aware of
any shops from which someone can rent equipment, and as of 12/2015, there is
only one auto rental agency, Harper Car and Truck Rentals in Hilo, willing to
rent 4 wheel drive vehicles for transportation to the summit. While there are
some sightseeing tours to the summit, there is no public transportation and the
national auto rental chains don't want you taking their vehicles on the summit
road. Local residents who go up with friends for a day of skiing, when the
"coconut wireless" broadcasts snow and the road is open, take turns driving and
skiing or just park to climb and ski. It is more of a novelty than something
someone would do for regular recreation, and whether it is actually permitted on
state conservation land is unknown: At present, state officials are most likely
just ignoring it. The major reason for a road to the summit is the several world
class observatories which need to be staffed and serviced.
3. The snow
level is often "iffy," and there can be lava rocks poking through the surface.
There was a lot more snow in yesteryear---just like in Colorado, Utah, and most
places in the world. Climate change is taking its toll on snow levels here as
well as elsewhere.
4. You go from sea level to 13,500 feet, give or
take, without any time to acclimate, and with no lift, you are traversing and
climbing as well as sliding downhill on skis or boards. Some can do it without a
problem, some can't, and a few even end up requiring professional medical
attention.
5. In recent years, some native Hawaiians, who consider the
mountain sacred, have discouraged its use for purposes other than cultural
observances and have tried to dial back and even stop the current scientific
uses via demonstrations, legislative advocacy, and legal action. The road to the
summit has been closed once or twice due to protest demonstrations.
Sorry
to have to tell you all this. There are only two people in our club, of whom I
am aware, who have been up there in recent years. You can find additional
information concerning Mauna Kea and, especially, the road, at:
http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/vis/visiting-mauna-kea/visiting-the-summit.html
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See you at the airport on January 6.
A hui hou kakou,
TOBY
UPCOMING SKI CLUB ACTIVITIES:
HAWAII SKI WEEK, 2017
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
January 7 - January 14
Hawaii Ski Week 2017 will be at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, January 7 - January 14, and registration is directly with our travel agency for the trip, Ski.com. Click on https://events.ski.com/GroupListing.aspx . If this does not work, Go online to www.ski.com, click on "GROUPS" at the top of the page, scroll down and click on "JOIN A GROUP" on the right hand side, and our trip should appear with a link to the registration form. The form will have the prices, flights (may change) and lodging details. You can view these things after entering your name. If you don’t want to continue registering, you can log out.
Jackson Hole Resort features 2,500 acres of skiing with an
aerial tram which takes skiers 4,139 feet to the top of the mountain at 10,450
feet in 12 minutes. They also have an eight person gondola, and, new for the
2016-2017 season, another 8 person gondola serving the base area, 8 quad lifts,
1 triple and 2 doubles. The club will be staying in Teton Village, which is the
name of the area near the lifts. The cowboy/rancher town of Jackson, Wyoming is
a 12 mile bus ride away for a fare of $3 one way.
For those of you who
like hotel-like accommodations, we have reservations at the Snake River Lodge
(SRL). The SRL is very near the aerial tram and 150 yards from the gondola. Your
price at the SRL includes daily breakfast and a package of other benefits. We have unbundled the lift tickets, since
they are the same price as the ones offered by Ski.com. So, the SRL package
price is $844 for a double queen room. The king deluxe is higher, but if we get
12 rooms assigned, it will be a free upgrade.
We are also offering 2, 3
and 4 bedroom condos on West Michael Drive in Teton Village. The 4 bedroom Wind
River condos are 100 yards from the Moose Creek quad chairlift. The 2 and 3
bedroom condos are 200 yards from the lift. You can also take a free shuttle to
the tram station and the base area of Teton Village. All condos have 1 bath per bedroom. We
will try to get the most single beds we can in the condos. The condos are $550
per person for 3 and 4 bedroom and $625 for a 2 bedroom.
The registration and your $200 deposit are due by June 30. We
have blocked rooms based on what we think demand will be. To guarantee you get
the room you want, please register as soon as possible. That will also help us
gauge demand. If you have roommates, please send us a list. Airfare right now is
$995. We expect this to come down some, and there may be schedule and airline
changes. We will keep you informed about it. Your deposits are fully refundable,
and options can be added or deleted, up to September 30th.
If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Jonathan, jonathan@hawaiisnowskiclub.com .
THE TRIP
COMMITTEE
POST TRIP PARTY
The Esplanade, 500 Lunalillo Home Road
January 21 (Saturday) 6:00 P.M.
On January 21, the Saturday immediately following our return from Jackson Hole, we are back to the Esplanade in Hawaii Kai for the traditional Post Trip Party. The Post Trip Party is for the entire Club, not just those who went on the trip. It is an opportunity for the "tripees" to relive the glories of Hawaii Ski Week and make everyone else jealous and for everyone else (the "tripees" did it at the "Farewell Dinner") to have input into where we go next year. Unlike the Christmas Party at the Esplanade, this is pot luck and, of course, like all of our parties, BYOB. For those of you who were ar the Christmas Party (See story below), sorry: There will be no belly dancer this time. If this is your first time to the Esplanade, it is the large looming building on the left side of Lunalillo Home Road about .6 miles from Kalanianaole Highway. Look for street parking on Lunallillo Home Road or on the side streets going up towards Koko Head.
PAST SKI CLUB ACTIVITIES:
TRADITIONAL THANKSGIVING VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY
SERVING AN EARLY THANKSGIVING DINNER TO THE NEEDY
Blaisdell Center
November 24 (Thursday)
It's just a happy experience at our long-running celebration of Thanksgiving by helping out with Salvation Army's dinner. It did not rain our tailgate brunch into the parking structure this year. We had some treats with our coffee and mimosas, such as Helen's stuffed eggs, Fergie's lumpia, and Linda's cranberry ring. Some club members dropped by even though they were unable to volunteer. All our volunteers waited tables, getting to mix with the diners and hear their grateful appreciation. It certainly was a day to give thanks!
WANDA
ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY
December 18 (Sunday)
The
Esplanade
Somewhere between sixty and seventy Hawaii Ski Club Members and guests enjoyed the annual Christmas party at the Esplanade on Sunday evening, December 18. Most of the guests were there to celebrate the concurrent birthday of long time member and current Board Member Bill Hodges, and all, except for a very few of us who had been forewarned, were totally surprised when a belly dancer, ordered by Bill's wife, Anita suddenly appeared at 6:30 to put on a brief show for the "birthday boy." Dancing around the room with a scimitar balanced on her hip was something to behold (Wonder how sharp it was?). Geof outdid himself by, in addition to the usual barbecued stake, Chinese noodles, and salad, additionally provided two, seasonally appropriate baked hams for the occasion. The Secret Santa gift exchange lived up to expectations with a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream which changed hands four or five times and a "snowball" attack initiated by Geoff. Geoff chose a gift package which turned out to be Christmas Tree Ornaments, but he exchanged them for a set of drill bits with the member who, equally inappropriately, had chosen them. (Can you imagine Geoff with a Christmas Tree?) When another member stole the drill bits from Geoff and Geoff had to return to the tree, it was slim pickings, and he ended up with more ornaments, specifically foam snowballs, with which he bombarded the rest of us. Fun, fun, fun! Mucho mahalos to Sam for providing the venue, Geoff for taking care of the food for the evening, and everyone who attended for the eminent good cheer.
TOBY
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
LATE SEASON VACATION RENTAL AT PARK CITY
Ski Club member Gordon Ng has notified us of a slopeside
(Payday Lift) vacation rental available at the Marriott Park City
from March
10 - 17 ($1500) and March 17 - 24 ($1100). It can sleep 8-10.
Contact Lydia Li at (650) 713-7300 or email her
lydia.li100@gmail.com . Of
course, mention that you were referred by Gordon via the Ski Club.
THE HAWAII SKI CLUB IS ON FACEBOOK
If you are on Facebook, add the HSC as a “friend.” You will be up-to-date with recent HSC activities that members upload. The HSC Facebook page has photos from members on ski trips and at Club activities. You can also include your personal photos and announcements relating to the club for all HSC members to view.
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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/