Hawaii Ski Club – April 2009

  President – Toby Kravet – 808-224-1065
Vice President – Jonathan Carr
Treasurer - Geoff Chu
Cathy Lau
Jon Kleinschmidt
Momi Kleinschmidt
Roy Manzoku
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   Club Historian
   Jo Yee
   Newsletter Editor
Toby Kravet

June 1 (Saturday), 8:00 A.M. Community Service Project: Painting at Farrington High School.

June 6 (Thursday), 6:00 P.M. General Membership Meeting at Seven Palms, Navy-Marine Golf Course Club House, 943 Valkenburgh St., Honolulu, Hawaii.

June 22 (Saturday), 9:00 A.M. Hike up Pu'u Ma'eli'eli, the ridge behind Temple Valley shopping center (separating Kahekili Highway from Kamehameha Highway.

June 29 (Saturday) 11:45 A.M. Assisting the Institute for Human Services (IHS) in serving the noon meal to the homeless and others in need at the IHS Iwilei headquarters.

SINCE JULY 4TH FALLS ON OUR USUAL MEETING DATE, THERE WILL BE NO GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING IN JULY

July 13 (Saturday) 9:00 A.M. Hike on Tantalus: Out and back on the Kalawahine Trail to the Pauoa Flats trail and to a lookout over the Pali Highway and Nuuanu Reservoir.

July 19 (Friday) 4:30 P.M. Pau Hana at Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant, Aloha Tower Market Place.

By the time you receive this Newsletter (if you are a member and are reading it via email rather than on the Internet), you will have received and had a chance to look over the Sun Peaks trip announcement and registration form. I think you will agree that it's a nice package. Having had the opportunity to review the ongoing electronic communication among Susan, our Trip Committee, and the two out of three vendors who ultimately submitted competing proposals and were asked to futher "massage" them to fit our needs, I can assure you that Susan outdid herself again. Jonathan will be updating us on the trip at the June 6 General Membership Meeting. I am looking forward to Canada in 2014.

While I am congratulating members for their contributions to the Club, I want to, again, thank Sam for coming up with the tickets to the U.S.S. Missouri last month and to thank Take for inviting us to join him at the Obon Festival in Waipahu this coming Saturday evening. He volunteers at the site and thought it would be both a fun experience and an opportunity for Club members take a look at Hawaii's plantation past. We are a little "thin" for July, so if anyone has an activity which he/she can share with the Club, let me know. Also, we don't need to have everything announced way in advance in the Newsletter: Dave and Amy, during their incumbencies, were notable for their spirit-of-the-moment invitations to come join them here and there.

As you can see, this is the second year in a row we have not had a July 4th party. Celebrating Independence Day used to be a staple on the Ski Club Calendar, but, sorry to say, declining attendance and a lack of fresh ideas for viable venues kind of took their toll. Also, as you already know, due to financial issues, there are fewer fireworks demonstrations on the island this year so, maybe, just as well. Maybe, next year?

COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT
PAINTING FARRINGTON HIGH SCHOOL
June 1 (Saturday) 8:00 A.M. - Noon

The ski club will paint buildings at Farrington High School in MAROON. Please come to help. There is more painting to be done than we can finish in four hours and the more people we have, the more we can cover. Supplies, tools, and lunch will be provided. Let me know if you can make it ( roy@hawaiisnowskiclub.com ) Any Farrington grads in the club? Farrington is located at 1564 North King St. between Houghtailing and Kalihi Streets, just makai of the freeway. Parking can be accessed by turning into the campus off North King St. just past Houghtailing.

ROY

OBON FESTIVAL
HAWAII PLANTATION VILLAGE
94-695 Waipahu St. (Just beyond the site of the old sugar mill), Waipahu
June 1 (Saturday) 5 P.M. - 10:00 P.M.

The irrepressible Takeshi "Take" Toma has invited us to join him for an evening of bon dancing and "grinding" on "onolicious local foods" at the Annual Obon Festival on Saturday evening, June 1. He will meet attending ski club members in front of the Plantation Village office at 5 P.M. Entrance to the festival is free (and we all r-e-a-l-l-y like "free"). Directions to the Hawaii Plantation Village can be found at their website: www.hawaiiplantationvillage.org. If you have any other questions, you can contact Take at (703) 851-0431 or via email: ttoma57766@aol.com.

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Seven Palms Bar and Grill (formerly Sam Sneads)
Navy-Marine Golf Course Club House
943 Valkenburgh St., Honolulu, Hawaii
June 6, (Thursday) 6:00 P.M.

Come to our General Membership Meeting at the usual location on June 6 where Trip Committee Chair Jonathan Carr will have updated information to share on Hawaii Ski Week 2014 at Sun Peaks, Canada. Although the meeting doesn't "officially" begin until 6:00 P.M., many members start coming at 5:00 for drinks, dinner, and "talking story." Also, they have re-started the reduced price dinners for two, but you need to be there by 5:30 P.M.

PU'U MA'ELI'ELI HIKE
Temple Valley Shopping Center, Kahalu'u
June 22 (Saturday) 9:00 A.M.

This is a short but initially steep hike which will take us up to and along the ridge to a pillbox above Kaneohe Bay with specatcular views of both Coconut Island/Kaneohe Marine Corp Base and Chinaman's Hat. It will take us 1.5 to 2:00 hours out and back. Be sure to bring sunscreen, water, and shoes with good treads. We will meet outside the MacDonald's in the Temple Valley Shopping Center. To get to the Temple Valley Shopping Center from Honolulu, go towards Kaneohe on the Likilike Highway, take the Kahekili Highway exit which loops around and crosses Likelike Highway to go upcountry, drive up Kahekili exactly 2.6 miles from the traffic light where you have crossed Likelike Highway and take a right on Hui Iwa St. You can either park on Hui Iwa or, if you are not concerned about possible shopping center security issues, in the shopping center on your left. (I have done this hike twice with another group and most have parked in the shopping center without a problem----although I am not telling you to do this). See you there!

As of this newsletter, Roy is still seeking more Ski Club volunteers to assist the Institute for Human Services (IHS) with their meal service on Saturday June 29. Several of our volunteers, who participated last year and expressed interest in a "repeat performance," will, unfortunately, be off-island on this date. The activity will last until 1 P.M. when we will adjourn to a nearby venue for our own lunch. You can sign-up to help by contacting Roy at: roy@hawaiisnowskiclub.com . Mahalo for your assistance.

We are returning to Tantalus on July 13 for a "relatively" flat and shady hike on the Kalawahine Trail (appearing as the Pauoa side of the Manoa Cliff's trail on some older trail maps), leading onto the Pauoa Flats Trail in the back of Tantalus peak, and terminating at a lookout over the Nuuanu Reservoir and Pali Highway. The hike should take about two hours, out and back, and will have reasonably good footing until near the end where there will be multiple roots to step on and over. We will start from the confluence of Tantalus Drive, Telephone Road, and the Kalawahine trailhead. Drive mountain direction on Makiki St. from Nehoa St., and you will come to Makiki Heights Drive one block later. Take a left on Makiki Heights Drive (there is a small park on your right) where you can start clocking distance. Follow Makiki Heights Drive to it's end (1.2 miles) and take a right on Tantalus Drive. Go up Tantalus Drive through multiple switchbacks until you swing to the right over a bridge at about 4.1 miles from where you started clocking mileage. The road levels off at this point. You should see, straight ahead, where Tantalus Drive swings to the right again, a steep concrete road (Telephone Road) and a trail head on the left. Take the right on Tantalus Drive and look for parking on the side of the road: There should be some spots available on the right and a little further up, on the other side of the road, coming back from the other direction. See you on Tantalus!

PAU HANA AT
GORDON BIERSCH BRWERY RESTAURANT
ALOHA TOWER RESTAURANT
July 19 (Friday) 4:30 P.M.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that Gordon Biersch just might be Hawaii's first brewpub. When I came up with the idea for a Pau Hana there, I didn't realize it had been so long: The Club hasn't been to this venue, one of Honolulu's favorite watering holes, since May, 2007. It's about time!! Try to come, if you can, about 4:30 P.M. to help me score a table outside in the back.

We are returning to Canada for Hawaii Ski Week, 2014. Our destination, Sun Peaks, (www.sunpeaksresort.com) is the second largest ski area in British Columbia with 3,678 acres of skiable terrain on three different mountains. It is 10% novice, 58% intermediate, and 32% expert. The largest vertical drop is 2,894’, from 6,824’ to 3,930’.

Other activities are extensive Nordic skiing trails, a 9 acre terrain park, snowshoe rentals (and snowshoe golf?), tube park, heli-skiing, ice skating rink, cat-trax groomer rides, snow limo tours of the slopes, snomobile tours, dog sleds, and Kamloops Blazers hockey games with bus shuttle. Every Thursday there is a shuttle to Revelstoke, an expert ski area 2 hours away.

The Sun Peaks Village is a pedestrian only village with over 25 bars, restaurants or coffee shops. We will be staying in the village at Nancy Greene’s Cahilty Lodge (www.cahiltylodge.com), a ski-in, ski-out mountainside hotel with sauna, hot tubs (one outdoor and one indoor), fitness center, wireless connection, in room coffee, daily newspaper, and slopeside ski storage. Next door is the Sports Centre with heated pool, hot tub and activity desk.

We have two lodging choices: (1) a lodge room for 2 people with two queen beds and TV, or (2) a family suite for 4 people - a lodge room with a connecting door to a studio kitchenette which has a queen bed and either a queen Murphy bed or a sofa bed, a counter-high refrigerator, stove, oven, microwave, dishwasher and small appliances. All rooms come with a hot breakfast buffet in the Lodge.

We will be flying to Kelowna, British Columbia with a connection in Seattle. The bus from there to Sun Peaks in about 3 hours, plus a grocery stop.

The full package price, including air, bus transfers, 5 day lift ticket, and 7 nights of lodging is $1,588 or $1,638 depending upon type lodging selected. The land package, with the same inclusions, is $823 or $873. Senior lift tickets (65+) are available and will reduce the price. Also, a 6th day ticket is available.

Prices may be subject to change with the final payment based on air fuel surcharges and the U.S./Canadian exchange rate.

Alaska Airlines-860 V Depart: HNL 1/17/2014 10:40 pm Arrive: SEA 1/18/2014 06:20 am

Alaska Airlines-2478 V Depart: SEA 1/18/2014 10:50 am Arrive: YLW 1/18/2014 11:55 am

Alaska Airlines-2477 L Depart: YLW 1/25/2014 12:35 pm Arrive: SEA 1/25/2014 01:45 pm

Alaska Airlines-859 L Depart: SEA 1/25/2014 05:45 pm Arrive: HNL 1/25/2014 09:54 pm

If you have not received a registration form via email, you may contact Jonathan@hawaiisnowskiclub.com
The form may also become available, in the near future, via the "Trips" link on our website, www.hawaiisnowskiclub.com

We owe "Sam" Wright a huge Mahalo for scoring free tickets to tour the Battleship Missouri and one, also, to Anita Hodges for having the moxie to request a private guide for our group of nine (other members, who had received or spoken for tickets, couldn't make it on this date). After wowing us for thirty-five minutes with a tour of the open decks, a history lesson, and impressive statistics on the fire power of the Missouri, the guide left us on our own to climb up to the pilot room and tour a portion of the lower decks. Following an hour on the ship, we caught a shuttle back to the Visitor Center where we had started, and repaired to the nearby Schooners for liquid refreshments and lunch. All in all, it was a pleasant and educational morning. It looks like someone, if they wanted, could make a whole day of it at Pearl Harbor with visits to the Missouri, the Aviation Museum, the Arizona Memorial, and the Bowfin: Maybe, another time.

May's Pau Hana on the windward side had it's intended effect of attracting at least two of our windward members including one (good to see you, Mike!) who doesn't normally attend such events held on the Honolulu side. A grand total of eleven members, including the Pau Hana regulars (me, Geoff, Anita and Bill, and Wanda) enjoyed the libations, pupus, and comeraraderie appropriate to a Friday afternoon. We also got to wish Geoff a "Happy Birthday" which was his excuse for leaving a bit earlier to go to his own celebration, closer to home.

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.

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.