Hawaii Ski Club – April 2009

President – Toby Kravet – 808-224-1065
Jonathan Carr
Geoffrey Chu
Michiro Iwanaga
Bill Hodges
Anita Hodges
Alan Teramura
Linda Giers
Caroline Sluyter
Mike Tsutsui

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!

September 5 (Thursday) 5:00 P.M. General Membership Meeting at Ruby Tuesday, Moanalua Shopping Center

September 14 (Saturday) probably 8:30 A.M. Volunteer opportunity to pack and, maybe, deliver meals for Lanakila Meals on Wheels.

September 20 (Friday) 4:00 P.M. or thereabouts. Pau Hana at location TBA. Stay tuned.

October 3 (Thursday) 5:00 P.M. Annual Membership Kick-Off Meeting, Rainbow Bay Marina, Pearl Harbor

First, CONGRATULATIONS to longtime Ski Club member Lori Auhl who is "gearing up" for the 50th anniversary edition of the 2.4 mile Waikiki Roughwater Swim. Last year she not only won her age category but was the oldest swimmer to complete the race and is featured in an an article in the September issue of Honolulu Magazine, "at your newsstand now." Many of us have marveled at how well she continues to ski: Keeping physically active, at a high level, in other activity tells the story.

I just returned from my twentieth trip "down unduh" to find that more than a few of you are now interested in going yourselves, and Alan has taken the initial steps to make it happen next year. Great! This has been my and Dennis Nakaoka's corner of the ski world for many years now. He rents a car, buys chains to get up the gravel and dirt roads to the smaller ski areas in the Mackenzie, and I stay in Queenstown to bus up to and ski the two Queenstown areas, Coronet Peak and the Remarkables, and take longer bus rides to Cardrona, off the Cardrona Valley, and Treble Cone in Wanaka. This year, there wasn't much snow cover until I arrived on July 30, and, then, the storms started coming with people thanking me for bringing the snow-------(from Hawaii?) From the response Alan has received thus far, we could conceivably have double the number (I believe it was eighteen) who went down in 1990. For those of you who went on the New Zealand Ski Club trips in the early 90s, you would be surprised, if not shocked (horrified?), by the changes in Queenstown since then. The airport is modern with actual baggage carousels instead of the slanted wooden boards outside the terminal, there are two traffic lights in Queenstown proper, the lift tickets are now RFID chip cards like in the U.S., and the buses to Cardrona have free Wi-Fi as do all the ski area base buildings most, if not all, the hotels, and many of the bars and restaurants in town. Going on a (our) summer ski trip to New Zealand is no longer time travel to an earlier era, but the scenery is still killer and the Kiwi people are just as staunchly individualistic and friendly as ever.

If you were thinking about volunteering at Lanakila Meals on Wheels, please get in touch with Anita, anita@hawaiisnowskiclub.com ASAP. The more people we get to help out on Saturday morning, September 14, the faster we'll finish the work. As I recall, it took us about 2.5 hours the last time we volunteered.

As you can see from the schedule, the 2019-2020 membership year kick-off is right around the corner. Our Membership year runs from October 1 to September 30 with membership rates still holding at $25.00 for an individual membership and $35.00 for a family (What a deal!) For those of you who joined after April 1 and, therefore, paid partial rates ($15.00 and $25.00), it's now time to "re-up" at the full rate for the coming year (If this was not your understanding, please contact our Membership Chair, Jonathan, jonathan@hawaiisnowskiclub.com . Although you can bring your check and a new signup/renewal form (available on our website) to the Kick-Off Meeting on October 3, we would prefer you mail it in advance to our P.O. Box (address on form) so that, with all the socializing and, perhaps, adult beverages consumed, it isn't misplaced (this actually happened once that I can remember).

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
RUBY TUESDAY
Moanalua Shopping Center
930 Valkenburgh St.
September 5. (Thursday) 5:00 P.M.

Come to Ruby Tuesday for our September General Membership Meeting. Alan will be on hand to give you the latest news on our upcoming trips and we will have Club shirts for sale. We will also be taking orders for Club shirts so that you can get the style and color in the size you need. While the actual meeting will probably not start until sometime between 5:30 and 6:00, come at 5:00 to start with the grinds and the stories.

TOBY

COMMUNITY SERVICE
AT
LANAKILA MEALS ON WHEELS
1809 BACHELOT ST.
September 14 (Saturday), Most probably 8:30 A.M. - 11:00 A.M.

Lanakila Meals on Wheels is again requesting volunteers to package meals for seniors and the disabled in our community. The next date our club has been assigned is Saturday, Sept 14 from about 8:30-11:00 (the amount of time depends on the number of volunteers: the more volunteers, the less time we spend working!!). If you are interested in helping, please email Anita, anita@hawaiisnowskiclub.com . Since we sometimes work directly with housebound seniors, every volunteer must undergo a security check. IF YOU ARE A REPEAT VOLUNTEER AT LMOW, YOU DO NOT NEED ANOTHER SECURITY SCREENING. As of Thursday, August 22, we only had nine club members signed up, and we are hoping for a few more so that we can finish early. Your help on September 14 will be sincerely appreciated.

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP YEAR KICKOFF MEETING
RAINBOW BAY MARINA
(next to Restaurant 604)
PEARL HARBOR
October 3 (Thursday) 5:00 PM

Come to our annual Kickoff Meeting at the Rainbow Bay Marina, Pearl Harbor. This is the outdoor picnic area with cabanas on the right hand side (facing towards the ocean) of Restaurant 604, formerly known as Schooner's, where we have held Kick-Off Meetings and, at least, a couple of Packet Pickup Parties, in the past. For those of you who unfamiliar with the area, take the exit off the H1 in Aiea or the airport viaduct, traveling west, to Kamehameha Highway. The signs on Kamehameha Highway should indicate that you are going towards Aloha Stadium. If you are coming from the airport viaduct, look for Radford Drive on your right, and the second left hand turn after Radford Drive will be preceded by a sign on the right reading "Pearl Harbor Historic Sights:" That's where your turn across Kamehameha Highway and into Pearl Harbor on the left. For those of you coming from the Aiea/H1 side, pass the stadium to your left and take the first right after the exit to the Ford Island bridge. Once you turn into Pearl Harbor, towards the water, as if you were going to visit the Arizona Memorial, take a right on the inner road, and drive under the Ford Island overpass (approximately 1/4 mile from where you turned onto the inner road). Park in the lot at Restaurant 604 (the former Schooner's). This is the one General Membership Meeting of the year when we provide the food. Additionally we will have Club shirts for sale, and you will be able to place orders so that you get what you want in order to "show your colors" on our trips. We will also reward a few of you with door prizes. All you need to bring is yourselves; hopefully, a friend or two who might want to join; your beverage of choice; and your membership form and check for the new membership year if you have not already mailed it to us. It is better if you mail in your form and check to Hawaii Ski Club-Membership, P.O. Box P.O Box 3004, Aiea, Hi. 96701-8504. The Membership/Renewal form can be found on our website www.hawaiisnowskiclub.com under "Sign Up."

Please email me pres@hawaiisnowskiclub.com , with the number in your party, no later than Monday evening, September 30, so we know how much food to supply. Also, no beach chairs or glass containers are allowed: If your beverage of choice comes in a glass bottle, be sure to bring some cups for consumption.

AUGUST PAU HANA
at
THE ROW BAR
By Tamura's
RESTAURANT ROW
500 Ala Moana Blvd.. #1
August 23 (Friday)

Our August Pau Hana began not so good but ended well. Arriving a little before 4 P.M., I found myself alone and sat down at the only table with more than four chairs. I was immediately asked to move as it had been set up and reserved for a party of twelve. Advising that I would be with a party of fifteen to twenty, the manager lost no time in erecting a canopy, bring out two rectangular folding tables, and pulling chairs around the tables. Then, as "Ski Clubbers" began to pour in, it turned out that they only had one wait staff for the venue and that she was new and did not know of all the available offerings. As the Ski Club crowd swelled to eighteen, several members went to Tamura's to buy pupus to spread on the table for the rest of us. Finally, the band began playing, the ordered pupus began arriving, the embattled waitress had gotten it together with more drinks, and Bill (Hodges) was standing up swaying with the music, and looking for dance partners. When I left, close to 7:00 P.M., I counted seven members still enjoying themselves at "The Row." Although the initial service was a bit wanting, the manager rose to the occasion, the prices were very reasonable as Geof had aforestated, there was "lotsa" poke, and everyone ended up having a good time.

The ski trips described below are for Hawaii Ski Club members. You can join the club by completing the form on www.hawaiisnowskiclub.com. Annual membership is $25 single or $35 couple. To register, click on the "Sign Up" link, complete the form online, take a screenshot or copy and paste it into your computer, print it out, and mail it to us with the appropriate payment (address on form). If you are unable to complete it online, you can print out the blank and complete it by hand.

HAWAII SKI WEEK 2020
BIG SKY RESORT
BIG SKY MONTANA
January 17 - January 25, 2020

If you're looking for uncrowded slopes, mixed terrain ideal for groups or families with varying level of expertise, a massive amount of terrain—5,750 acres to be exact—and a relaxing, laid-back mountain setting then a Big Sky ski trip should be a topof-mind choice. Being off the beaten path, as Big Sky is, certainly has its perks: lift lines are nonexistent. Locals and return visitors joke that if they have to wait in line for more than two minutes it’s a busy day. Big Sky also offers a handful of exceptional, rustic Montana dining experiences, sure to gratify guests looking for a unique meal.

Options Include:
• Roundtrip Air Honolulu to Bozeman Airport
• Charter Bus Roundtrip Ground Transfers
• Hotel Room at Summit at Big Sky or
• 3 Bedroom Condominium at Big Horn
• Group Lift Tickets
• Discounted Group Ski Rentals
• Women’s 3 Day Clinic (Jan 18 – 20)

Niseko is the arguably one of the top ski resorts in Japan and is located in the northern island of Hokkaido, about a two hour shuttle bus trip from Sapporo. It receives a yearly average of 45 ft of dry powder with abundant tree skiing. The mountain is divided into four ski areas serviced by 3 gondolas and 30 additional lifts and the terrain is approximately 30% beginner, 40% intermediate and 30% advanced. We will be staying in Grand Hirafu, the largest of the four ski areas. There are a number of shops and restaurants within easy walking distance from our hotel. Package cost for airfare is $1,000 economy nonstop on Hawaiian Airlines to Sapporo. Land package includes 7 nights hotel with buffet breakfast, roundtrip shuttle bus from airport to hotel, and 6 days lift tickets with cost ranging from $1590-$1912 based upon twin occupancy and room type. Airfare upgrades and single supplements for hotel are available at additional costs. For additional information and signup form, see the Trips section of our website, www.hawaiisnowskiclub.com/trips.htm. You can also contact Alan Teramura, alan@hawaiisnowskiclub.com (808) 372-9970. If you would like to extend your trip to include Rusutsu (below) contact our packager, Schewe Travel Associates, schewetravel@hawaii.rr.com

Trip includes roundtrip to Sapporo, roundtrip motor coach transfers from airport, 7 nights lodging at Rusutsu Resort Hotel, breakfast and dinner vouchers and 6 out of 7 days lift tickets (add $35.00 to total price if under 60). The hotel is ski-in/ski-out with 6 restaruants, onsen, movie theatre, swimming pool, and onsen. Total price is $3,781 with for a single occupancy room and $2,984 for double occupancy. For an extra $500 - $600, depending upon hotel, you can spend an additional 3 days skiing Niseko. For additional information and signup form, see the Trips section of our website, www.hawaiisnowskiclub.com/trips.htm. You can also contact Alan Teramura, alan@hawaiisnowskiclub.com (808) 372-9970.

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.