In This Issue:
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Ex-President's Message |
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Elections |
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Ski Trip 2005 |
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Final Ski Trip Vote - Elks Club Friday 4/16 5:30 pm |
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Ski Mountain Info- All from Ski Magazine |
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Pau Hana- April 30 Kapono's 5:30 p.m. |
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Metric Century Bike Ride: April 25, 7:30 a.m., HALEIWA's Kaiaka State Park |
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Letter from the Editor |
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Featured Links:
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Ex-President's Message
Thank you and goodbye" For thoose of you who missed the last meeting at the Waikiki Yacht club, that was, mercifully, the sole content of my farewell speech. [editor's note: for those of you who weren't there it was billed as a "three-word" speech :) Sorry Dave, I couldn't resist] That "thank you" was to all of you and especially the board members I served with: Amy, Omer, Wanda, Craig, Honey, Bill, Chris and Maryln.
I hope the new President and board enjoy their roles as much as I have. I know with everyone's contiued support they will do a great job. A new era of the Ski Club is begining, Lets make the most of it.
Aloha, Dave B ex-president SAOH
Elections
Thanks to everyone who participated in the nominations and elections held at the Waikiki Yacht Club on Sat the 20th. It's now official. Your new Board Members are Renee Ferguson as President, Paul Ferguson, Michael Cloe, Geoff Chu, Darrell Large, Wanda Sagum. Wanda Sowell, Honey Ruppel and Craig Shaffer will continue to serve another term. Please share in my enthusiasm for this new team and share your gratitude and appreciation with each and every member. We value their volunteer efforts and energy in helping to continue to keep the Ski Association of Hawaii alive and well.
Ski Trip 2005
Well folks, as your trip coordinator for the last 3 seasons, it is now time pass on my reign to Michael Cloe. I enjoyed our adventures and hope that you will support Michael Cloe in taking on this new role for him with the club. Michael has organized group travel in the past, so this will not be completly unfamiliar to him. It's a difficult task in making every attempt to meet individual requests. I appreciate your patience over the years and in acknowledging the difficulty one can have in planning an excursion for a large group. I look forward to many more trips together!
Final Ski Trip Vote - Elks Club Friday 4/16 5:30 pm
There was a fair amount of discussion shared at the Waikiki Yacht Club last month with choices for next year. It looks like Vail, Mammoth, Big Sky Montana, and Whistler will be on the list for choices. Please share your feelings and experiences on these resorts with fellow members. Or, please take a moment to check out their web sites if you're not familiar with what they offer. The 16th will be our FINAL vote for our 2005 ski trip as Michael, our new trip coordinator, will begin to accept quotes beginning in May. Please join us on the lower level of the Elks club on Friday 4/16 at 5:30. No host bar and food. The Elks Club is always such a nice venue to relax and mingle with friends and also enjoy their often breathtaking sunsets. See you there!
Also, if you are interested in a spring break trip, this will be voted on as well. We will consider Whistler, Alyaska, Mammoth or Tahoe. Some other thoughts for you to consider:
1. Do you want to continue to arrange the ski week for end Jan/early Feb where prices are a bit lower, crowds are less, but weather can be more severe?
2. Or would you like to consider traveling in mid February to end March where prices are a bit higher, crowds are bit more but weather generally more tolerable?
We can ask Michael Cloe to get comparison rates for different time frames. The consistent items that most folks want in a package that we would include regardless of week or resort selected are, ski in/out, jacuzzi, each bedroom have it's own bathroom.
All of this information will be included on our vote sheet distributed at the Elks Club meeting. If you are unable to attend, please email or call Amy for a vote sheet or you can call the hot line at 545-SNOW and leave your vote.
Ski Mountain Info- All from Ski Magazine
VAIL
Vail is the ultimate big-picture resort. And its leveraged that philosophy to become the ultimate ski destination. You see, despite its dominance, the mega-resort didnt land a No. 1 rating in any category. You might prefer Altas powder, Aspens nightlife or Jackson Holes terrain. But try to cram all that into a weeks vacation. With two kids in tow. Therein lies the secret to Vails continuing success. Every family memberjibber, shopper, cruiser, bomberwill find a part of the resort to hug. Visiting Vail is a sure bet, as one sage reader notes. It has everything you want in a ski vacation. And unfortunately more, such as crowds! But theres a reason lines form outside the best Broadway shows. So if the lower mountain resembles a Tokyo subway car at the start and end of your ski day, consider it a small concession to the universe of superior skiing above. The slur that Vail is Disneyland on snow is by now meaningless (notice the increased showmanship at other resorts lately?) and ignores the fundamental truth of why Pete Seibert built his resort here in 1962: world-class ski bones. Today, with 34 lifts, a saucy 3,450-foot vertical, 193 trails and 5,289 acres, Vail MountainAmericas biggestis the Incredible Hulk on snow. Its so huge that you need a guide and days to ski it, says one reader. Bigger isnt automatically better, but it does provide what every skier wants: options. From the buffed frontside (try Born Free and Riva Ridge) to the bodacious bumps of Prima and Pronto and the sneaky steeps of Rogers Run, Vail sings in near perfect pitch. Extending Vails range two full octaves are the no-frills glades of Blue Sky Basin and the incomparable Back Bowlswhich anticipated lift-accessed backcountry skiing decades before the rest of the industry caught on. The bowls are where the locals beeline on a powder day, and where Vails rivals cant compete. What also separates Vail from the rest is that its only halftime when the lifts close. Finish your game with the Bridge Street boogie: Start by joining locals at the Red Lion or on the Los Amigos deck as they watch tourists pinwheel down Pepis face. Surface for dinner at Wildflower or Sweet Basil, then walk into Vendettas, which instantly jeopardizes your shot at first chair in the morning. Vail has now reigned for two generations as Americas signature resort. What keeps it on the throne is a dogged pursuit of the unattainable: being everything to everyone. As one reader sums it up: Vail has it all. Greg Ditrinco
THE LATEST
Hawks Nest Deck; kids holiday ski camps. Coming soon: a $400 million redevelopment of the Lionshead base.
THE DEAL
The Perfect 10 Lift Ticket gets you 10 days for $349. Restrictions apply.
HIGH/LOW RANK
Off-Hill Activities (2), Aprs-Ski (5), Lifts (5); Access (17), Scenery (31), Value
DON'T MISS
Check out the future of skiing at the U.S. Freeskiing Open, Jan. 27Feb. 1.
READER REMARKS
More terrain than you can ski in a week. Love it. Love it. Oh, those bowls. Ill never ski there again unless I win the Lotto. More like a mall than a real town.
WHISTLER
the continued strength of the American dollar, Whistler is a hard deal to pass up. "The best bang for your buck in North America," one reader concludes. But Whistler leaves other readers coldand wet. "What a disappointment," moans a first-timer. "Its way overrated, and it will be a long time before I make my way back." Another visitor sounded like a Seattle weather report: "Fog. Rain. Damp." Still, that doesnt stop skiers from heading north. The Canadian giant logs more than 2 million skier (and boarder) visits annually. And now theres an even more compelling reason to visit. The IOC recently selected Vancouver/Whistler to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, whichconsidering the millions of dollars that will be spent on improvementswill usher in a new era for the 37-year-old resort. It just got harder to hate the place. - Michel Beaudry
THE LATEST
Terrain parks expansion; the Winter Olympics are coming to Whistler/Blackcomb in 2010.
THE DEAL
Fresh tracks on Whistler. For about $10, you can be the first one up the lift at 7 a.m. to carve up paradise.
HIGH/LOW RANK
Lodging (2), Aprs-Ski (2), Terrain Parks (3); Access (62), Snow (69), Weather (73)
DON'T MISS
The new Zip Trek. Zip along a high-wire cable network hundreds of feet above the valley floor.
READER REMARKS
More terrain than you can ski. "It's like skiing in America and Europe at the same time." "Overdeveloped." "Weather stinks."
BIG SKY
Call it "phenomenal," "fabulous" and "stunning." The superlatives always get a workout when readers describe Big Skys Rockies-spanning, Hollywood-set scenery and its miles of epic, uncrowded terrain. But even though its one of the countrys largest (3,500-plus acres) and most exciting resorts, it doesnt test welljust like the kid in your high school class who became a U.S. senator. Call it an anomaly, mixed with legitimate complaints such as "zilch for nightlife" and "tough to get to." Its remotenessan hours drive from the Bozeman airportlooks like a plus from its uncrowded slopes. Big Sky is busy creating more village, with amenities that garner rave reviews: "The Summit Hotel is fabulous," and "Moonlight Lodge adds a touch of class." New West cuisine at Peaks and global fusion at Rainbow Ranch (ask to see the wine cellar) highlight a growing roster of good area restaurants. While the compliment, "Ski, eat, sleep. Repeat. Does it get any better?" can also be viewed as cautionary, the vast majority of Big Sky skiers are big fans of its open-armed friendliness and its big-time skiing. From the cushy all-mountain greens of Morning Star to the great blue altar of Andesite Mountain to the crowning, gut-check steeps of the Dictator Chutes and the Big Couloir, the skiing at Big Sky rules. J.C.
THE LATEST
Continuing a glade binge over the past few years, two more aggressively pitched, north-facing bark-biters have been added on Andesite Mountain.
THE DEAL
Great Ski Weeks packages at the luxurious Summit Hotel include a studio for two for $373 per person.
HIGH/LOW RANK
Challenge (13), Terrain (15), Scenery (16); On-Mountain Food (63), Grooming (63), Access (66)
DON'T MISS
A Montana Hot Stones Therapy treatment at the Solace Spa in the Summit, Shoshone and Huntley lodges, perfect after bashing Big Sky powder all day.
READER REMARKS
Excellent ski-in/ski-out lodging. "Big Sky has something for everyone, and with no crowds...wow." "Cheesy architecture." "A bit expensive for Montana."
MAMMOTH
All that keeps Mammoth from being counted among the elite Top 5 resorts in North America is that its a pain to get to and it needs a more vibrant base village to fill the off-hill hours. (Note that there is nothing wrong with the skiing.) The much-anticipated Village at Mammoth and Village Gondola officially open this November, which should solve most of Mammoths perceived ills in one stroke. The Village provides the core the resort has lacked, and the gondola reduces the need for driving (and parking at the area) once you arrive. Getting there still remains a chore: six hours by car from L.A. or three from Reno. (Environmental impact studies have shifted the local airport expansion timetable from imminent to unknown.) But once youre there, oh boy. Mammoth fires on all cylinders: Its huge, the snow is abundant, the season is long, the terrain park is simply the best on the planetand the natural terrain park that is the rest of the mountain kicks butt, too. The multifaceted, precipitous upper pitches are all above treeline, which means there are no secrets on powder days. But midweek, who cares? "We had the place to ourselves Monday through Thursday," notes one happy reader. The variety of terrain and snow conditions that a skier can encounter on any given day makes the place feel like several mountains, and the spare-no-expense lift system is every bit as impressive as the mountain it serves. If theres a quibble about anything on-mountain, its the wind, which can be daunting. But youre just as likely to experience "tons of bluebird days," which should keep you chirping. Jackson Hogen
THE LATEST
A 15-passenger gondola that connects the Village at Mammoth to Canyon Lodge; the new Mountain Center provides an array of guest services.
THE DEAL
The early-purchase season pass, $399.
HIGH/LOW RANK
Terrain Parks (1), Lifts (2), Challenge (7); Off-Hill Activities (36), Lodging (40), Access (70)
DON'T MISS
Tossing back a toddy at the Yodler.
READER REMARKS
Best 10 days of skiing in my lifetime. "Outstanding service." "It's a long drive." "Too many boarders at the expense of skiers."
Pau Hana- April 30 Kapono's 5:30 p.m.
For those of you who haven't been to one of our previous Pau Hana's at Kapono's it is in Aloha Tower near the water on the Ewa end. Nice appetizers, reasonable alcohol prices. At previous pau hana's it appeared that a good time was had by all.
Metric Century Bike Ride: April 25, 7:30 a.m., HALEIWA's Kaiaka State Park
Get your bikes out and put on your racing slicks. It's time again for the great Metric Century ride. April 25, 7:30 a.m., HALEIWA's Kaiaka State Park.
This popular tour of Oahu's North Shore takes you past world-famous surfing beaches such as Waimea, Sunset, and Pipeline. Aid stations along the course provide drinks and snacks, with live entertainment and food to greet riders at the finish area. Riders can choose to ride 25, 50, 75, or 100 K.. It's a great way to see Oahu's beautiful country!
Join us, even if you haven't ridden a bike since last year's Metric Century (like me). Register online at Honoluly Bike League Web site: www.hbl.org or call Wanda for paper copies.
Letter from the Editor
We need a new newsletter editor. I am planning on moving to the East Coast at the end of April so if we want to avoid total re-invention of the wheel sooner is better than later. It has gotten much easier since we moved to an email publishing site so I can recommend volunteering without any guilt whatsover.
Omer
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