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August, 2023
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
-----------------------------------------
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.
August 3 (Thursday) 5 PM General Membership Meeting at Mangiamo, Navy - Marine Golf Course.
August 24 (Thursday) 4 PM Pau Hana at Mai Tai's, 4th level, Makai -Diamond Head side, Ala Moana Center.
September 7 (Thursday) 5 PM General Membership Meeting at Mangiamo, Navy - Marine Golf Course.
September ? (Probably on a Saturday morning) Stay tuned for announcement of our second volunteering effort of the year, packing food for the Hawaii Food Bank.
October 5 (Thursday) We are back to Rainbow Bay Marina at Pearl Harbor for our annual Kick-Off meeting for the new membership year. As with our July General Membership Meeting at this venue, the food will be "on the house."
November 2 (Thursday) 5 PM General Membership Meeting at Mangiamo, Navy - Marine Golf Course. A long time ago, in a universe far, far away, our club skied on Mauna Kea, and we are presently planning a presentation on this history at the meeting.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE:
Plans for our 2024 ski trips continue to develop nicely. Our travel agent for Steamboat, Marcie of Ski.com, advises that she has been able to secure two more rooms for the hotel and that we now have the minimum number of 10 to qualify for group airfare (Yay!). Alan advises that the signup sheets for Japan will be out soon and that the prices will be substantially equivalent or lower than last year's. As indicated elsewhere in this newsletter, Alan will be at next week's general membership meeting at Mangiamo to discuss the trips and answer any questions you may have. It was wonderful to see such a nice turnout of volunteers for the Special Olympics last month and, pretty soon, we expect to have a September date for our second volunteer activity of the year, packing food for the Hawaii Food Bank: Watch your email box for more information. On a more somber note, as advised in our June newsletter, member John Cain has passed, and he will be interred at Punchbowl with a follow-up celebration of life on August 14: Those of you who knew him and wish to attend should RSVP to Wendy Cain (See "Announcements" below) no later than August 3. I just took a look at our membership list (a much more careful look than I did last month), and would you believe that we have a total of twenty nine members who can't attend our meetings or activities because they live off island? Moreover, a whopping fifteen of the twenty nine live on the mainland. I incorrectly stated last month that Nikki Jannsen was our first Maui member, and it turns out that we already had two others. New member (Welcome!) Donald Soman and returning member Hazy Adames (Welcome back!) are our fifth and sixth from the Big Island. I would also like to extend a warm welcome to new member (from Oahu) Tina Ono. See those of you who are not geographically challenged at our upcoming meetings and activities.
TOBY
UPCOMING SKI CLUB ACTIVITIES:
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
MANGIAMO BY 604
NAVY MARINE GOLF COURSE
943
VALKENBURGH ST.
August 3 (Thursday) 5 PM
We're back to our normal venue, Mangiamo, for our August General Membership Meeting. Although the meeting won't begin 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. Alan has returned from Europe and will be on hand to present the latest information on and answer questions about our upcoming trips to Colorado and Japan. 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
PAU HANA
AT
MAI TAI'S
ALA MOANA CENTER
4TH LEVEL,
MAKAI-DIAMOND HEAD SIDE
August 24 (Thursday) 4 PM
In answer to the often asked question of when we are going to have another Pau Hana, here it is, on Thursday, August 24 at Ala Moana Center where there is plenty of free parking, and we have scheduled it on Thursday to avoid the crowds. 4 PM might seem a little early, but that's when happy hour begins. Get here when you can.
TOBY
PAST SKI CLUB ACTIVITIES:
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING/COOKOUT
RAINBOW BAY MARINA
57 Arizona Memorial Drive
(next to Restaurant 604)
PEARL HARBOR
July 6 (Thursday) 5:00 PM
Just under 50 showed up for the ample feast (Thank you again, Geof) and camaraderie at Rainbow Bay Marina on July 6, and again, the weather, cooperated although, even it hadn't, almost all of us fit under the roof of the pavilion. Personally, I was particularly happy to see and talk with a few members who don't normally come to our meetings at Mangiamo and hope to see you all again when we return to Rainbow Bay Marina for our new membership year Kick-Off meeting in October.
SKI TRIPS FOR 2024:
HAWAII SKI WEEK 2024, STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO, JANUARY 19 - 27, 2024
(Per contact with Alan on Monday, June 26, the number of hotel rooms left is now down to 7. There are two condos presently booked, and we currently have 3, with possibilities to add more. We have a single female looking for a roommate in the hotel, and two single men interested in 2 more to share a condo. Other people looking for roommates should let Alan (alan@hawaiisnowskiclub.com) know so He can try to pair them up. Total number signed up 31, plus 3 others looking for roommates. He knows of 2 more who have taken group air for a total of 5. We need 5 more for the 10 person minimum to make group air happen. Ed.)
The total trip package includes group airfare on United Airlines non-stop
from HNL to DEN then a shuttle bus from Denver to Steamboat Springs. The
return flight leaves from HDN (the Hayden Airport is 25 miles from our
lodging) to HNL via DEN ($900 airfare)
Air
and ground transportation:
• UA-383W Depart: HNL 1/19/2024 at 08:40pm Arrive: DEN 1/20/2024, 06:16am
• Shuttle bus from DEN to Steamboat Springs
• UA-5559Q Depart: HDN 1/27/2024 at 07:25am Arrive: DEN 1/27/2024, 08:35am
• UA-384Q Depart: HNL 1/27/2024 at 11:35 am Arrive: HNL 1/27/2024, 04:03 pm
Lodging, shuttle, and lift tickets:
• Round trip shuttle to lodging $140.
• 7 nights double occupancy at the Gravity Haus $1545 (ski-in/ski-out hotel)
or the Lodge at Steamboat quad occupancy condominiums $1150
• Welcome Reception and Farewell Dinner ($50)
• 5 days lift tickets ($645, add $129 for additional days or subtract this
amount for fewer days).
All the above are per person prices. Add $200 pp if not in group lodging.
The total package price is as little as $2835 quad occupancy in a 2
bedroom/2 bath unit at the Lodge at Steamboat. This is adjacent to the
condos where the HSC stayed at the last time that we went to Steamboat and
is approximately 200 yards from the base gondola.
The
package price for the Gravity Haus, which is only 50 yards from the base
gondola is $3230 double occupancy hotel room with two queen beds. Breakfast
is not included but can be ordered in the hotel restaurant. This is the same
hotel (with a new name!) that the HSC stayed at the last time we went to
Steamboat and has been recently renovated.
A
$700 deposit is due July 1, 2023, and the balance due November 15, 2023. The
Ski.com cancellation policy: Individual member cancellation received from
time of booking up to:
• 90 days prior to departure: $50.00 per person plus any supplier penalties
• 89-60 days prior to departure: $100.00 per person plus any supplier
penalties
• 59-31 days prior to departure: $200.00 per person plus any supplier
penalties
• 30 days or less prior to departure: no refunds and no substitutions
Ski.com has provided this link to register for the trip. (We strongly suggest that you print out a copy of this Newsletter or just the paragraph of instructions below the link, before you click it, so that you can refer to the instructions, as needed, throughout the process. Ed.)
https://meetups.ski.com/hawaii-ski-club-2023-24
When you click on this link the first thing to do
is to enter the number of people who are registering and then click on
“search”. Note that you will be automatically booked for the Welcome
Reception and Farewell Dinner later on in the registration process. Next you
will choose your lodging option, either the Gravity Haus (double occupancy
hotel rooms) or the Lodge at Steamboat (quad occupancy condos).
Descriptions of each are in the registration website. Next click on the “go
to lift tickets” at the bottom of the page and you can choose between 3-6
days at $129/day. Note that there are no senior lift tickets. Next click on
“go to flights” to register for group airfare. Next click on “go to
transfers”. There is a shuttle bus taking HSC members from Denver Airport to
your lodging in Steamboat Springs on January 20, 2024. On the return flight
to Honolulu on January 27, there is a shuttle bus from your lodging to
Hayden Airport and you will fly from there to Denver and then on to
Honolulu. Note that you can take either shuttle bus even if you didn’t
purchase group airfare, but you are responsible to make certain that your
flights are compatible with the group air schedule. The shuttle bus will not
wait for any delays except those associated with the group air schedule.
Click on “go to activities” and you will see $50 for the Welcome Reception
and Farewell Dinner automatically added to your registration account. Please
note that if you do not take one of the group lodging options, then you must
pay a $200 Activity Fee by check to the Hawaii Ski Club to attend the
Welcome Reception and Farewell Dinner. Click on “go to travelers” to fill
out required information. Click on “check out” where you will see a summary
of your registration information. Click on “continue to payment” and please
read the Ski.com cancellation policy and the dates penalties are assessed.
Then you are given three payment options: PayPal, credit cards (with 3.6%
fee), and ACH (direct payment from your checking account with no fee). After
clicking on your payment type, you can choose to pay a $700 deposit with the
balance due November 15, 2023, or pay the entire trip balance when you
register. You will have the opportunity to review your registration fees and
edit them if necessary. and you will need to fill out the required
information for your payment type. Finally click on “complete booking”.
Should you have any questions or encounter problems while registering please
contact Marcie at
marcie.hawks@ski.com
.
JAPAN
Furano, February 10-18, 2024 and
Rusutsu, February 17-25, 2024
Although we are still waiting for more details on final cost estimates for
our Japan trips, here are some dates and information that we can share with
you now. Similar to last year, the HSC is offering two back-to-back ski
trips to Hokkaido, Japan using Air and Sea Travel, a local tour company.
This allows you to spend a week skiing in either Furano or Rusutsu or go to
both for a total of two weeks skiing in the world famous Hokkaido powder.
Presently, we are booking nonstop group airfare on Hawaiian Airlines from
Honolulu to Chitose, Japan for both trips. We also have back up plans with
JAL if this route becomes unavailable.
Furano is located in central Hokkaido about a 2 hr.
shuttle bus ride from Chitose Airport. Furano Ski area is made up two zones,
the Kitanomine zone and the Furano zone. Both areas have a variety of
accommodation options and the town of Furano is only a 3-minute shuttle from
the Kitanomine zone and a 6-minute shuttle away from the Furano zone and is
home to a wide array of restaurants and bars and all the services you would
expect to find in a town. Both of these zones can be accessed on one pass
and are serviced by 11 lifts. Furano has an abundance of varied terrain for
every level of skier and snowboarder and a vertical drop of over 950 meters
making it one of the steepest mountains in Hokkaido. Despite receiving
slightly less snowfall than Niseko and Rusutsu, the snow quality is known to
be lighter and fluffier. It also has more blue/ sunny days than any other
resort in Hokkaido offering spectacular views. Furano has more of a
traditional Japanese feel compared to Niseko. We have reserved 16 double
occupancy hotel rooms at the Shin Furano Prince hotel, with buffet
breakfast, onsen access, and 5 day lift tickets. The hotel has 8
restaurants/cafes and is ski-in ski-out.
Rusutsu Resort and Hotel, 90 minutes from Sapporo
and New Chitose Airport, is Hokkaido’s largest all-season resort. With 4
gondolas and 14 lifts spread over three mountains, the ski area has 37 runs
that range from gentle, wide slopes where everyone can safely enjoy right up
to challenging tree runs that satisfy advanced skiers. Rusutsu Resort
combines dynamic, full-fledged winter sports with outstanding hospitality.
Rusutsu is a favorite among the members of the Hawaii Ski Club and two
thirds of the people who go are repeat visitors. The hotel is ski-in and
ski-out and has 8 restaurants, onsen access and 25-hour lift tickets. Daily
Western, Chinese or Japanese style breakfast included, along with three
buffet dinners, including all you can eat sushi and crab legs. We have
reserved 30 double occupancy hotel rooms exclusively for the HSC.
ALAN
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
CELEBRATION OF LIFE
FOR
JOHN CAIN
NATIONAL MEMORIAL
CEMETARY OF THE PACIFIC
August 14 (Monday), 11:30 AM
John will be interned at Punchbowl at 11:30 AM on Monday morning, August 14 to be followed by a "Send-Off Celebration" at Tiki's Grill and Bar in the Twin Fin Hotel (formerly Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel), 2570 Kalakaua Ave., Waikiki with free valet parking for up to three hours. If you plan to attend please RSVP to Wendy Cain via email wscain6@gmail.com or phone (505) 239-1487 no later than August 3.
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
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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 and on our Facebook page.