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December, 2024
MERRY CHRISTMAS
EXECUTIVE ORGANIZATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
– Toby Kravet – 808-224-1065
Vice
President - Anita Hodges
Treasurer - Jonathan Carr
Secretary - Sandra Robbins
Michiro Iwanaga
Alan Teramura
Caroline Sluyter
Mike Tsutsui
Karl See
Nicole De-Witt
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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.
December 14 (Saturday) 5 pm Annual Christmas party at the Esplanade in Hawaii Kai (see below for details including Club shirts for sale).
January 11 (Saturday) Time TBA Pre-Hawaii Ski Week Party and General Membership Meeting at Judy Sobin's/Jeff Lilley's home, 748 Kalanipuu St., Hawaii Kai (see below for details).
January 18 Hawaii Ski Week
February 8 Pre Japan trips party. Details forthcoming.
February 15 Skiing in Shiga Kogen
February 22 Skiing in Rusutsu
March 7 (5:00 pm) General Membership Meeting at Mangiamo
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE:
I was as disappointed as many of you that our previously unbroken 29 year record of volunteering for the Salvation Army on Thanksgiving day blew up on us at the last minute this year. I'm still not completely sure of all the details because it all happened as I was about to leave town for Thanksgiving week, which I always spend with my family on the continent. As I understand it, the Salvation Army, unbeknownst to us until it was too late, changed their previous year's procedures for assigning groups to specific duties in specific time frames, limited the number of volunteers allowed, and made it first come, first serve during an extremely short "window" of time: We were not at the head of the line, but next year, unless they change it again, we'll know what to do. On Friday, November 22, Alta, in Utah, opened for the season and nearby Solitude has been open since November 12. Over the Thanksgiving holiday I learned that my great niece, who lives in Texas, had already spent a week at Breckenridge and, perhaps, other "Epic Pass areas" in the vicinity: She and her husband have a new "winter home" in Silverthorne. According to their website, Sun Peaks, our destination for Hawaii Ski Week, fully opened all 3 mountains on February 23. Looks like the ski season is almost in full swing. Join me in welcoming new members Lubica Tomasovich and Stoughton Farnham. Also, mahalo for all the late renewals received in the last few weeks. Remember, if you have yet to renew but are signed up for our Canada or Japan trips, your membership in the club needs to be active at the time of the trip. Hope to see many of you at our upcoming Christmas Party.
TOBY
UPCOMING SKI CLUB ACTIVITIES:
ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY
The
Esplanade, 500 Lunalillo Home Road
December 14 (Saturday) 5 PM
Sylvia "Sam" Wright is, again, welcoming us to the ground floor recreation room/terrace at the Esplanade for our annual Christmas party. This is both pot luck and BYOB. Also, if you want to participate (almost all do) in the traditional gift exchange, bring a grab bag gift with approximate value of $20.00. You will be given a raffle ticket, and when your number is called, have the option of choosing a gift from the "pile" or one that has already been chosen, thereby forcing the original chooser to choose from the pile again: This can get pretty funny, satisfying, or frustrating depending upon whether you are victor, victim, or spectator----at that particular moment, and victors can turn into victims at the next ticket pulled. Also, (Trumpets, please), this is the same date as the annual Hawaii Kai Christmas Boat Parade in which boats, adorned like Christmas trees, sail through the waterways, and we should be able to view it from outside the building. The formal "festivities" will probably be starting at 6:00 PM, but we may want to get there earlier, which is why we say 5:00 above, due to others looking for parking to view the boat parade. We will have more club tee shirts available for sale at the party: We have, remaining, 1 small an 3 large teal long sleeve shirts; 3 small, 5 medium, and 8 large black long sleeve shirts, and 2 medium blue short sleeve shirts from last year's stock. To get to the Esplanade, turn left off Kalanianaole Highway at Lunalillo Home Road, the last traffic light before the highway goes up the hill towards Hanauma Bay. drive in the mountain direction approximately .8 of a mile, and look for the looming white building complex on the left. While parking is limited at the building (eleven guest stalls in the circle at the entrance), it is normally available on the other side of the street and on side streets off the other side. The recreation area is right on the ground level beside the lobby.
PRE-HAWAII SKI WEEK TRIP PARTY/GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
748 KALANIPUU ST.
HONOLULU, HAWAII 96825
JANUARY
11,
Saturday, Time TBA
Mucho Mahalos to Jeff Lilley and Judy Sobin for inviting us again to their home in Hawaii Kai for the Hawaii Ski Week Pre-Trip Party. As this also serves as our January General Membership Meeting, everyone is invited whether or not you are going on the Sun Peaks trip. The Club will provide the food but beverages are BYOB and you are encouraged to bring a pupu or dessert item which you can share. To get to Judy's and Jeff's house at 748 Kalanipuu St., turn off Kalanianaole Highway onto Lunalillo Home Road and drive approximately 1.5 miles (about .7 miles past the Esplanade, the site of our Christmas party) where you will find Kalanipuu St. crossing over Lunalillo Home Rd. Take a left, towards the water, and follow Kalanipuu, which curves back to the left, in the direction you came from, for another .16 miles and you'll see the house on the right with a bear holding a surfboard on the left of the garage. Please RSVP to me, pres@hawaiisnowskiclub.com if you are coming as we need a headcount for the food.
TOBY
SKI TRIPS FOR 2025:
CANADA
Ski Week 2025 - Sun Peaks Resort, BC
- 1/18/25 to 1/25/25
Revelstoke Extension (optional) - 1/25/25 - 1/31/25
Nikki DeWitt will be sending participants information on optional activities.
JAPAN
Japan Trips Update: Shiga Kogen 2/15-23
and Rusutsu 2/22-3/2, 2025.
Alan sent the message below just prior to publication.
"We have 92 reservations for our Japan trips with 42 going to Shiga Kogen
and 50 going to Rusutsu. Per our contracts with the hotels and airlines both
Japan trips are now closed unless there is a last minute cancellation.
We are planning an optional mid-week trip to see the famous snow monkeys at
Jigokudani Yaen Koen in a national park in Yamanouchi while we are in Shiga
Kogen for an additional fee. This will include a private round trip shuttle
bus and an English speaking tour guide. There is a restaurant, cafe, and gift
shop in the park. More information and a sign up sheet will be available
later. While at Rusutsu we are planning an optional day trip to
Niseko, about 45 minutes away by local bus. Niseko
is the largest and most popular ski resort in all of Japan. Unlike Rusutsu
which has a more Japanese clientele, Niseko is comprised of 4 ski areas,
caters to an international crowd, and has a lively town with lots of
restaurants, bars and shops. Additional costs include local round trip bus
fare and lift ticket. More information on this available later."
As of this writing, barring last minute cancellations, all of our trips for 2025 are full. There will be a Pre-Trip Party for the Canada Trips, noted elsewhere in this Newsletter, on January 11 and a Pre-Trip Party for Japan on February 8. Stay tuned for details on the Japan trip Party.
You can find more details on all our trips for 2025 in the Trips section of our website, www.hawaiisnowskiclub.com .
TOBY
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
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.