August, 2024

 

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

   -----------------------------------------
  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.

July 25 (Thursday) 4:00 pm  Pau Hana at The Social Honolulu in the South Shore Market, 1170 Auahi St.

August 4 (Sunday) 3:00 pm  Lawn Party at the Withy's in Kailua.  Pot Luck, BYOB, and BYOC (chair).  This will substitute for an August General Membership Meeting.  See below for information on parking.

August 17 (Saturday) 8:00 am  Volunteer activity packing food for schools at the Hawaii Foodbank.  See below for details including instructions for sign-up.

September 5 (Thursday)  5:00 pm  General Membership Meeting at Mangiamo.

October 3 (Thursday) 5:00 pm  Annual membership year Kickoff Meeting at Rainbow Bay Marina.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE:

I'll begin this month's Message by welcoming new members Bradley and Kanoe Margol of Honolulu.  I point out that they live in Honolulu  because we now have so many members from the mainland who have joined, I believe, due to the excellent price of our two trips to Japan each February which, Alan, our Japan trips coordinator, tells me is around $2,000 less expensive than comparable ski trips to Japan offered by, at least, one well known mainland ski trip provider.  Please look below for updated information on the Japan trips.  Signups for our January trip to Sun Peaks, Canada, with an additional Revelstoke option, however, are running a bit slow at this time which is kind of surprising given the popularity of the venue at the time we voted on it, the trip cost, and the current exchange rate: $1.00 U.S. will buy you $1.37 Canadian.  It cost me only $1,855 for airfare, ground transportation, and a shared hotel room, but this is without the lift ticket package as I plan to use Ikon.  For those who have yet to sign up and, therefore, did not get the message, we are now traveling from Honolulu to Calgary on Westjet rather than on Air Canada to from Honolulu to Vancouver and have a slightly longer period of time to change planes to Kelowna.  Back to Honolulu, mahalo to Marian Conroy and Geof Chu for suggesting our Pau Hana venue for tomorrow evening, and maybe we'll have more to insert into our schedule over the next several months.   If you have a suggestion for a Pau Hana or other activity that you think would interest members of our club, don't hesitate to contact me, pres@hawaiisnowskiclub.com or Anita, anita@hawaiisnowskiclub.com :  We need a few more "outside" suggestions to give our board more "Why didn't I think of that" moments.  

TOBY

UPCOMING SKI CLUB ACTIVITIES:

PAU HANA
at
THE SOCIAL HONOLULU
Located in the South Shore Market
1170 Auahi Street - 2nd Floor
July 25 (Thursday), 4 pm.

Suggested by Marian Conroy, this venue has moved from it's location on McCully Street. Serving a wide selection of local comfort food, The Social Eatery and Bar Honolulu offers the ultimate happy hour experience. Guests can enjoy tasty menu offerings and game time specials while cheering on their favorite sports teams. Many have compared the food to be on par with the Side Street Cafes.   Happy hour is 4:00 to 6:00 pm with discounted drinks and food.  Due to its popularity, Thursday evening was chosen. Free self-parking available in the Ward Village Shops Parking Garage.

Hope to see you there!

GEOF

LAWN PARTY
AT THE WITHYS
156F N. Kalaheo Ave.
August 4 (Sunday) 3 PM

As previously announced,  Todd and Malia Withy have invited us to their home practically on the beach for a Sunday afternoon get together.  This will substitute for an August General Membership Meeting and is both POT LUCK & BYOB.   Also, be sure to bring your own folding chair to sit on the lawn,  and wear a swim suit and bring a towel if you wish to take a dip in the ocean which is right behind the backyard where we will be partying.  Also, we plan to conduct an informal Celebration of Life for Ski Club member Nancy Rawlins who recently passed so you are invited to bring flowers to cast into the ocean in honor to her memory.   While there is no parking on North Kalaheo Ave., there should be parking available on the two side streets, Ulupa and Mookua,  across the street, i.e. mountain side, on either side of 156 and within easy walking distance.  You are welcome to drop off your food, drink, etc. at the house before going to park.   Hope to see you at the Withys on August 4th.

TOBY

VOLUNTEERING TO PACK FOOD
AT
THE HAWAII FOOD BANK
2611 kILIHAU ST.
HONOLULU, HI. 96819
August 17 (Saturday) 9 AM - 12 PM

The Food 4 Keiki (F4K) program provides bags of food for our school pantry program across Oahu and Kaua`i. On Saturday, August 17th, 8 am – 12 pm we will be packing about 7,000 bags of food at our warehouse, 2611 Kilihau St, Honolulu, HI 96819and we anticipate the packing will run for the full 4-hour shift. Please arrive with enough time to find parking and sign in before the briefing at 8 am. ALL VOLUNTEERS are required to fill out the online volunteer application form if they have not done so before: https://www.volgistics.com/appform/348316126 .  Please email me, mike@hawaiisnowskiclub.com  to let me know you are coming so I can keep track of the count for our club.

(And wear a Ski Club tee shirt if you have one---We want to "show our colors." --Toby)

MIKE

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
MANGIAMO BY 604
NAVY MARINE GOLF COURSE
943 VALKENBURGH ST.
September 5 (Thursday) 5 pm

This will be our first regular General Membership Meeting since June. Although the meeting itself won't start 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.  We like to get our business out of the way before the live music starts at 6 pm and makes announcements difficult.  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

ANNUAL KICK-OFF MEETING/COOKOUT
RAINBOW BAY MARINA
57 Arizona Memorial Drive 
(next to Restaurant 604)
PEARL HARBOR
October 3 (Thursday) 5:00 PM

Come to our Annual Kick-Off (to the new membership year) Meeting, where the food will be "on the house," at Rainbow Bay Marina, Pearl Harbor.  Wear your Ski Club tee shirt and name tag from a previous trip if you have one.  If you are a new member since April 1 of this year, you are already current through next year and don't need to rejoin.  If  you prefer to pay by check, rather than credit card, for the 2024-2025 year, you can bring your check to this meeting, but don't forget to first complete the digital membership form accessed through our website.  If you haven't been to Rainbow Bay Marina, it is the outdoor picnic area with cabanas on the right hand side (facing towards the ocean) of Restaurant 604.     For those of you who unfamiliar with the area, enter Pearl Harbor off Kamehameha Highway as if you were going to the Arizona Memorial, take a right on the inner road (Arizona Memorial Place), and drive approximately 1/4 mile.  As soon as you go under the Ford Island viaduct, you are there. You can park behind the restaurant.  This is BYOB, and please carry out your drink containers rather than deposit of them in the refuse receptacles at the venue or we will forfeit the return of a $100.00 deposit we gave them for cleanup.  As the time draws nearer, we will be providing more information and asking for RSVPs so we know how much food to order.

TOBY

SKI TRIPS FOR 2025:

CANADA

Ski Week 2025 - Sun Peaks Resort, BC - 1/18/25-1/25/25
Revelstoke Extension (Optional) - 1/25/25-1/31/25

The Hawaii Ski Club Trip Committee is pleased to provide the following link for those who want to sign up for Ski Week 2025 at the Sun Peaks Resort.

https://meetups.ski.com/hawaii-ski-club-2025
We have secured 25 rooms at the Grand and no condominium units due to the more than $400 difference per person based on quad occupancy in a two bedroom condo unit in the Grand Residences. Not knowing how much interest there is in the condo units, the trip committee has elected not to secure any due to the non-refundable deposits required. These condo units are still available and if you desire to reserve them you can contact Marcie Hawks directly at marcie.hawks@ski.com. You must get your group together before contacting Marcie as single requests to stay in the condo units will not be accepted.

The Revelstoke Extension is accessed in the "ACTIVITIES" tab in the link. At this time, ground IS included in the package. Once people start signing up, ground cost will be determined and refunded to those not exercising that option.

Of course, as a member in good standing, you are welcome to meet us at Sun Peaks making your own arrangements and the Activity Fee will be $100.00 to participate in the Club Trip Activities.

THE RESORTS

SUN PEAKS

4,270 ACRES (2nd largest in Canada)
Summit elevation – 7,060’
Base elevation – 4,116’
139 Tails - 10% Novice
58% Intermediate
32% Advanced and Expert
13 lifts, including 3 high speed quad chairlifts, 4 quad chairlifts, and 6 surface lifts
237” average annual snowfall
On the IKON pass

The Hawaii Ski Club has visited the resort before and the village is similar in size to Big White in Kelowna. We stayed in the adjacent property at the Cahilty. The mountain is basically an intermediate mountain similar to what we experienced in Steamboat with less people. From village-center hotels, to private condos and vacation homes—each have a unique personality of their own, and many have ski-in/ski-out access. You can ski and ride through a winter wonderland village where everything is centrally located, and right from your favorite trails to bars, restaurants, cafés, shops, and back to your lodge. With over 15 on and off mountain eateries and bars there is an abundant choice of venues to try out.

Our hotel, the Sun Peaks Grand Hotel and Conference Center, provides ski-in/ski out accommodations and is rated four stars with 2 restaurants.

Sun Peaks is a 45 minute drive (35 miles) to Kamloops, BC. Kamloops populations is 100,000 and has a Costco.

REVELSTOKE

Revelstoke Mountain Resort is a ski resort on Mount Mackenzie, just outside Revelstoke, British Columbia in Canada. It is owned by Northland Properties.

3,121 acres
Summit Elevation – 7,677’
Base Elevation – 1.679’
75 Trails – 12% Novice
43% Intermediate
45% Advanced and Expert
4 Bowls
One Gondola, Four Chairs and Two Surface Lifts
414” average annual snowfall
On the IKON Pass

Skiers and snowboarders return year after year to feel the thrill of the steep, get lost in the pow, and lap the Stoke until their tank is empty. Known for the longest vertical descent in North America at 5,620 feet, Revelstoke attracts winter adventurers from all over the world. Don't miss your chance to experience the hype this winter! Grab your gear, friends, and passes, and meet us on the mountain! Enjoy endless acres of skiable terrain, free refills on snow, and steep thrills. From wide-open alpine bowls to perfectly spaced glades, we've got something for everyone. The real challenge is making sure your legs can keep up! The resort is well known for it’s Heli Skiing for those who want to partake.

Our accommodations at the Sutton Place Hotel include one and two bedroom condominium units with full kitchen. It is rated four stars and located slopeside and provides ski in/ski out access to the slopes and is located in the mountain village. Unlike the Sun Peak Village, it is small with only three restaurants. The town of Revelstoke is a fifteen minute free shuttle ride where there over 40 dining options. It has a grocery store the size of a Safeway for those who want to bring items back to the condo and cook

Revelstoke is a 3-1/2 hour bus ride from Sun Peaks but actually closer the Kelowna Airport where you will be flying out of.

The Trip Committee – Nicole DeWitt, Susan Law & Geof Chu will make every effort to provide members with an enjoyable trip and best wishes for an injury free and safe week. SEE YOU AT SUN PEAKS!

GEOF

JAPAN

Japan Trips Update:  Shiga Kogen 2/15-23 and Rusutsu 2/22-3/2

In the past 3 weeks since the Japan trips announcement and registration form were published, we have received deposits for 62 reservations. Of these 27 were for Shiga Kogen and 35 for Rusutsu. At this time we still have 9 double occupancy rooms available at Shiga Kogen but only 5 available at Rusutsu. We also have several single persons who have registered and are looking for a roommate at each location. Over the past few years our Japan trips have sold out early so don't wait until the last minute to make a reservation.

The popularity of these trips is due to:
Excellent package price: $3250 Shiga Kogen and $3500 Rusutsu
Ski in ski out at both resorts
Excellent food including daily buffet breakfast and 3 buffet dinners at both resorts
Private shuttle buses to both resorts

If you're interested in joining us for a ski trip to Japan in February you need to fill out the registration form emailed to all members on June 28, send in a $350 deposit by October 1, and be an active Hawaii Ski Club member.  If you have joined the Club since then, the form can be found in and copied from the "Trips" section of our website, www.hawaiiskiclub.com  Trip details and costs can also be found in this section.   If you are reading this and not yet a member, you can join by clicking the "Membership" link on our website.  The cost for joining is $25 for a single membership and $35 for a family.

Here is some additional information on each ski resort:

Shiga Kogen is 160 miles north of Tokyo in the Nagano ski area of the main island of Honshu.  Rather than a single large ski resort it consists of 21 ski resorts with 70+ lifts connected by a shuttle bus and single lift ticket, making it the largest ski resort in Japan. While the majority of the resort is under 4,000 ft., the highest peak is over 7,400 ft. making Skiga Kogen also the ski resort with the highest lift in Japan. Powder Hound ranks it as the best intermediate ski resort in Japan and one of the top ten overall ski resorts in the country.

We have reservations at the Prince Hotel, located in Yakebitaiyama, the largest of the Shiga Kogen villages and host to several downhill events during the 1998 Nagano Olympics. We will be staying in the newest of the hotel buildings and our package includes daily buffet breakfast and 3 buffet dinners. The Jigokudani Monkey Park, where the famous snow monkeys reside are about 30 minutes away from the hotel by bus.

Instead of a ski resort with a nearby town, Rusutsu is a huge Convention Center complex with shops, restaurants and hotel rooms all under one roof in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan. A fabulous new onsen featuring several indoor pools at different temperatures including a cold plunge, and outdoor lay flat pools lets snow fall on you as you soak in the hot mineral springs water. Our hotel package includes a daily breakfast buffet, where you could choose between delicious Japanese or Western style food for breakfast or you could eat Chinese style buffet or a set menu Japanese breakfast. We also have 3 buffet dinners on alternate nights where we could sit together and talk story.

Rusutsu consists of three mountains, West Mountain which is ski in ski out from the resort complex, East Mountain accessed by a gondola from the resort and Mt Isola, accessible by gondola and hooded chair lifts. The further you go away from the hotel complex the fewer people you encounter, making it possible to find fresh, untracked powder even after several days without snowfall. Rusutsu is famous for its long wide runs with easy access to its renowned tree skiing down into the valleys. There also is night skiing available if you didn't get enough skiing during the day. For dinner you could choose from 7 restaurants featuring French, Chinese, Italian, Seafood, Japanese, pub and buffet style dinners, including all you can eat crab legs, scallops on the half shell and wagu beef. Powder Hound ranks Rusutsu as one of the Top 10 overall ski resorts in all of Japan and ranks Rusutsu number 1 for its lift system.

ALAN

PAST SKI CLUB ACTIVITIES:

PAU HANA
AT
PAU HANA PLACE
CORNER OF ALA MOANA BLVD. & HOLOMANA ST.
May 23 (Thursday) 5 PM  

Somewhere around twenty Ski Clubbers braved the closure of the adjacent parking lot and made to Pau Hana Place on May 23 for an early evening of laughing, drinking, and, for some, even dancing under the stars.  Apparently a group of older Hawaiian musicians have been performing at Pau Hana Place for several months, some come to sit in, and it can easily turn into a kanikapila before the evening is pau.  Hopefully, Pau Hana Place gets to keep their lease because, except for the somewhat pricey plate lunches, it is an otherwise no cost (because it is BYOB), centrally located, very informal venue and appears to be popular with our membership.

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.

  July 2024 Newsletter