|
|
|
|
June, 2015
EXECUTIVE ORGANIZATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President – Toby Kravet – 808-224-1065
Vice President – Jonathan Carr
Treasurer - Geoff Chu
Secretary - Paul Ferguson
Rene "Fergie" Ferguson
Roy Manzoku
Bill Hodges
Alan Teramura
Scott
Parmley
-----------------------------------------
Club Historian
Jo Yee
Newsletter Editor
Toby Kravet
(Click on Contacts for e mail addresses)
CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
Additional events, such as concerts, hikes, excursions, may be added. Watch your email for possible updates.
Every Monday evening (except on holidays): 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!
May 29 (Friday) 4:30 PM. This is before June but what the heck! Come join the Ski Club's Pau Hana enthusiasts for a Pau Hana at Honolulu Beerworks.
June 4 (Thursday) 6:00 PM: General Membership Meeting at Schooners Restaurant, Pearl Harbor.
June 18 (Thursday) 5:30 PM: Board Meeting at Henry Loui's, Mapunapuna.
June 20 (Saturday) Olomana at the Tapa Bar, Hilton Hawaiian Village.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE:
When several years ago, I took over as President from our current treasurer, Geoff, he warned me about all of the email inquiries I would receive about skiing Mauna Kea. Skiers from the Mainland and other countries find us on the internet, understandably assume that that is what we do, sometimes think we are in charge of the mountain (tell that to the State of Hawaii, the University, and the "Protectors") and want to know where to rent equipment, how to get to the "resort, a rundown on resort facilities, etc. I have received nineteen separate inquiries just since January 17, and that doesn't include all the emails, I think, that were, instead, directed to Jonathan. A couple of years ago, though the inquiries were a bit less, I finally decided to come up with a boiler plated response which I update a bit from time to time.
"Although our club was initially founded to promote skiing on Mauna Kea, we
no longer endorse it for the following reasons:
1. The snow level is iffy
with lava rocks sticking out. There was a lot more snow in yesteryear---just
like in Colorado, Utah, and most places in the world. Climate change is taking
its toll on snow levels here as well as elsewhere.
2. You go from sea
level to 13,500 feet, give or take, without any time to acclimate, and with no
lift, you are traversing and climbing as well as sliding downhill on skis or
boards. Some can do it without a problem: Some can't, and a few even end up
requiring professional medical attention.
4. In stark contrast to the map
on our website, in the Ski Hawaii link, and to some YouTube videos which seem to
suggest otherwise, there is no dedicated ski area with laid out trails. The map
on our website was a dream in the head of an individual who used to have a small
ski rental shop in Hilo and take people up there----I believe in the early 70s. Supposedly, according to a story on the Internet, there was a company called
Mauna Kea Ski Corporation, in, most probably, Hilo or Kona, which, in 2010, was
renting ski equipment and taking people to the summit, but we haven't been able
to confirm this or find them.
5. As of 12/27/2013, there was only one
auto rental agency, Harper Car and Truck Rentals, in Hilo, willing to rent 4
wheel drive vehicles for transportation to the summit. There is no public
transportation. The national auto rental chains don't even want you taking their
vehicles on the Saddle Road, a mountain pass short cut between Kona and Hilo
from which you access the route to the summit. Local residents, who do go up
there with friends for a day of skiing, take turns driving and skiing or just
parking to climb and ski. The major reason, now, for a road to the summit is the
several world class observatories which need to be staffed and serviced.
6. In recent years, some native Hawaiians have discouraged use of the mountain
for purposes other than cultural observances and have even tried to dial back
the current scientific uses via demonstrations, legislative advocacy, and legal
action.
Sorry to have to tell you all this. There are only two people in
our club, of whom I am aware, who have been up there in recent years, and one of
them lives in Kona.
You can find additional information concerning Mauna
Kea and, especially, the road, at:
http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/vis/visiting-mauna-kea/visiting-the-summit.html
"
Meanwhile, back to sea level, we will be returning to Schooners again for our June General
Membership Meeting. A waitress at Schooners, who also worked at Seven
Palms, told us that the Navy Marine Golf Course venue would re-open, under its
new management (Dixie Grill) in June or July, a recent article in the Honolulu
Star Advertiser said not until next year, and I have heard, through the
grapevine that it is already open. Who knows? Lucky we have
Schooners at least for now.
Mahalo to former board member Cathy Lau for suggesting Saturday evening, June 20 at the Tapa Bar to listen to Olomana (with Jerry Santos). Please don't leave it just to the current board to come up with ideas for activities, Pau Hana venues, etc. Just like Cathy, if you have an idea for an activity or Pau Hana venue, let us know.
Hope to see you at Honolulu Beerworks this Friday, the next General Membership Meeting on June 4, or maybe at the Tapa Bar on June 20th. I'll be there.
A hui hou,
TOBY
UPCOMING SKI CLUB ACTIVITIES:
PAU HANA AT HONOLULU BEERWORKS
May 29 (Friday) 4:30 PM
The club is going to Honolulu
Beerworks on Friday, May 29th, starting at 4:30 pm. This is a brewpub: They make
their own beer on site. They also have food including sandwiches, pretzels, beer nuts,
and sliders. They offer some wine, but the focus in on the beer: Ales, IPAs, Stouts,
Bitters, et al. Honolulu Beerworks is at 328 Cooke Street in happening Kakaako.
This is between Ala Moana Blvd and Auahi Street. There is plenty of parking on
Auahi and Cooke Streets, but you have to feed the meter (three quarters for an
hour) until 6 pm, so bring your quarters.
JONATHAN
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
SCHOONER'S RESTAURANT
57 ARIZONA MEMORIAL DRIVE
PEARL HARBOR
June 4 (Thursday) 5:30 PM
We are back to Schooners yet again for our
June General Membership Meeting. Though there are no Sunset Specials for
dinner, there are special on pupus until 6 PM, and some of us can make a meal of
pupus. For those of you who haven't yet been to
Schooners, it's right near the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. Turn off Kamehameha Highway towards the water as if you were going to
visit the Arizona Memorial, take a right on the inner road (Arizona Memorial
Drive) and drive .25 mile. After you go under the Ford Island overpass, you will
see the restaurant on your left (ocean side) with plenty of free parking. See
you there.
TOBY
A SATURDAY EVENING IN WAIKIKI WITH OLOMANA
TAPA
BAR AT THE HILTON HAWAIIAN VILLAGE
June 20 (Saturday) 8:00 - 11:00 PM
As a deviation from the Friday night Pau
Hana…. here’s a
Saturday night venue. Join fellow ski club members on June 20, Saturday. Try to
get there a little early to reserve some good tables and bring a sweater as it’s
outdoors. Enjoy a tropical drink, Roundtable pizza, and the music of Olomana.
Taking
the name of the beautiful Windward O'ahu mountain, Olomana blends contemporary
and traditional Hawaiian musical styles to create a unique sound that is deeply
rooted in the land, people and culture of Hawai'i. For more than 30 years,
Olomana has captured the hearts of fans around the world with their particular
brand of Aloha and, in the process, has earned 17 Na Hoku Hanohano awards among
them.
Parking for the Hilton:
Hilton Hawaiian Village
provides a six-level parking garage, conveniently accessible from all towers at
the resort. Self-parking and valet parking are both available.
Validated
Self-Parking Charge: $8.00
Validated Valet Parking Charge: $13.00
There is also parking across the street in the Hale Koa overflow parking lot located at Saratoga Road and Kalia Road. Automatic payment facility pay stations are located in the Hale Koa lobby or at the lot. Special rates for military and DoD personnel are available with a valid ID card. Receive your DoD validation at the front desk, bell desk or the Ilima Swimming Pool.
(Editor's Note: You could also try for free parking at the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor on the Lagoon side and /or at the adjacent old heli-pad and walk in from the Lagoon: The signs, however, say for "harbor users only" and allowed only until 10:30 PM )
CATHY
HAWAII SKI WEEK, 2016
January 29 - February
6
We will be going to Park City, Utah for the 2016 Hawaii Ski
Week. As many of you know, Vail Resorts has purchased the Park City Mountain
Resort. This summer they plan to install an 8 passenger gondola to connect Park
City with Canyons Resort, already managed by Vail Resorts. This will create, in
their words, the largest ski area in the United States, with over 7,300 acres of
terrain. They also plan a new restaurant at the Park City gondola terminus
(bottom of Silverload lift), and upgrades to the King Kong and Motherlode lifts.
Ski.com will be providing discounted lift tickets, obviously good on both
mountains. The adult 5 day ticket will be $330 and the senior 5 day lift ticket
will be $250. Ski.com will also provide one day lift tickets for Deer Valley for
those of you who want to spend the day there. These tickets will cost $90, which
is a good discount from this year’s $115 window price. As we mentioned earlier,
you may want to purchase an epic pass from Vail Resorts for the season. These
will also be available from Ski.com, but we don’t know the details on this now.
Because you ski club members have stated categorically that ski-in/ski-out
access is a priority, we have chosen to stay primarily at The Lodge at the
Mountain Village. In addition to ski-in/ski-out access, the Lodge is 20 yards
from the Payday Lift, a 6 person high speed lift. There is a mini mall next door
with 4 ski shops and some restaurants. The Lodge offers hotel rooms, studio
suites, and 2, 3 and 4 bedroom condos. We have reserved one 4 bedroom condo,
four 3 bedroom condos and 4 hotel rooms. The hotel rooms have refrigerators and
coffee makers. We say we are staying “primarily” at the Lodge because they do
not offer hotel rooms with two beds. For our singles we have reserved some hotel
rooms across the street at the Shadow Ridge Resort Hotel. These rooms will have
two queen beds. The Park City free shuttle bus stops at the Lodge, and the Lodge
also offers free point to point on demand shuttle service. Main Street, Park
City, with all its shops and restaurants is about 1/2 mile away. The Lodge
features an indoor/outdoor swimming pool, numerous hot tubs, free wireless
internet, a fitness center and their own ice rink (for a fee). The Lodge has
plenty of meeting space for our traditional reception, pot luck and farewell
pizza party.
Our non-stop flights to Salt Lake City are as follows:
• Delta-1104 V Depart: HNL 1/29/2016 09:55 pm Arrive: SLC 1/30/2016 07:11 am
• Delta-1105 V Depart: SLC 2/6/2016 11:55 am Arrive: HNL 2/6/2016 03:35 pm
Since we are arriving so early, and it is only an hour and a half to Park
City, one could ski on Saturday, our arrival day. That would give you seven days
of skiing.
Of course, transfers to and from the airport are included.
Park City is more expensive than Steamboat. We will be paying about $300 to $400
more for a full package. The full package price (air, transfer, 7 nights
lodging, 5 day lift ticket) will range from $1,800 to $2,000.
This year
we would like to try something different for registration. You will be able to
register and pay for the trip online directly with Ski.com, and pay them
directly by check or credit card. This will relieve the trip committee of some
work, although we will still be responsible for roommate assignments. Ski.com
anticipates have this service ready about May 20th. We will inform you of when
to contact them for registration. Pray for snow.
THE TRIP COMMITTEE
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
FREE TEE SHIRTS FOR NEW MEMBERSHIPS
Effective May 15, 2014, for a limited period of time, one free Ski Club tee shirt will be given to all new "Memberships," i.e. one per Membership, individual or family.
THE HAWAII SKI CLUB IS ON FACEBOOK
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.
Updated club info available at http://www.hawaiisnowskiclub.com/