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Hawaii Ski Club – October, 2011
EXECUTIVE ORGANIZATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President – Toby Kravet – 808-224-1065
Vice President – Kevin Okawa
Treasurer - Geof Chu
Susan Murata
Wayne Fujihara
Jon Kleinschmidt
Momi Kleinschmidt
Jonathan Carr
Roy Manzoku
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Club Historian
Jo Yee
Newsletter Editor
Toby Kravet
(Click on Contacts for e mail addresses)
CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
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!
September 23 (Friday): 4:30 P.M. Pau Hana at Ryans' Grill, Ward Center.
October 6 (Thursday) 6: P.M. Annual Kick-Off Meeting at Sam Sneads. This is the General Membership Meeting where we pay for the food, and you pay your membership dues for the coming year.
October 8 (Saturday): 8 A.M. Volunteer grounds maintenance and, perhaps, other, similar work at the Palolo Chinese Home in Palolo Valley (see below).
October 21 (Friday): 5 P.M. Pau Hana at P.F. Chang's in the Hokua Condominium, just down the street from our September Pau Hana (See below)
November 3 (Thursday): 6 P.M. General Membership Meeting at Sam Sneads.
November 12 (Saturday): 4: P.M. - 9 P.M. Second "Return of the Legendary Chili Cookoff,"
November 17 (Thursday): 5:30 P.M. Board Meeting at Henry Loui's.Wai'alae Nui Recreation Center, 2203 Halekoa Drive.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE:
As I sit down to "pen" the "President's Message" for this month, I've been back from New Zealand for three weeks, but my mind still keeps flashing back to the slopes and trails of Coronet, the "Remarks," Cardrona, and "T.C." For those of you who went down in the "old days," and there are more of you than some members would imagine, Coronet now has a cavernous base building, adjacent to the bus unloading area, with indoor ticket counter, shops, and lockers; Cardrona has a new lift, below the Whitestar, to service the lower car park but which serves to lengthen the available vertical from the top of Whitesta; and "T.C." has had a chairlift up the Saddle Basin for several years now. All but Cardrona now give you a plastic cards embedded with an RFID chip instead of a paper ticket with metal wicket and scan the card, in your pocket, as you as you go through a gate to get on the lift: I have only seen this system at Alta and Solitude on the U.S. Mainland so am somewhat impressed with the cutting edge technology. I, however, remember that the first 6 person lift I ever rode was at "T.C." (Treblecone). Except for some new buildings, Queenstown hasn't changed very much: It's still a small but happening resort town with many restaurants and bars next to a big, cold lake (like South Lake Tahoe), still has only one traffic light, and still has an airport with only one runway and no capacity for instrument approaches.
As we go to press, only thirty-five members have signed up for the Kick-Off on October 6. We had fifty one last year so-------come on, get your reservation in. The food is free, and if you are lucky enough to win a raffle prize, it might come close to "paying" for your membership. Also, Roy is still looking for some good men and women to help out with maintenance and other work at the Palolo Chinese Home on Saturday morning, October 8, two days after the Kick-Off, so if you have been thinking about it, don't wait for the last minute to sign up.
Well, having just ended two sentences with prepositions (above) and my high school English teachers turning in their graves, I will sign off.
See you at the meetings and activities!
Aloha,
Toby
UPCOMING SKI CLUB ACTIVITIES:
PAU HANA AT RYAN'S GRILL
September 23 (Friday), 4:30 P.M.
For September, we are returning (it's been a little over a year) to Ryan's Grill on the second level of Ward Center, just opposite the escalator from ground level. If you are lucky enough to find a good parking spot in the adjoining, street-side garage, you can just walk across. For those of you who might be unfamiliar with Ryan's, it has a humongous beer selection, drinks of all kinds, pretty decent pupus, and has been a favorite Pau Hana location of the downtown crowd (think "Yuppie") for many years. I'll try to score a table to the left of the entrance, and, hopefully, we can add as the crowd grows. If you don't see us there, look on the lanai to the far left (behind the bar). For those of you going to the next day's U.H. football game with U.C. Davis, this is a preconditioning opportunity for those 12 oz. curls.
TOBY
ANNUAL KICKOFF MEETING AT SAM
SNEADS TAVERN
October 6
(Thursday) 6:00 P.M.
This is our annual General Membership Meeting to "kick off" the new membership year (October 1 - September 30). This is the one meeting of the year when the Club buys the food, and we need to place the orders and pay in advance so the deadline for reservations is this coming Wednesday, September 28. If you haven't already signed up, menu choices are #1 Chicken and Mushroom Alfredo with a seasonal or Caesar salad; #2 Fish and Chips (beer battered fried fish with Cole slaw and tartar sauce) with a seasonal or ceasar salad; and #3 Pot Roast with basil red skin mashed potatoes and brown gravy (does not come with salad): Place your reservations by email to pres@hawaiisnowskiclub.com The membership/membership renewal form can be downloaded from our Website and brought to the meeting with, of course, your check. As in the past, raffle items will include gift certificates and a free membership, and Anita will be on hand to provide updated information on the the Snowmobile trip and, perhaps, other plans for Hawaii Ski Week. Hope to see you on the 6th.
TOBY
VOLUNTEER MAINTENANCE WORK AT THE PALOLO CHINESE HOME
October 8 (Saturday), 8:00 A.M. - Noon
The Hawaii Ski Club has a long
tradition of participation in volunteer service activity such as assisting with
the cleaning and renovation of low income family homes in the now defunct,
annual Christmas in April project, assisting the Salvation Army with
feeding Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless at the Blaisdell Center on
Thanksgiving day, "manning" telephones at Hawaii Public Radio during their twice
yearly fund raising drives, and the ongoing operational assistance to fund
raising projects, such as concerts, in support of the Waikiki Aquarium.
The Palolo Chinese Home (PCH) (http://www.palolochinesehome.org/) a nonprofit adult residential care
home, providing adult residential care, skilled nursing/intermediate care, adult
day care, and overnight respite care services, can now use our help. Located on
fifteen acres in Palolo
Valley, it was established in 1917 to care for elderly plantation laborers and,
today, serves people of all ethnicities and religions.
PCH needs help with
maintenance such as yard work and painting and will appreciate any help we can
give. Please lend a hand for half a day
on Saturday, October 8, 2011,
8:00 A.M. PCH is located at
2459 10th Ave. in Palolo Valley. Tools will be provided. We plan to work the
morning , followed by some pau hana rest and relaxation at a location to be
announced. Contact Roy Manzoku,
roy@hawaiisnowskiclub.com , to sign up for this
volunteer service project.
ROY, TOBY
PAU HANA AT P.F. CHANG'S
October 21 (Friday), 5
P.M.
The October Pau Hana will be at 5pm on
the 21 of October at P.F. Chang's in the Hokua Condominium, 1288 Ala Moana Blvd.
Entry to condominium parking lot for free, validated parking is on Auahi Street.
P.F. Chang's features an Asian fusion cuisine with pupus and dim sum. Happy hour
is from 3-6pm, and they have pupus and drinks on sale at $3-$6. The club will
meet in their outdoor lanai on Auahi Street.
JON
SECOND
RETURN OF THE LEGENDARY CHILI COOK-OFF
Wai'alae Nui Recreation Center, 2203 Halekoa Drive
November 12 (Saturday) 4 PM - 9 PM
The Chili Cook-Off was so much fun last year, that we are doing it again: Same venue, same format. Whether or not we have all the laughs we had last year is up to you guys, but we'll try to be just as creative with the prizes. This is a substitute for the Pre-Thanksgiving Party we held for a number of years in a row , but anyone is welcome to bring turkey chili. Those of you who brought Chili last year but didn't win are more than welcome to line up at the start again and, maybe, Bill (Hodges), will return to defend his title. Between our October Kick-Off Meeting and just a little before the date of the event, we will be asking members to sign up to enter their chili in the contest or bring other pot luck items, especially rice (especially), salad, and dessert. All attendees will get to vote for their first, second, and third choices, and, maybe, we'll have another prize for------------.
TOBY
SKI TRIPS FOR 2012
Your Trip Committee is still hard at work with planning for our two trips
in 2012.
Ski Week -
Big Sky, Montana - January 27 - February 4, 2012. This is our
official Hawaii Ski Week trip for 2012! Full packages start at $1582.
1) Ski in/out Huntley hotel room with a
free breakfast buffet. The hotel is located in the Village and has two Queen
beds in the room with a small refrigerator. Double occupancy.
2) Walk in/out Bighorn condo's, 3
bedroom/3 bath, good for 6 occupants. This is a short walk to the slopes and you
can connect via the Poma lift. See this link for more details on a poma lift.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platter_lift
Your lift tickets will be good at Big
Sky mountain. To ski on both mountains (Moonlight Basin and Big Sky), there is
an additional fee that you can pay at any lift ticket office (we thought it
easier if you coordinate with friends on what day to go, meet at the ticket
office, pay (approximately $27 more) and ski on TWO mountains.)
We are also planning a Yellowstone
Snowmobile day trip - if you're interested in that, purchase only a 5-day lift
ticket package to be able to make it as it will be an all day trip.
Ask Hawaii Ski Club members who have
already skied Big Sky, and they will tell you that the highlight of this
trip to Montana is snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park. Snowmobile through
Yellowstone in winter, and you will find yourself amidst a place like none
you have experienced before. A Nordic wonderland. Yellowstone and the
surrounding area are comprised of many geological and geothermal wonders like
Old Faithful and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. In addition a wide
variety of wild animals like bison, wolves, bald eagles, elk and trumpeter swans
abound in the park. Over-snow vehicles trek into the heart of this snowy
paradise so you will get close to these natural wonders, frosty bison,
sculpted ghost- trees, steamy thermal pools, and endless vistas.
This snowmobile adventure is an all-day experience and will take place mid-week
during Ski Week. The total cost of this sidetrip has not yet been
determined since most winter tour companies are on summer hiatus, but as
soon as the 2012 prices are posted, the trip committee will get the
details to you. Ski club members who want to experience snowmobiling (or
taking a snowcoach instead) through Yellowstone National Park will have to
sign up and pay in advance of our trip to Big Sky since these tours are limited
in size and numbers by the National Park Service.
Anita will be on hand at the Kick-Off Meeting,
October 6, to provide additional information on the Snowmobile Trip.
Big
White, CANADA
- is located in the picturesque Okanagan Valley. Big White is uniquely blessed with sunny weather, dry powder and a mild average
temperature of -5C (23 F). With 118 marked runs fanning from the summit, 2,565
acres of skiable terrain, and 16 lifts, there‘s a great selection of terrain for
everyone with deep powder bowls, wide-open glades, and great fall-line cruising.
For the ultimate park experience, head to the award winning TELUS Terrain Park
which is the best progressive park in North America. To top it off, slalom
through the spectacular“Snowghosts” (snow caked trees) which create a magical
backdrop in this winter playground.
Trip dates are March 9-17, which is the DOE Spring Break.
Bring your whole family! Kids ski free with a paid adult lift ticket.
Air Canada is an affiliate of United
Airlines so get mileage for United, AND one bag is free! Everyone who goes on
this trip MUST HAVE A PASSPORT.
TRIP COMMITTEE
PAST SKI CLUB ACTIVITIES:
HAWAII RICE FESTIVAL
(With 2 Invisible Participants)
At 11 A.M. on Sunday, September 11, Kevin, our "Fearless Leader," Irene Okuda, and this writer met at Kakaako Waterfront Park, climbed up to the front of the park with a magnificent view of Point Panic, and proceeded to take the 2.5 mile stroll to Magic Island where the second annual Hawaii Rice Festival was well underway. Under a muliplicity of food tents, vendors were cooking all manner of rice dishes and selling some unique dessert items. and, under one of the tents, constructing what was hoped to be the world's biggest Spam Musubi. My only complaint was that I couldn't go around and sample all the dishes available: For me, the portions for purchase were really too large for so early in the day. Oh, the "Invisible Participants?" Kevin had several cell phone conversations with Jon and Momi Kleinshmidt who were supposedly on their way, parked at Ala Moana and meeting us there, and, then, there, but not one of us saw ever saw them. Maybe they were really home in bed and pulling our leg!
TOBY
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
SNOWBOARD FOR SALE
Craig Shaffer still has an unused size 141 snowboard for sale. $250.00. Craig may be contacted at 261-5989.
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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/