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April, 2025
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.
April 3 (5:00 pm) General Membership Meeting/Annual Board Election at Mangiamo. Note that we will be on the oceanside lanai rather than the diamond head side balcony where we usually meet.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE:
Aloha everyone. The Newsletter is back from its ski vacation. Although we're already beyond mid March, the ski season is not over for some of us. Caroline Sluyter will soon be on her way to Telluride and Geof Chu may already be in Mammoth for some spring skiing. In fact, Mammoth (drum roll, please) was your first choice for Hawaii Ski Week 2026 and Telluride was third. Would you believe that Alyeska, which would have been planned for March instead of January to get maximum possible daylight, was, believe it or not, second. I was surprised, especially that so many would be up for a trip so late in the season. Maybe this mean that there's an appetite among you for something different. Talking about something different, it's been a long time since I got together with any members of the club during my usual extended trip to Utah in February and early March, but I spent my last of skiing at Alta with club member Rick Nelson who had called a day or two earlier to let me know he was in town and skiing a number of the areas within easy commuting range of Salt Lake City. I can't say we skied together as he was way ahead and left me guessing where he had gone, but he did wait for me at the bottom, and we rode the lift back up together all day. As you can see, our calendar of events is a bit lacking right now but stay tuned for Pau Hanas and volunteering opportunities in which we usually participate such as The Special Olympics and packing meals at the Food Bank. Hope to see some of you at our upcoming General Membership Meeting on April 3.
TOBY
UPCOMING SKI CLUB ACTIVITIES:
GENERAL
MEMBERSHIP MEETING/ANNUAL BOARD ELECTION
MANGIAMO BY 604
NAVY MARINE GOLF COURSE
943
VALKENBURGH ST.
APRIL 3 (Thursday), 5 pm
Come to Mangiamo on April 3 for our regular, first Thursday of month, General Membership Meeting and annual election for our Board of Directors. Although the meeting itself will not begin until 5:30, you are encouraged to arrive earlier so that you can order drinks and food before the meeting starts. We like to get the "business" out of the way before the musician begins playing at 6:00 pm. Also, please note that this month we will not be meeting in our usual location, on the Diamond Head side balcony but, instead, on the lanai facing the golf course.
TOBY
PAST SKI CLUB ACTIVITIES:
CANADA SKI TRIPS
Sun Peaks, what a trip! The Canadian slopes called to and
welcomed over 50 HSC members to Sun Peaks Resort in Jan. The resort boasts
more than 4,200 acres of skiable terrain and features charming
European-style village architecture, offering a delightful mixture of alpine
beauty, adventure, and après ski! The group stayed at the lovely ski-in,
ski-out Sun Peaks Grand Hotel, where the exceptional customer service and
reception served as a great kick off. HSC bundled up for the 28 degree
average temps and enjoyed the well-groomed slopes and wide variety of trails
suitable for all skill levels. Beyond the runs, members partook in two
alternative events, a Kamloops Blazers hockey game (HSC on a Zamboni!) and a
fondue dinner followed by guided night skiing.
NIKKI
Approximately 20 members went on from Sun Peaks to
Revelstoke where they
stayed in Ski in/Ski out, condos adjacent to the ski area. Per Mitch,
the snow was a bit on the firm side, as had been the case at Sun Peaks, but
eminently skiable. The trails, for the most part, were on the steep
side. Members sorted themselves into smaller more independent groups
than had been the case at Sun Peaks, for après' skiing and dinner. More
complete information on the Revelstoke trips will be welcomed and, if
received, included
in next month's Newsletter.
TOBY
JAPAN SKI TRIPS
We enjoyed another epic year skiing in Japan in 2025 with 44 HSC members
going to Shiga Kogen from Feb 15-23 and 50 going to Rusutsu Feb 22-Mar 2.
Shiga Kogen is the largest ski resort in Japan, consisting of 18
interconnected ski villages. A single lift ticket provides access to all 18
resorts and a shuttle bus system provides transportation between them. It
was a bluebird morning on our first day at Shiga Kogen but it started
snowing in the afternoon and it continued snowing during our entire stay,
averaging 1-2 feet of fresh powder daily. Shiga Kogen was the site of the
1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano so we were able to ski their long, wide
Olympic runs used for the downhill and slalom events. Taking a midweek break
about half the group visited the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park to watch the
wild macaque monkeys bathe in the natural hot springs. Several individuals
were able to reestablish contact with long lost relatives! Afterwards we
visited Shibu Kogen a 1,300 cobblestoned ryoken village at the base of the
Mountain. We stayed at the Shiga Kogen Prince Hotel a ski in ski out hotel
that was only steps to a gondola and quad chair. Many people liked skiing
just outside the hotel but a few adventurous individuals skied to 14 of the
18 resorts all in the same day. A majority of those who went to Shiga Kogen
said they would like to go back.
Rusutsu Ski Resort has something for
everyone. It is a ski in ski out 4 star resort hotel containing a mall-like
mix of shops, restaurants and entertainment. Therefore it’s no wonder why
2/3 of the Rusutsu group were returnees. Rusutsu is ranked as among the best
resorts in all of Japan for intermediate skiers due to its long, wide
groomed runs, its also one of the best resorts for skiing in the trees, and
is ranked for having the best lift system in all of Japan. Additionally the
daily breakfast buffet is awesome having a variety of Japanese and Western
food options. It also has one of the best onsen of any ski resort in Japan.
It started snowing on our first day and snowed off and on for the next three
days and then we had spring skiing conditions for the rest of the week. Our
favorite runs included Vivaldi on East Mountain and Heavenly View on Mt
Isola both with wide long runs with powder on the edges and in the trees
along the sides. At our last dinner in Rusutsu we recognized our first ever
awards for HSC "Living Legends" to two individuals who have been in the HSC
for over 50 years and still come on trips every year: Lori Auhl and Albert
Miral, who both are 88 years old!
ALAN
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.