Nisei Ski Club

by Armand Gutierrez, President  

Last month the Tahoe region experienced its first dusting of snow (all melted by now) and now we are all waiting for the rainy season to begin. Long-range forecast is for La Niña to provide a normal snowfall this season in the Tahoe region, and above normal snowfall in the northwest and Canada. And, of course, it’s also time for the witches, ghosts, goblins, and creatures of the night to come out to celebrate Halloween. Before the ski season starts there are still a number of non-ski events coming up:

• 11-19 October, Eastern Canada Trip with Jeanne Katsuro at the helm
• 9 November, Saturday – Pickle ball Event with Tina Woo/Jeanne Katsuro

Membership Report

There were four returning and one new member for the month of September and that brings us to a total of 81 members.  Membership signups usually increase from signups for the ski week, but it’s not expected to get any more ski trips signups at this late date. However, there may be more new signups in the coming months for the 2025 France trip.

Ski Pros Avalanche Sale

Remember the Snow Bomb shows that offered sales on ski gear, clothing, and accessories? Well, Snow Bomb gradually went away, but now there is Ski Pros. Ski Pros offers a variety of products similar to the Snow Bomb shows. So, if you’re interested getting new gear this year then think about attending the Ski Pros Avalanche Sale going on in October and November. Here are links to the various shows:

San Francisco — Oct 5-6 — https://theavalanchesale.com/event/san-francisco/?_kx=X8jM4lfhGbvrtbKBIeElNJfUwciS6owFtd49zr9Qc74.Xnteyk

San Jose — Oct 18-20 — https://theavalanchesale.com/event/san-jose/

Sacramento — Nov 22-24 — https://theavalanchesale.com/event/sacramento/

Uncrowded Ski Resorts

 I don’t know where this is but I sure would not want to be in that line. So, if you want to ski with space to breathe, carve your own path, and short lift lines then here are the top nine resorts to visit:

1. Beaver Creek, CO
2. Telluride, CO
3. Lake Louise, AB
4. Arapahoe Basin, CO
5. Big White, CO
6. Grand Targhee, WY
7. Whitefish, MT
8. Sun Peaks, BC
9. Kirkwood, CA

IKON/EPIC Pass Update

Here is some information regarding the Ikon/Epic passes for this season:

• October 9, Epic Passes increase in price.
• October 10, Ikon Passes increase in price.

Not sure about which pass to get? OnTheSnow (an online magazine) provides a section on ski pass comparisons to help you decide which pass to get if you haven’t done so yet. Click here https://www.onthesnow.com/news/ski-pass-comparison-ikon-pass-vs-epic-pass/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=09_26_24 to review the Ikon Pass vs. Epic Pass comparisons.

2025 NSC Ski Week

The Sun Peaks ski trip is full with 22 people occupying six condos. Final payments are due October 15^th, so get your checks out. Sports America has posted the Epic/Ikon links for the 2024-2025 season and is offering a 6.5% trip rebate (based on pass price) if you purchase the passes from Sports America and go on the Sun Peaks trip:

Use this for Epic passes: https://www.sportsamerica.com/epic-nisei

Use this for Ikon passes: https://www.sportsamerica.com/ikon-nisei

Password: snow

Questions: contact president@niseiskiclub.org

QotM: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance.

by Tina Woo, NSC Member

What and Why Pickleball?

Over the last few years, pickleball has been rising in popularity.  Pickleball is considered one of the fastest-growing sports in the US.  But, what is pickleball exactly and why is it so popular?

Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines tennis, badminton and ping-pong using a paddle and a plastic ball with holes (called a wiffle ball).  It’s a game for players of all ages and skill levels.  It’s a great introductory sport.  It can also be challenging, fast-paced and competitive.

Why is Pickleball so popular? 

•  It’s ideal for all skill levels
• Pickleball is a social activity
• Pickleball is healthy
• Short learning curve, appeal to all ages and fitness levels, low costs

Want to learn more about pickleball?  Come and join us for a Nisei Ski Club pickleball event on Saturday, November  9 from 9-11 am at the Sunnyvale Tennis Center. For those who can’t make it, please plan to join us for lunch.

by Tina Woo, , Board Member

BEAT LA!   BEAT LA!   BEAT LA!

Take me out to the ball game,

Take me out with the crowd;

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks,

I don’t care if I never get back.

Let me root, root, root for GIANTS (OR DODGERS),

If they don’t win, it’s a shame.

For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out,  at the old ball game.

Do you love baseball?  Would you be interested in joining fellow Nisei Ski Club members in the classic battle between the SF Giants vs. LA Dodgers.  If so, please complete this survey.  How many tickets can we order for you?  Sunday, July 13, 2025 at SF Oracle Park.  Game time:  12:45 pm.

Name & Contact Info_________________________________

____ # of tickets you need? 

Please email Tina Woo for if you are interested at baseball@niseiskiclub.org

She would like to start the process of ordering tickets for the game.  View Reserved Section 313 beginning with Row 12.  Go Giants!  Go Dodgers! 

by Jeanne Katsuro, Vice President

Pack your bags and passport, Nisei Ski Club is heading to FRANCE in 2025!

Here is the itinerary for Nisei Ski Club – Vacation (No Skiing) to FRANCE

Sign up Here!

https://gateway.gocollette.com/link/1286433

Call or Text – 408 569-1415 Jeanne Katsuro

If you need a roommate, I will try my best to find you one.   

New Dates – October 23 – November 3, 2025

It is a great group price $5999 for a Double

12 Days

16 Meals (10 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch 5 Dinners)

Last Dinner is on the Eiffel Tower Over Looking Paris!

Includes the prices of all the excursions everyday

Transportation to and from each of the excursions

Transportation to and from each city.

Elite Flights to France

Package includes One Group Pick up from San Jose Area to SF Airport and Back
(North Bay and East Bay Participants will need to find their own ride to SFO)

Cities, Communes and Regions visiting

• Versailles
• Giverny
• Caen
• Saint Malo
• Loire Valley
• Chenonceau
• Amboise
• Paris

Highlights Includes:

• Versailles Royal Palace and Gardens
• Giverny
• Normandy
• D-Day Landing Sites
• Omaha Beach
• American Cemetery
• Le Mont St. Michel
• Loire Valley
• Winery Tour
• 2-Night Chateau Stay
• Chenonceau Castle
• Amboise 
• Paris

Choice on Tour: Paris City Tour by Bus or Montmarte by Metro Walking Tour

• Seine River Cruise
• Eiffel Tower Dinner

I hope you can make it. It will be exciting.     

Please read the descriptions of the excursions and meals in the attached flyer

Merci. Jeanne

by Judy Hom, Board Member

I hosted a second mahjong event because Jeanne Katsuro and others told me that they were interested in playing and learning more about mahjong. This year, 12 people signed up. Like last year, this was a potluck in addition to mahjong. After all, you can’t play on an empty stomach. There was a yummy assortment of food: spam musubi, oyster sauce chicken wings, egg rolls, dim sum, mapo tofu and more.

At the break, Ida Koo delighted us with her Hawaiian shaved ice. Ida brought her heavy duty shaved ice machine, syrups, Azuki beans, condensed milk, and ice cream. It was amazing. The day was warm so the shaved ice was a delightful and welcome treat.

Okay, back to the mahjong. At this event, we concentrated on the Hong Kong style of play and scoring.

Jeanne challenged her intermediate table to win with a minimum of 3 fan. No chicken hands or gai woo for her table. There was lots of yelling, screaming, and laughing coming from her table. And, there were some awfully big hands. Curtis was the biggest winner with 8 fan self draw (ji mo!). Everyone had to pay him 384 chips.

At my beginner table, I shared my list of mahjong tidbits like not patting another player’s shoulder which gives them bad luck. David Tom decided to test that superstition and patted Bev Lee’s shoulders a few times. We learned how to count fan and used chips (no money) so people could see who was the big winner at our table. Everyone ended up pretty even so patting Bev’s shoulders didn’t do much harm.

Sarah Lowe did a wonderful coaching the newbies. Dean Santo and James Chan had some big hands at that table.

Even if they didn’t win a hand, everyone had a great time at the event. I got a lot of questions about scoring. I put together these scoring tables from Amy Lo’s “The Book of Mahjong” and Benny Constantino’s “Let’s Play Mahjong”.

Fan

Agree on table limits before playing. A common limit is 6 fan. Each fan is worth 2 points (or 2 chips).

Ji Mo

Ji mo (self win) earns an extra fan. Everyone is a loser and must pay double.

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

Hey Fellow Chefs,

Halloween is just around the corner and before you know it, we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas.

It’s almost scary how perfect these creepy witch finger cookies are as a Halloween treat. Buttery shortbread cookies are easy to make with green dye, and are finished with “bloody” raspberry jam and almond finger nails.

Bon Appetite – Julia Child and Karen Soo share the same birthday.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

 Servings 28 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar confectionery
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon Almond extract
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon salt, if using salted butter
• 3/4 cup whole blanched almonds
• green food coloring few drops
• Raspberry Jam

Instructions

1. In a bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond and vanilla extract; beat in flour, baking powder and salt.  Add a few drops of green food coloring until it reaches your desired green.    Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2.  Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into finger shape for each cookie. Press almond firmly into one end for the nail. Squeeze in center to create knuckle shape; using a paring knife or toothpick, make several places to form knuckle.
3. Place on lightly greased baking sheets or parchment lined baking sheets. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until pale golden. Let cool for 3 minutes. 
4. Lift up almond; squeeze raspberry jam onto nail bed and press almond back into place, so the jam oozes out from underneath. Let cool. Makes about 28 large cigar size cookies.

Recipe Notes

1. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 or 5 days. They will keep for an extra day or so in the refrigerator, but will also likely dry out a bit.

2. To freeze, place the baked and cooled cookies all together in a plastic zipper bag. Squeeze out any excess air, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Have a safe Halloween – October 31, 2024

https://archive.org/details/hd-it-is-the-great-pumpkin-charlie-brown-1966

by Armand Gutierrez, President  

September is here and the Sierra Nevada foothills already received a dusting of snow. Of course, it won’t last long but let’s hope it’s a sign of the times to come when winter sets in and Mother Nature brings us dumps of snow. Before the ski season starts there are still a number of non-ski events coming up:

• 7 September, Saturday, Mahjong Event at Judy Hom’s House of Tiles
• 11-19 October, Eastern Canada Trip with Jeanne Katsuro at the helm
• 9 November, Saturday – Pickle ball Event with Tina Woo

2025 NSC Ski Week

The Sun Peaks ski trip is making another change, from a small “group” back to a normal-sized group now that there are 18 signups and room for a few more. There are condos available, but it will be necessary to put new signups on a waitlist until a condo can be filled with four people. So, if you’re sitting on the fence about going, then now is the time to submit your application. For those of you that have made a deposit then August 15^th was the due date for the second payment. Go to the NSC website and download the Sun Peaks Flyer, fill it out, and send it in (don’t forget your check).

Sports America has posted the Epic/Ikon links for the 2024-2025 season and is offering a 6.5% trip rebate (based on pass price) if you purchase the passes from Sports America and go on the Sun Peaks trip:

Use this for Epic passes: https://www.sportsamerica.com/epic-nisei

Use this for Ikon passes: https://www.sportsamerica.com/ikon-nisei

Password: snow

Questions: contact president@niseiskiclub.org

QotM: It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see – Henry David Thoreau

Send in your deposit to hold you space.

by Judy Hom, Janet Gee, NSC Members

If you missed the inaugural NSC Mahjong event in 2023, here’s a repeat event on

Saturday, September 7^th., 2024

Do you want to learn how to play mahjong or get more practice playing? Then, sign up for the NSC Mahjong event and potluck! Judy Hom, Janet Gee, and our coaches can teach you the basics if you don’t know how to play or coach you if you already know to but want more practice. We will focus on the Cantonese style where we play with 13 tiles and flowers. We will also explain how to score: HK and Classical Chinese style scoring. If learning more about mahjong is on your bucket list, then sign-up! When you sign up, you will receive a cheat sheet and a list of mahjong resources. We know that all NSC members like to eat so this is also a potluck event. 

Date:            Saturday, September 7, 2024

Time:           11am – 3:pm

Where:         Judy and Winston’s backyard, 18995 Carlton Avenue, Castro Valley

Cost: $5 for members and $10 for non-members. Bring a potluck dish to feed 4 or more.

Beverages will be provided. 

Space is limited to 16 sign-ups. Pls RSVP by August 31st

Please fill out a form for each person that is attending. For more information, please email Judy at mahjong@niseiskiclub.org.

SIGN UP HERE: MAH JONG

Will we see one of these Mah Jong Tables at Judy’s house?