Nisei Ski Club

by Armand Gutierrez

Mother Nature sure has been busy this winter with record rainfall north of the Bay Area and snowfall in the Tahoe region. Is there such a thing as too much snow? Well, yes. Too much snow can affect lift operations and I-80, the main artery to Tahoe, has suffered numerous closures for days at a time and thus curtailing any ski trips to the Tahoe area. During the ski season, and when I’m not up at Tahoe, I view the webcams on I-80 (http://dot.ca.gov/d3/cameras.html) to see the current road conditions. Sometimes the roads are clear and traffic is moving smoothly, sometimes the roads are open with chain control and long lines of slow-moving vehicles, and other times the roads are full of snow and void of any traffic. Given all the snowfall you can bet that Squaw Valley will offer skiing on the 4^thof July (usually a traditional event). 

2019 FWSA Ski Week to Hakuba Valley, Japan

There are a number of ski places that are on my “bucket list”, and skiing Japan is one of them. This year FWSA is going to Hakuba Valley, Japan, the site of the 1998 Winter Olympics. Hakuba Valley consists of 10 resorts at the base of Japan’s Northern Alps. The Northern Alps reach an elevation of 3000 meters and the resorts consistently receive a heavy snowfall with deep powder. The photo shows the Hakuba Cortina ski resort. I’ll be joining several fellow NSCers, including Sandy Kiyomura, on the FWSA Hakuba Valley ski week from 8-16 March and a second week in Kanazawa, Kyoto, and Tokyo from 16-23 March. As members of NSC you are eligible to take any BAC and FWSA ski trips that are offered during the ski season. And here’s something to think about – FWSA will be going to Davos, Switzerland in 2020. Details haven’t been released yet so stay tuned, and if you have an interest in going then drop me a line at president@niseiskiclub.org.

March NSC Weekend Ski Trip

Karen Soo, our trip director, has organized a car-pool effort for a weekend of skiing at Tahoe on 9-10 March. If you’re interested in going then contact Karen at tripdirector@niseiskiclub.org. 

Board Nominations

Now that it’s March it’s time to think about Board Nominations for the 2019-20 season. If anyone has an interest in joining the board for the next season and has questions about what it entails then just drop a note to any of the current board members, or perhaps you have someone in mind to nominate for the board. Please keep in mind that the Nisei Ski Club relies on volunteers to be on the board and undertake the running of the club. It’s not all work and no play. Board meetings are fairly informal and afterwards we usually go out for lunch and talk about skiing or upcoming club events. 

by Margaret Wong

Lucky me that I went to both the 2002 and the 2019 NSC Big Sky Ski Trips. I will say this year was my best skiing experience and surpassed my expectations. It was even better than the 2002 trip, when our 14 NSC attendees enjoyed accommodations at the Moonlight Cabins. This time, we had 41 members attending and huge amounts of fresh snow.

Big Sky is advertised as the “biggest skiing in America, a winter wonderland with 5800 acres of skiable downhill terrain!” This year at the Bozeman Airport, there were comments that our club must have brought the snow because the area was pretty brown the weeks before. Yes, it snowed everyday except for Tuesday when the sun came out. That meant lots and lots of new fresh, silky powder.

Being a California girl, I really “suck” at skiing powder, so I had to learn quickly so that I would not be left behind by my fellow skiers. Because the snow is so light, skis just slice right through the snow even if there are already tracks. It felt so wonderful and I love flying over those silky hills and bumps. On top of that, I had a wonderful time with all the many Nisei people I skied with. There were large groups nearly every day, and we managed to stay together most of the time. Besides the great skiing, there was lots of great food and socializing to be had almost every day. I thank all the people who skied with me…and all those who skied by and waved to me.

contributed by Sandy Kiyomura

The Chinese New Year in 2019 was February fifth: this corresponds with the beginning of both the sexegenary year of jǐ hài and also the zodiac year of the Earth Pig. The Pig is the twelfth of all the Zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided in the order in which they arrived to his party. Pig was late because he overslept. Another story says he had to rebuild his house after the wolf destroyed it (sounds like the story of the Three Little Pigs!). When he arrived, he was late and could only take twelfth place.

The pig is also associated with the Earthly Branch and the hours 9 to 11 in the night. In terms of yin and yang, the Pig is yin. In Chinese culture, pigs are the symbol of wealth. Their chubby faces and big ears are sign of fortune as well.

Pigs have a beautiful personality and are blessed with good fortune in life.

contributed by Dan Lew

Below is a link to an interesting article about skiing when you are in your 70s. There is an interesting discussion on lift pricing, mostly due to the changes in lift equipment over the decades. For example, it used to cost $16 to ski at Aspen in 1979, which equates to only $56 in today’s money with inflation figured in, while the actual cost today is almost $200 at Aspen.

I particularly like this statement about “senior” discounts. Sugarbush in Vermont uses 90 years as its free skiing starting age. We do not know if we should consider this as “humorous or optimistic!“

by Judy Bracken

Hello skiers and other fans! Fresh off the high from a great Big Sky ski week, the newsletter is here for your pleasure. You can read all about it and more as follows:

President’s Message, by Armand Gutierrez https://www.niseiskiclub.org/posts/presidents-message-february-2019/

Big Sky in Limericks, by Judy Bracken https://www.niseiskiclub.org/posts/big-sky-in-limericks/

Where Were You in 1974? by Sandy Kiyomura https://www.niseiskiclub.org/posts/where-were-you-in-1974/

Preseason Potluck Dinner, by Wendy and Sheldon Sam https://www.niseiskiclub.org/posts/nisei-ski-club-preseason-pot-luck-dinner/

Restaurant Ramblings, by Hoyt Nelson https://www.niseiskiclub.org/posts/restaurant-ramblings-another-institution-gone/

Soy and Tofu Festival, by Angela Fong https://www.niseiskiclub.org/posts/sf-9th-annual-soy-and-tofu-festival-volunteers-needed

by Armand Gutierrez, President

Happy Chinese New Year! Welcome to the Chinese New Year of the Earth Pig! Yes, the Chinese New Year starts on Tuesday, February 5^th. The pig is the twelfth of all zodiac animals, which means the yearly cycle is complete. Most people think of pigs as sloppy and dirty animals as they cavort in the mud-laden sty. But pigs do have a beautiful personality, are blessed with good fortune, and let themselves enjoy life. If you were born under the sign of the Earth Pig then you carry the attributes of an energetic and enthusiastic worker, and strive to find happiness in life. Do you know anyone in the club that fits the characteristics of the Earth Pig?

Best Resorts for Snow Making?There weren’t any winners in the “Name the Best Resorts for Snow Making” quiz. Of course, it’s hard to have any winners when there weren’t any responses. For the curious, here are the top ten resorts that offer the most snow making acreage:

1. Heavenly – 3379
2. Northstar – 1500
3. Panorama – 1140
4. Squaw/Alpine – 1000
5. Nakiska – 960 (west of Calgary)
6. Deer Valley – 700
7. Mammoth – 680
8. Lake Louise – 662
9. Keystone – 660
10. Aspen – 658

Big Sky Ski Week 2019

It would be hard to find the words that best describe our recent ski week trip to Big Sky, but let me submit to you the following: “lots of powder every day”, “great skiing, great powder”, “wish we had this powder in Tahoe”, and the best accolade would be “best ski trip ever!” Mother Nature gave us an amazing trip with fresh powder almost everyday and low temps to keep it light and dry. It would be safe to say that everyone on this trip became powder skiers.

Editor’s Note: see photos by Bill Lee in articles below or at this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/CmfLqcsFYikAHtNT8

by Judy Bracken

41 folks embarked on their flights

For a week of Montana skiing and sights.

We arrived at our places,

Settled down in our spaces,

Then cheese and wine at Huntley’s that night.

Sunday started out cloudy and cold,

To high country geared up feeling bold.

Mountain tours helped us see

All Big Sky territory.

On this resort we were already sold!

More delicious powder was in store.

We formed several groups to explore

Lifts named Ramcharger, Six Shooter,

Swift Current and Challenger,

Thunder Wolf, Southern Comfort and more.

Tuesday morning was sunny and bright.

It had snowed several inches that night.

We had views of Lone Peak,

The tram some did seek,

Everything that day just seemed so right.

Next day some set out on a tour

To Yellowstone Park to see more.

We saw geysers and mud holes,

Bison, coyotes, and a lone wolf.

Resting helped us to not feel so sore!

Fluffy, light snow everywhere,

Folks to meet and find runs for to dare,

We shared good food and smiles.

After skiing many miles,

We knew this week was a treat quite rare.

And now we had come to day seven,

Silky powder felt like floating in heaven.

Though windy and chilly

We skied ourselves silly

For the best of Big Sky we’d been given.

Friday night we gathered to eat

Bowls of salad, good veggies and meats,

Plates filled to the brim,

Hungry skiers, big grins,

Then our good byes till next years’ ski week.

Thanks to Bill Lee for most of these photos. More can be found at this website: https://photos.app.goo.gl/CmfLqcsFYikAHtNT8

by Sandy Kiyomura, aka Sandy Chinn

There are days when I can’t remember what I did the day before. But thanks to Ed Levin, he showed me where I was in 1974. I was with Nisei ski club! Ed sent me a copy of the 1974 roster. I see over 200 names on it. And not surprising, most of the names were Japanese. JimTanaka, Jim and April Shiro, as well as Haruko Nagaishi were also members. They probably wouldn’t remember me from then because I only joined for one year…to ski at Aspen.There are days when I get tired from skiing and now I know why…I’m getting old!

Editor’s Note: I beg to differ with Sandy about her being old…in spirit she is still 26, like she was in 1974!

by Hoyt Nelson

Tuesday, January 8 was the last day for Harry’s Hofbrau on Saratoga Ave, San Jose after 42 years at that location.  There had been rumors last year, but nothing more till a sign announcing the closure was posted at the beginning of the line with only a few days to spare. The news spread fast.  We learned of this Monday afternoon and decided to go about 7 PM that night.  However the line was about 230 ft.  long with people who had the same idea, so we decided to wait and go REALLY early at 4 PM the last day.  Before going on Tuesday, however, we checked on Facebook and discovered the line at that time was more than 120 additional feet out the door and had been long since opening at 10 AM.  On to plan B, Sic transit gloria.  There was a long segment about it on the TV news that night and a big article with pictures in the SJ Mercury the next day.  Who Knew?  Other locations in Mtn. View and Foster City have been closed for a few years.   If you must, there are still 2 remaining Harry’s location: one in Redwood City and another in San Leandro, but who knows for how long?

This type of cafeteria-style restaurant (as we know it) was popular in Germany for many, many years and was even common in ancient Roman towns where only the very wealthy had their own personal kitchens, water sources, baths and even toilets.  The California lumber towns in the 19^thand 20^thcentury were frequently serviced by places like the Samoa Cook House in Euireka (still in business) and 4 large places in the tiny town of Occidental, CA like The Union HotelOccidental(est. 1879) and Negri’s(both still in business).  1000s of us came here after wine tasting in Sonoma, just to eat their massive, cheap and mostly healthy meals.  The Union Hotel seated several hundred people at a time.

 In the 1050s, similar places like the King’s Table chain became popular for their All-You-Can-Eat restaurants.  Many Asian and other places followed suit, but many are now gone.  Five of us who decided not to wait in the cold at Harry’s in January went to Gunther’sat Hamilton and Meridian in San Jose instead and had a delightful meal. It’s a style similar to Harry’s but a bit more expensive and there are (very friendly) waitresses , so tips are involved. The food is good and the menu somewhat longer than Harry’s.  If you are returning from skiing at S Shore, try the similar Sam’s Hofbrauat 2500 Wait Ave. just E of Sacramento.  Another similar place on J St. downtown Sacramento seems to be gone now.  There’s also the popular Poor Red’s BBQin El Dorado, just S of Placerville on Hwy 49/Hwy 50.

Another early “fast food” place that is all but gone is the “Automat”.  As far as I can tell, the automat style of fast food dining in the USA started in Philadelphia by Horn & Hardart.  They started a luncheonette in Philadelphia in 1888, and in 1902, they copied a German “automat” concept where many dishes of healthy, cheap food were displayed behind little glass doors that would open after depositing a nickel in a slot.  About 10 years later, Horn and Hardart opened an automat outlet (by far its most famous) in Times Square in New York City, where it (and eventually about 80 other locations nearby) lasted till 1991.  By that time, modern fast food places like Burger King and McDonalds had replaced the automat (except for a few at train and bus stations, etc.)   One notable exception is Eatsa, two automats with a modern twist at 1 California St. and 121 Spear St. in San Francisco.  After your digital order, they provide one dish meals like Chili con Quinoa, BBQ Chop Salad, Burrito Bowl, Citrus Port Cubano Bowl and Wonton Tofu Salad.  There is no interaction with people.  Check out reviews from past “Check Please” on PBS Ch. 9 or on YELP.