Nisei Ski Club

Armand Gutierrez, President

May is here and that means it’s time to bring an end to the NSC 2017-2018 season. Like last year NSC had a pretty good season highlighted by a variety of accomplishments:

• Annual Luau and Membership Picnic
• Volunteer participation at the annual Obon Festival in Mountain View
• San Francisco Bay Trail to Bay Bridge bicycle ride
• A very well-attended 60th Anniversary ski week to Vail
• Six NSC’ers went to Trois Vallees with FWSA

June marks the start of the NSC 2018-2019 season, and beginning this month you can take advantage of the $5 membership discount if you sign up and submit your membership form before May 31st. Please submit your application to Greg Wong (Membership Chairman).

Since it’s the end of the ski season it’s time to start having our spring NSC events. Coming up we have our annual Post-Season Annual Membership meeting and picnic on Saturday, June 10th. Take a look at the flyer in this month’s newsletter for details. And on Saturday, September 8th there will be the 60th NSC Anniversary dinner. Karen Soo is coordinating the effort for this grand anniversary dinner so please be sure to RSVP when you receive an Evite regarding the dinner.

Nominations & Elections

The nominations process has been completed and the next step is elections. The elections chairman tells me there were several nominations therefore the slate consists of the new nominees and incumbents, and we’re fortunate that everyone on the board has agreed to serve again. However, voting is important and although there were few nominations you can still vote for a write-in candidate. Whether you’re voting for the incumbents, nominees, or a write-in candidate, it’s important that you do vote. Your vote tells the board that you do appreciate the volunteer work performed by members of the board, so please take the very short time needed to cast your vote. You will be receiving an email informing you to vote online using SurveyMonkey.

Big Sky Ski Week 2019

The Big Sky ski week is in progress and details will be announced soon. Several members have already taken advantage of purchasing the Ikon Pass, and is good for five days skiing at Big Sky plus unlimited skiing (with blackout days) at Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows. The Big Sky date is 19-26 January.

Here are details about the Ikon and Epic Passes for the Big Sky trip:

• Purchase the Ikon Pass (Big Sky, Squaw/Alpine) from Sports America and receive a discount on the Big Sky trip. Go to this link to purchase: https://www.sportsamerica.com/ikon-nisei
• Purchase the Epic Pass (Northstar, Heavenly, Kirkwood) and receive a discount on the Big Sky trip. The Epic Pass cannot be used at Big Sky, but if you go on the Big Sky trip you will receive a trip discount. Go to this link to purchase: https://www.sportsamerica.com/epic-nisei

Greg Wong, Membership Chairperson

The ski season is almost over. It is time to put away the equipment and move on to other things. But for the seasoned skier, it is time to renew the season pass. As a skier, we know that there are more benefits and discounts if you renew early and such is the case with Nisei Ski Club. It is time to renew your membership for next year. If you renew before June 1, there is a five dollar discount on your membership fee.

This year is the 60th anniversary of the club. Not many organizations have that honor. Many ski clubs and other organizations have disappeared. I have seen it over the years. I belong to another organization that also had their 60th anniversary last year. It was one that my parents belonged to. Most of the activities have stopped. The members have grown old and past away. It went out this year with a whimper. I have been a member of Nisei Ski Club for most of 25 years. I can believe that so much time has gone by. I have volunteered, served on the board and ran events during that span. Nisei Ski Club is not just a ski club. It is also a social club. It is a place to meet people and have fun. It is a place to learn and try new things. It was a place to meet your significant other. If it weren’t for the ski club, I never would have gone river rafting, kayaking, deep sea fishing, hiking, horse racing, ballroom dancing, learned how to play bocce ball or bunko or left right center, learned how to make chicken salad and fry tempura, as well as skiing. So, send in your membership forms. Join the club. Come to the 60th anniversary party. Volunteer and plan activities. Have fun. I want to see this club thrive and would hate to see this club go out with a whimper.

Carolyn Chan and Lenora Fong

After hearing about these weeklong ski trips in the past 20 years, I finally had some time to take advantage to see what the excitement was about.

With an early semester break, I decided to use this as a motivation trip for my son, a high school senior to go on a ski trip and breathe the outdoor cool air. The other option was to stay home during his break and play video games all day. No way that was going to happen.

Coincidentally, my girlfriend Lenora was in town from Hong Kong with her own month-long sabbatical minus her kids. Without any ski plans in mind, I was on a mission to convince Lenora to come on the trip. Karen had packed some extra Marmot ski gear, helmet, socks and goggles to distribute. We were ready. The space in 2-bedroom condo space at Vail International was limited but the sofa and floor space were a nice welcome. This was the perfect opportunity to ski Vail’s epic long runs. How perfect was this storm? We didn’t get any new snow but the weather was perfect.

Vail was everything everyone says it would be and more!

What made this trip great? The short walk from our condo to the lift chair. The snow, the skiing, the views, the condo, the food, but mostly the people from Nisei Ski Club. Nisei Ski Club is the most organized group of people I have ever met. From the board members to volunteers and first-time visitors. Everyone had with one thing in mind, SKI and HAVE FUN!! (And Eating well! – Well, at least our Condo 108 did).

Every meal was made with TCL as our hosts took care of every detail. I drove over from Denver where my sister lives and was given the task of picking all the welcoming party supplies from Costco. 3 bags of Chicken wings, 2 boxes of beef taquitos, veggie platters, chips and guacamole, wine and beer. Enough food to welcome all 63 Nisei ski Club members to the trip. No detail was spared from the welcome party to ice breaker games, the famous Rock, Paper, Scissors quarters game. Jim S and Aaron L was battling out with the Rock, Paper Scissor game and Jim came out to be the winner. I heard that his wife, Janice won last year with the LEFT RIGHT CENTER dice game….Mmm some NSC conspiracy theory going on here?

We had our pot luck night with entrees and desserts served in 5 designated condos. There were entrées like sake lemon chicken wings, steam fish flown in from the Bay Area, chicken gyro, kalua pig sliders, pot roast, chicken curry, chow mein, and tons of dessert from custard mochi to Jello shots minus the vodka. We ate and ate until we retreated back to our condo and collapsed.

Our condo was well prepared with meals planned for the week. We had BBQ Ribs, Greek Moussaka and Amy T’s Breakfast burritos. Karen brought some of her last vintage Silver Oak. We had people dropping by for dinner, dessert, snacks or just après happy hour. We were the party condo. The dream team, Karen, Curtis, Amy and David – thank you for letting us stay with you. The attention to detail was phenomenal and impeccable. Makes Julie McCoy’s job on Love Boat looks like a sinking ship.

Amy T prepared our lunches for the day and it was our job to carry it in our Marmot jackets with care, while skiers were cautious, and fall, they would not dare! It was fun skiing with NSC members Greg W, David Tom. Our days of skiing were also filled with fun and excitement as each member looked after each other and the runs were not crowded. On my third day, while everyone in my condo took a break, I had the privilege of skiing with the awesome foursome Nisei Golden Girls – Edna K, Kay K, Haruko N and Carol E. These four ladies were admirable and a force to be reckoned with. They were modest in their early inquiry about my ski level and afraid they would be too slow for me, when in fact it turned out to be the complete opposite! They had to wait for me on the runs. I only wish I could ski and keep up at their age!

All in all, it was an amazing trip to be had and can’t wait till next year! I’m hooked on this ski club!

The bar is set high with Karen Soo’s Crew, Try it, you’ll like it.. I bet you will too!

(Sorry, I was feeling a bit cheeky w Dr. Seuss!)

Judy Hom

Have you used the Instant Pot that you received for Christmas? Get over your Instant Pot anxiety and try out this recipe for Hainan chicken.

I have made this recipe twice with tasty results. On the first time, I made the chicken only and made white rice in the rice cooker. On the second time, I went for whole thing — chicken and rice! Wow, the rice was incredibly tasty. From here on out, I will always make the rice along with the chicken.

I followed Amy and Jacky’s recipe as written except that I used canola oil instead of olive oil because I always use a neutral oil for Asian dishes. The ingredient list is not long. With the exception of shallots, the recipe uses items that you typically use in your everyday Asian cooking: 2-4 chicken legs, chicken broth, green onions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, Shaoxing cooking wine, and jasmine rice.

The secret to the success of this dish is the dipping sauce and to not skimp on the green onions and ginger. I didn’t have peanut oil so I used canola oil. I heated up the canola oil in my wok and drizzled it over the minced ingredients. This is the same method that I use when finishing steamed fish. My mom told me that hot oil removes the fishy taste.

I did plunge the chicken legs in the ice bath after cooking. You need to be patient with this step. I was too hasty with my first attempt and the legs were not firm. With my second attempt, the results were better.

What did I learn from this? I learned that it only takes 8 minutes to cook chicken and 3 minutes to cook rice. I also learned that the Instant Pot does a good job of cooking grains in a short amount of time.

Give it a try and let me know your results!

Link to Amy + Jacky’s Hainan Chicken Recipe: https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/hainanese-chicken-rice-pressure-cooker/

Armand Gutierrez, President

Sad to say but April is here and that means the ski season is coming to a close. Most Tahoe resorts will be closed by the end of April (Northstar and Heavenly). Squaw Valley usually stays open later but it hasn’t been officially announced yet. Due to the abundance of snowfall, especially in March, this has been an extraordinary season. Hopefully you had a good ski season this year, whether it was at Tahoe or the Vail ski week.

Nominations & Elections

Well, it’s that time again for holding our board nominations and elections for the 2018-2019 season. Soon you will receive an email for making your nominations for the board. As you know, volunteers run this club, and without them this club would cease to exist, and it’s been in existence for 60 years this year! You are encouraged to take this opportunity to nominate an individual for one, or more, of the board positions. All individuals that accept the nomination(s) will go through an election process in May, and final results will be announced at the annual June picnic. Ask any of the current board members and I’m sure they will tell you that by volunteering they get back more than they ever gave. By volunteering you will experience social benefits as well as provide a greater sense of self-worth, trust, and lots of fun. Many of you have served on the board in the past, and your efforts were greatly appreciated and perhaps you would like to join the board again. For those that have never served then perhaps now is the time to consider a board position and provide new ideas and useful experiences.

Big Sky Ski Week 2019

For next year’s ski week, NSC will be going to Big Sky, Montana. Our last visit to Big Sky was in 2002, so it’s time for a return trip. Last year Sports America offered the Epic Passes at a discount for any member that signed up for Vail, and the Tahoe Local Pass was good for 5 days of skiing at Vail.

For 2018-19 Big Sky will be on the Ikon Pass, and is also good for Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows. Here is what you need to know about the Ikon and Epic Passes for the Big Sky trip:

• Purchase the Ikon Pass (Big Sky, Squaw/Alpine) from Sports America and receive a discount on the Big Sky trip. Go to this link to purchase: Sports America/Ikon-Nisei.
• Purchase the Epic Pass (Northstar, Heavenly, Kirkwood) and receive a discount on the Big Sky trip. The Epic Pass cannot be used at Big Sky, but if you go on the Big Sky trip you will receive a trip discount. Go to this link to purchase: Sports America/Epic-Nisei.
• Purchase the Epic Pass before April 15th and get six buddy passes and the lowest rate for the pass.

For additional information on both passes go here: 2018-2019 Early Bird Season Pass Prices.

If you have any questions about either of the passes then drop me a line at president@niseiskiclub.org.

Judy Bracken

Question: What can be better than a 60th anniversary ski trip with the Nisei Ski Club?

Answer: A 61st anniversary ski trip with the Nisei Ski Club!

Seriously, we had a blast in Vail with this large group of Nisei ski club attendees. Though the snow level in Colorado was low, the spirit of camaraderie and fun was alive and well. We started off the trip with a rather long travel day, but once we were settled in our condos we awoke to a grey sky Sunday on the slopes. Some of us went on mountain tours to get the lay of the land. Others explored on their own. This required a constant study of the resort maps to figure out whether you were on the back or the front side of the mountain and which bowl you were in. Ski lifts had both numbers and names; numerous access roads connected them all. Then there was the constant pursuit of the best snow. Staying at the highest elevation and in the trees seemed to be the trick.

Those that experienced mountain tours found the group leaders to be friendly and engaging. The other folks on the tours often turned out to become friends that might be seen on some of the other ski days. The mountain is so vast that chance meetings with other club members were fairly rare. But most every afternoon there was the apres ski hot tub meeting where conversations turned to highlights of the day or upcoming plans.

As we continued through the week, some opted to take days off the slopes shopping, cooking or taking it easy by the fireplace. Some ventured to the nearby resorts of Beaver Creek or Keystone. Tuesday night’s potluck dinner was a grand affair. We spent the evening prowling through the condo complex, searching for the best food and stuffing ourselves silly in the process. As always, the food was superb and not to be outdone. What a bunch of great cooks we have in this club!

The grand finale was a dinner at the nearby hotel dining room. Tables of ten were filled with smiling and well exercised skiers of all ages. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and a great talk by our esteemed club president Armand. Before everyone went home to pack up, a group picture was taken by the fireplace.

The morning bus ride was made more dramatic due to a fast moving wet snowstorm. The bus could not get up the hill, so everyone pitched in to move the gear downhill through the snow for stowage. All made it on the bus and we headed to the airport with plenty of time to spare.

The organization of these trips and the behind the scenes activities that make it happen are impressive. Many thanks to all those folks that work hard ahead of time making room arrangements, airline reservations and much more. We are looking forward to the next one!

Armand Gutierrez, President

March is coming in with big storms that are predicted to drop 3′ – 4′ (or more) of snow in the Tahoe area. We’re finally getting the snow that is so desperately needed for our favorite winter sport and for the water that will be needed during the summer. Plan your trips to Tahoe carefully to avoid blizzard conditions on the highways and check the resort web pages to ensure that they are in full operation.

2018 FWSA Ski Week to Trois Vallees

This year, I decided to fulfill one of my desires for skiing Trois Vallees in France. Trois Vallees consists of 8 resorts and is billed as the world’s largest ski area with 600km of ski in/ski out inter-connected ski lifts. I’m sure the Dolomiti Superski area would challenge that claim as they boast to have 1200km of inter-connected ski lifts and 12 ski resorts. The photo shows the CÎME CARON cable car at the Val Thorens resort. I’ll be joining several fellow NSCers on the FWSA Trois Vallees ski week from 3-11 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 Japan in 2019. 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, is planning on a car-pool effort for a weekend of skiing at Tahoe on 17-18 March. Look for details in the newsletter.

Board Nominations

Now that it’s March it’s time to think about Board Nominations for the 2018-19 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.

Newsletter Editor

Are you interested in providing a valuable service to the club? A service that keeps the membership apprised of current events and interesting articles? Ever wanted to try out your journalistic side? If so, then the NSC Board would like to have you as our next Newsletter Editor. Judy Hom, our current Newsletter Editor, would like to pass the proverbial golden pen to a new newsletter editor. Judy has been a great editor for the last three years but has now indicated that it’s time to pass the baton and would be willing to train the next editor. If you’re interested then contact Judy at newsletter@niseiskiclub.org or any of the board members.

Judy Hom

I love the potlucks on the NSC weeklong trips. I especially love the potluck at the end of the week when people use up everything in their refrigerator. The dishes are amazingly creative. There’s no point in throwing food away or bringing it home.

Here’s a recipe for turkey lettuce cups made by Amy Tsuhako using condiments packets from the ski resort eateries. This is a good way to use those packets that find their way into your pockets during lunch time. She made this dish on the Park City trip a couple of years ago. It was delicious.

Turkey Lettuce Cups

Ingredients

Note: packets = ski resort sized condiment packets!
• 3/4 lb Ground turkey
• 1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
• 1 onion diced
• 2 scallions chopped
• 2 packets soy sauce
• 1/2 t granulated garlic
• 1/2 t powdered ginger
• 1/2 t pepper
• 1 t sugar
• 2 T teriyaki sauce

Directions

Stir fry turkey until no longer pink. Add onions and seasonings and stir fry until onions are soft. Then add cilantro and scallions and stir fry until turkey is a bit browned. Serve on platter with side of washed lettuce leaves and sauce.

Sauce:
• 1 heaping Tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 packet soy sauce
• 2 packets honey
• 1 packet Tabasco sauce
• 1 T lemon juice
• 2 T water

Mix and microwave 15 seconds to smooth out the peanut butter.