Can you believe that NSC is 60 years old? Join the celebration on September 8. 

.Date: September 8, 2018
Time: 5:30pm
Location: China Stix Restaurant, 2110 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95050
Cost: $45. Payment is due on August 1
Contact: Karen Soo, event coordinator, for more details.

So far, 50 people have RSVP’ed. Children and past members are welcome to attend this event. Send email to Karen Soo to confirm.

The Nisei Ski Club is part of BAC (“Bay Area Snow Sports Council”) and is eligible for FWSA (“Far West Ski Association”) trips. This year, FWSA is traveling to Hakuba and Niseiko in Japan. Sandy Kiyomura skied in Hakuba over 10 years ago and heard that Niseiko is supposed to be the place to ski.

Here is information from Debbie Stewart of FWSA about the trip:

I am delighted to be offering such an exciting trip with an incredible price and exceptional value!

The Niseko PRE-TRIP will be offered in conjunction with the BASIC Hakuba Valley ski trip and is based on a minimum of 22 people and is limited to 34 so don’t wait!

The BASIC Hakuba Valley Ski Week will include 9 ski resorts to choose from (some EPIC PASSES are Valid there!), 7 nights lodging at the 5-Star Tokyu Hotel, 4 dinners at the hotel, an authentic Japanese dinner show and 2 nights to dine an any of the local restaurants. We’ll be offering optional day tours during the week if one chooses to explore the local culture including a visit to see the famous “Snow Monkeys”!

The extension trip will be to Kanazawa, Kyoto and Tokyo. While in Tokyo, an optional day tour to Mt. Fuji will be offered.

If one chooses to not go to Hakuba Valley Ski Resort, we will fly you from the US to join us for the extension trip – we call this the “Stand Alone” trip. This will only be offered to experienced travelers.

For more details on prices and dates, below are links to the flyer and the registration form:

• FWSA Flyer – Hakuba Valley Japan Trip
• FWSA Registration Form – Hakuba Valley Japan Trip

Check out the video from last year’s trip to Les Trois Vallees, France: 2018 France Ski Trip

Hoyt Nelson

Soon it will be Bocce Ball weather. There is a great venue next to Lake Almaden in San Jose with bathrooms, water fountains and 4 very nice courts. Haven’t played before? No problem. The first bocce ball event for this year is scheduled for May 12 at 10am.

Basically, you roll your colored ball as close as possible toward a small target ball (called a pallino) for points. Your ball must cross the mid-court marker and not touch the end of court wall, but touching the sidewalls is OK, and sometimes useful. The rest, you can easily pick up with OJT (“on the job training”).

The courts are free (first come, first served). Ideally, there is a team of 1, 2 or 4 people at each end of the court and the teams alternate rolling a total of 8 balls (4 for the green team and 4 for the red team).

Balls are not supplied, but I have 2 sets and there are others owned by some members. We usually go out for drinks and/or dinner after playing, but there is no alcohol at the park. Lake Almaden Park is free and open every day except Mondays. If you are interested, contact me at bocce@niseiskiclub.org. Hope to see you there soon.

Directions to Lake Almaden Bocce Ball Court

• From Hwy. 85 in S San Jose, you go S on Almaden Expwy. for about a mile
• Turn L onto Coleman Av.
• Take the first R toward the Lake and park near the end of the road near a
  Stop sign.

• The courts are on the R of a small entrance shack about 100 ft. from the road.

Link to bocce ball flyer: Bocce Ball Flyer

Resources

Wikihow – How to play bocce ball
Youtube – video on how to play bocce ball

Nisei Ski Club March 16 -18 Weekend

Karen Soo – NSC Trip Director

Ten years have flown by so quickly. 63 NSC members just spent a week skiing in Vail. Just like the Tahoe area, we didn’t get any fresh snow. There were plenty of groomed runs. The mountain is so big that I only skied with my condo mates and a few NSC members.

We will not be hosting a bus trip this year because we do not have enough people interested in the weekend bus trips. We are in the process of planning a weekend car trip to Lake Tahoe area.

We will plan a weekend trip to Kirkwood and Heavenly. For those who have the Local Epic Pass for Vail, you can use your season pass at these resorts and you should try to take advantage of your season pass. For those who do not have a season pass, we can try to find discounted lift tickets via REI, Craigslist or EPIC buddy passes.

Depending on the number of people interested, I can arrange for drivers who can take 2-3 passengers. The passengers will split the gas cost. I can look into reasonable local lodging within the area.

We had 2 road trips in 2017. One was to the North shore where we had one white out condition and the other was a long weekend trip to Mammoth. We are looking at the weekend of March 16- 18th.
Most of these weekend trips will be last-minute and planned based on the snow/ weather and road conditions.

If you are interested in going, send an email to me – the trip director and advise whether you are able to drive or not.

See you on the slopes.

Karen

Greg Wong

Monterey Ski Club has an annual fishing trip to Baja Mexico this summer.   You will journey to the small town of Loreto which houses the first Jesuit Mission of North America. There is a National Preserve where you can hike and watch wildlife, and there are 3 golf courses.  If you want a relaxing way to fish on the Sea of Cortez, then this is it.  I have gone on this trip and I have had a great time.  The hotel is within walking distance of the harbor.   

Every morning, you board a small boat called a panga.  It is just you, your fishing buddy and the guide speeding to the fishing grounds north of the city.   You will watch the sunrise and drop your hook.  When the first dorado hits your line, you will be in for a challenge. They will fight and jump and jump and jump.  I lost my first one not knowing this fact.   By the afternoon,  you are lounging by the pool side with a drink and the ocean view at the luxurious Hotel La Mission.  A perfect day.  So, join us this summer.  July 29-August 2, 2018

Link to the flyer: Loreto 2018 Fishing Trip

Join Nisei Ski Club on this easy paced and mostly flat ride. We’ll start from the Emeryville Sportfishing parking lot and bike along the San Francisco Bay Trail to the Bay Bridge east span and back. (approx. 12 miles round trip.) There will be a 510-ft. elevation gain as we ride towards Treasure Island. We can stop and take pictures along the way. On our way back, we can continue our ride towards Costco (+5 miles), Crane Way Pavilion (+9.5 miles) in Richmond for additional 14.5 miles (total miles approx.12, 22, 31 miles round trip for the day).

To RSVP or for any questions, please contact Karen Soo (baybridgebike@niseiskiclub.org) or Sandy Kiyomura (baybridgebike2@niseiskiclub.org).

Link to flyer Bike ride flyer.

Paint Nite takes place at the Grill ‘Em Steakhouse in Campbell. The cost from Groupon is $25 per person versus $45 without a Groupon. The ticket price includes the supplies needed to paint your masterpiece. No food or beverages are included.

If you are interested, please contact Karen Soo (tripdirector@niseiskiclub.org). Please RSVP by Saturday, October 21 to reserve your spot.

Link to flyer: NSC Paint Nite in San Jose

Link to Weeklong Trip Flyer

Link to information about the Mountain View Obon

Link to NSC Picnic Flyer