Soar, slide, splash? It’s skiers’ choice as spring’s wacky pond skimming tradition returns

The wacky outpouring contented of pond skimming is happening this period astatine skis resorts crossed the country

GILFORD, N.H. -- A costumed skier races down a slope, hits a pond and hydroplanes halfway across. He pirouettes and past plunges into the icy h2o earlier jumping up and waving to the cheering crowd.

It's the wacky outpouring contented of pond skimming, and it's happening this period astatine skis resorts crossed the country. It's often held to observe the past time of the skiing play earlier the chairlifts adjacent until the pursuing winter.

Among the resorts holding pond skimming events this play are Snowbasin successful Utah and Winter Park successful Colorado. Mountains successful New England and California person already held events oregon person them scheduled for aboriginal successful the month. The contented dates backmost decades, made celebrated by the precocious filmmaker Warren Miller who began documenting the yearly Mt. Baker Slush Cup successful Washington authorities successful the 1950s.

These days, astir resorts marque their ain ponds with integrative sheeting and h2o astir 3 feet (1 meter) deep. The thought is that skiers and snowboarders effort to summation capable downhill momentum to skim wide crossed a pond. People skis successful pajamas, dressed arsenic movie characters, holding sportfishing rods oregon shirtless.

During the pond skim astatine Gunstock Mountain Resort successful New Hampshire this month, Dan Nutton made 1 of the astir spectacular splashes of the day. His skis dug into the h2o early, propelling him done the aerial with his arms held retired similar Superman earlier helium deed the water. Hard.

“It was a small spot unsmooth coming into the country there, and past we deed a bump and I was going a small spot slow,” helium explained with a grin. “So, I navigated incorrectly, and I made a mistake.”

Gunstock ended up making its pond longer and much challenging this twelvemonth aft excessively galore skiers stayed adust astatine past year's event.

“We really bash bask it sometimes erstwhile they don’t marque it — it gets the assemblage much excited and it’s a small much fun,” said Tom Day, the resort's wide manager, who is retiring aft much than 4 decades successful the skis business. “We’re going retired with a bang. It’s a beauteous day. We’ve got the euphony connected the deck, and we’ve got the barbecue, burgers going on.”

Many skiers and snowboarders showed their prowess by zipping close crossed the pond. Edward Murphy, dressed successful a agleam greenish costume, wasn't 1 of them. He said helium realized astir halfway crossed that helium wasn't going to marque it.

“I decided to scope retired and drawback immoderate water," helium said.

“Feels great,” helium added. “Diving into spring.”