Pond Skimming is Still a “Go”
Pond Skimming is Still a “Go”
A Slopeside Spring Tradition is Still On at Holiday Valley for March 23rd
Photos / Holiday Valley
The ski season might be coming to an end but if you have to say goodbye, you might as well do it with a rebel yell as you propel down the hill one last time this year. And while you're at it, maybe you can take all that energy and see how far it will get you across the man-made icy pond at the end of Yodeler? That’s right, Holiday Valley’s Pond Skimming event scheduled to take place March 23rd from 1:00-2:30pm.
What exactly is Pond Skimming? How much does it cost to participate and where can people sign up? ellicottvilleNOW spoke to Holiday Valley’s Marketing Director, Dash Hegeman, about all the details.
“Pond Skimming is, first and foremost, an awesome party!,” Dash stated. “Many ski resorts hold a pond skimming party in the spring as the season starts to wind down and the weather warms up. The Mountain Crew here will dig out a large area at the base of Yodeler, line it with a giant tarp and fill it with water (which as you can imagine, is quite cold). People sign up the day of the event and it’s first come, first serve. There’s no fee to enter so if you want to brave the chilly waters and test your skimming skills, show up to the Champagne Sundeck early the day of the event to get signed up. Everyone will need to sign a waiver form (or have a parent sign it if you are under the age of 18).”
And you can jam out while you’re watching the participants strive to stay dry. There will be a DJ spinning tunes during the event. Dash said, “DJ Tyler Swift will be on-site and helping to create the vibes for the event. He plays a wide variety of music and does a great job on the mic to get people hyped up for any event he does.”
We also asked Dash what he thought makes this event so special and he replied that, “Honestly, there are so many things that make pond skimming great. From a spectator standpoint, you never know what you’re going to get. Will everyone make it across the pond mostly dry? Probably not. So who is going to fall? And how spectacular will the splash be? It’s a really fun event to take part in and to watch. From the competitor’s perspective, it’s all about bragging rights. This event takes place once a year so if you make it across the pond, you have 364 days to brag about it to your friends.”
Do people actually ever make it the whole way across? Well, of course they do, the amount just differs every year. That’s a big part of the fun. Even the best skier or rider can slip up at the last second before they enter the pond and end up taking a spill. So you’ll have to come out and watch the fun (if you don’t want to take a chance at it yourself) to see who skims to the finish or who goes down into the icy deep. (Okay, it’s not that dramatic, but it is chilly.)
In closing, Dash did make sure to mention, “Not only is Pond Skimming on the 23rd this year but following the event, Rail Rider Jamboree will be taking place back at the base area of the Resort Center. So the entire day is going to be one ongoing fun-filled party.”
Make sure you head up to Holiday Valley Resort on March 23rd and join in on all the exciting shenanigans. And keep your eye out on more upcoming events on their website, holidayvalley.com, or their Facebook page.
