The Pond Skim All Stars
It’s pond skim season. And in case you missed it, there were some doozies of events last weekend. Middlebury College Snow Bowl held their first pond skim ever, with big props going to this crew which not only skied with a ski patrol sled (at Middlebury College Snow Bowl, students work as ski patrollers) but even loaded it up.
This weekend Mad River Glen holds a new event. Thanks to the “epic” snowpack, Mad River is staying open longer than usual this season. At Smuggler’s Notch resort there was a flurry of outreach to find the missing sizzling skimmer who dressed up as piece of bacon and pulled this maneuver:
But unquestionably the King of Pond Skims is Sugarbush owner Win Smith. In honor of the resort’s 60th birthday Smith donned lederhosen, filled up a beer stein and foreran the course. “I’m dressed up as the Wunderbar,” he said, referring to Sugarbush’s time-honored on-mountain watering hole. Over the years, Smith has mastered the art of finding the right balance of speed, stance and proper ski width to make it across the pool without getting too wet. (photos by Angelo Lynn)
This year though, he raised the ante and managed to keep the beer stein full (until he drank it mid-skim). With elite judges such as Darian Boyle, a former world freeskiing champion and extreme skier John Egan (both Sugarbush ambassadors) judging, Smith managed to set the stage for a raucous day that culminated with the resorts’ first ever Wall of Fame ceremony. Smith, an honorary member of the Air National Guard, even managed to get a flyby from two pairs of F16s which flew so low the valley echoed with sound.
