Pirates, cowboys and superheroes were among the 150 competitors who hit the slopes Saturday afternoon for Pond Skim at the base of Park City Mountain’s Eagle Lift.
Under warm, sunny skies, costumed skiers and snowboarders did their best to make it all the way across a pond at the bottom – or else punctuate their run with a spectacular splash.
Skier Matt Raymond, wearing a Travis Kelce jersey, said before the competition he was there to defend his title – he won best skim last year. This year, he brought Megan and Andrew Voigt along for the ride, dressed as Taylor Swift and Patrick Mahomes. The trio said they hoped the themed costumes would be a hit with the crowd.
“You don’t know pond skim is on your bucket list until you see someone do it,” Megan Voigt said. “And you realize it’s a party on skis.”
Local news references showed up among the costumes, too.
Two skiers dressed as Sasha and Mocha, two Bernese Mountain dogs made famous by their role in a local lawsuit.
And local skier Shay Blackley dressed up as a miner to support Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History efforts to save the Silver King Mine at the bottom of the Bonanza lift.
“It’s in a state of disrepair, and every year a little bit more collapses,” he said. “If we let these buildings collapse, the history is lost.”
Blackley said pond skimming is a “fabulous” experience.
“It’s like the heaviest powder ever,” he said. “You gotta lean back, you gotta keep speed up. Don’t turn – you’re not gonna use your edges in that water.”
But while some focused on making it across, others targeted the prize for biggest splash, drenching the pondside judges.
The day’s prizes went to Kurt Almond for best skim, Tom Buffano for best costume and Molly Wick for best splash.
There’s one more week to get in some spring turns: Deer Valley closes for the season Sunday, April 21, and Park City Mountain’s last day is April 22.
