Yup, It’s Spring
by Amy Patenaude
Outdoor/Ski Writer
Yippee the silly season is here!
Time to put away the heavy winter jacket and dig out your Hawaiian shirt!
Spring officially sprung on Tuesday March 20th at 12:15pm. The days continue to grow longer and we survived setting the clock an hour ahead. There is plenty of daylight to play outside after school/work and there is snow! We had cool Nor’easters that blanketed the ski slopes with snow and everywhere else too.
My road is muddy and the sap buckets are hanging on the big maple trees. The sap flows best when it is warm and sunny during the day and when the temperature dips below freezing during the night. This is good for skiers and snowboarders too. This weather will make sure the snow stays around well into April and we wear sunglasses and slap on the sunscreen while soaking up the sun on the slopes.
A favorite spring-time event held at many New Hampshire ski areas have skiers and snowboarders attempting to surf across a man-made-ice-cold pond! No matter what you call it—Pond Skim, Slush Cup or Spring Splash the end result is that a lot of somebodies are going to take a dive and get wet.
I have made it across the water and I have made a big splash while pond skimming. If you haven’t done it at least once you should give it a try just so you can say you did it and it is fun. Be sure to wax your skis and go as fast as you can because speed will keep you on top of the water. Warning: If you must enter the pond straight. If you try to turn your skis will be ripped off your feet or the water will grab your snowboard and you’re going swimming fast. Have a towel and dry clothes nearby. Good luck.
Pats Peak held their annual pond skim on Saint Patrick’s Day and they required all participants to wear costumes.
Here are a few dates and places of the upcoming fun Spring Events:
Saturday March 24th: Black Mountain’s All Day Pond Skim. Sunday March 31st: King Pine’s Cardboard Box Derby. Bodefest at Cannon Mountain.
Saturday March 31st: Cranmore’s Spring Splash, Ragged Mountain’s Pond Skim, Mount Sunapee’s 20th Annual Slush Cup, 80’s Day at Cannon Mountain, Bretton Woods’ Beach Party.
Sunday April 1st: Gunstock’s BYODC Pond Skim (Bring your own dry clothes), King Pine Pond Skimming.
The date for Loon Mountain’s Slushpool Party and Cannon’s Blizzard Splash Pond is Saturday April 14th.
When the snow settles and the avalanche dangers decrease the hordes of Tuckerman Ravine back country enthusiasts will cover the walls of the bowl like ants on sugar. The annual Tuckerman Ravine Inferno Pentathlon, a fundraising event by the Friends of Tuckerman Ravine, will be held on April 14th. The non-profit, Friends of Tuckerman’s mission is to preserve and protect Tuckerman Ravine and to sustain the traditional recreational uses of the area.
Lastly, the best deals for next year’s season passes are being offered right now so it is time to start thinking about next year.
Please keep your bicycles in the garage and the golf clubs in the attic until next month.
Have fun.
