It was sunny but chilly on Saturday here in northern Vermont. The Skimeister and I went over to play around on the cross-country trails at Bolton Valley, then to watch some of the pond skimming action.
We skied around Picnic and the Valley Loop a bit. The snow was mostly frozen granular, and it was softer in the sunniest spots. They had done a good job grooming after the fluctuations of temperatures we've seen in the last couple of weeks! The snow coverage was still good in this part of the nordic network, thanks to Bolton's rather high base elevation.
The clear, blue skies must have been deceptive to the 100+ people who signed up to pond skim in the afternoon. It was cold and the sun really didn't warm you up too much. The expressions on skiers' faces as they splashed around in the frigid water were priceless. It was clearly a shocking experience!
Some participants had very good costumes reflecting the 1970s theme. And there were quite a few skimmers who were successful in making it to the other side of the pond -- both on skis and snowboards. But anyone who had slow speed, low momentum (light weight), or a forward lean would hit the water in spectacular fashion.
Crazy stuff. Check out the photos.
