Let me be frank: the event was a splash! Joking aside I had fun last weekend up at Vail. Bacardi invited both myself and Rachel to attend the Bacardi World Pond Skimming Championships. If you’re not clear on what this event is: a bunch of people ski and snowboard down a hill, one at a time, towards a 100 foot long pool filled with almost-freezing water. The goal is to skim across the pool to the other side (but most people do a half-flip and fall on their asses).

A few highlights and our thoughts:

• The Jumbotron: It was nice having a big screen to replay all the crashes and splashes. There were so many people at the event and the positioning of the run on the hill meant it would be difficult to see what was going on otherwise.
• The announcers: Like any good event the commentary from the booths was obnoxious at best. A few fun jabs and jokes but generally annoying. We could’ve done with less of them.
• The costumes: Really, the costumes were the highlight. A lot of creative (and ridiculous) people showed up and they brought their Sunday best! Everyone from Duff Man (Simpsons) to Borat showed up. Even a cowboy with his assless chaps and the Oompa Loompas.
• The flips: The ramp right before the pool was perfect for competitors buzzed (on Bacardi “Snowjitos”) individuals to hit and flip sideways and backwards. Of course, they probably don’t enjoy the crashes as much as we do.
• The flow: After about an hour we had only seen a dozen competitors go down the hill. A lack of organization at the top (people sneaking in and going down the hill) and inability to be entertaining at the bottom (see: The announcers) meant a semi-frustrating and slow afternoon.

One of the best performances was easily Duff Man as he was the first to successfully skim the pond. He casually side stepped out of the pool and headed to the hot tub. Shortly thereafter, one of the snowboarders came down and proposed in front of the entire crowd. Of course, she said yes.

While we’re not entirely convinced we would make a separate trip up to the mountains for this again, overall the event was fun. Our tips for fully enjoying the day: 1) arrive early to see people milling around in costumes before the event, 2) wear snow pants and good shoes (it will really allow you to get to a position to see better - otherwise you’re fairly limited on where you can watch from), and 3) be prepared (in whatever way you choose to prepare…) for the event to be slowly paced

Media

Visit the Colorado Snow pool on flickr for more photos and videos from the event.

If you watched the 2008 Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships at Deer Valley Resort you may have noticed a few local faces tearing up the slopes. One of them happened to be local resident Michelle Roark (U.S. Ski Team) who won the Duals Moguls title (article) this year.

Michelle is a student at the School of Mines in Golden, has competed with the U.S. Ski Team in the Olympics, and taken a number of medals including the World Cup title. Fun fact: as a chemical engineer, Roark has released her own perfume line called Phi-nomenal.

Michelle took some time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions for Colorado Snow:

How does it feel to win the national title? This isn’t your first is it?
Believe it or not I have been World Cup Champion, World Champion Silver Medalist and won a half a dozen World Cups, but never won Nationals until now … it feels great!

What’s it like competing in the Olympics? Do you get more nervous than other competitions?
Competing in the Olympics was an accomplishment of a lifetime as it had been my goal since I was five! The Olympics is a bigger stage than our World Cup competitions, but what the general public does not understand is that we compete against the same athletes in our World Cup competitions about 13 times every season. For us it is just another World Cup with a bigger audience.

What have been some of your biggest challenges over the years? Injuries probably don’t help?
I have had numerous setbacks. I have had six knee surgeries and until my most recent years I have really struggled financially to keep my dream alive.

You must’ve skied all over the world by now. I assume Colorado is your favorite snow, right?
I have skied all over the world and I can honestly say my favorite place to ski, by far hands down, is Winter Park/Mary Jane!

Where are your favorite runs in Colorado? Any secrets we should know about?
I LOVE all the runs at the Jane! There is nothing better than ripping bumps at the Jane with my family and friends!!!

Does your perfume (Phi-nomenal) help when you compete? Where can we get some of our own?
I stared making my perfume line just before the last Olympics. I wanted something that would not only last all day, but empower the wearer with energy, confidence, and focus. My first scent was made for the Olympics to help me get in the zone … and let me tell you it works! We have five women scents and one men’s now available on our web site at www.phinomenal.com.

Thanks again to Michelle for chatting with us! Learn more about Michelle and the entire U.S. Ski Team at www.usskiteam.com.

CBS 4 Denver has compiled a listing of movies filmed in Colorado. We combed the list and found movies filmed in the Colorado mountains and snow towns that we’ve come to know and love:

• White Fang 2 (Aspen)
• Christmas Vacation (Breckenridge)
• Die Hard 2 (Breckenridge)
• Dumb and Dumber (Aspen, Breckenridge)
• The Maverick Queen (Silverton)
• The Searchers (Aspen)
• Sleeper (the crazy house seen from I-70)

It’s just some fun trivia. Now go! Impress your friends.

So, the weekend has come and gone and the bright suits of gaypers (those that dress like the flamboyant out-of-towners) will slowly fade from memory. That’s right, the 2007/2008 season has largely come to an end.

But wait, you say, there are still a few resorts open, right? Of course! Here are the last few spots serving up the spring slush:

• Arapahoe Basin
• Breckenridge (closes this weekend)
• Echo Mountain (closes first weekend of May)
• Loveland

So, go have fun and check back here for updates on the spring festivities.

More spring fun starts next week up in Vail with a week-long festival celebrating the sun and the snow:

The mountains will be alive with free concerts from national headliners, on-snow events, street parties…and don’t miss the ever-popular…Bacardi World Pond Skimming Championships.

So head on up to Vail and have a good time. Check the website for details on the schedule, concerts, and information about pond skimming (sliding across a pond in a crazy costume on your skis/snowboard). It’ll be good!

Click here to visit the Spring Back to Vail website for details.

April 12th is the day to head up to Breckenridge and visit the Massive Beerfest:

The festival features 17 microbrews and craft beers with unlimited tasting. Breweries include Breck Brewery, Widmer, Red Hook, Kona, Stone Brewing Co, Bristol, Lefthand, Palisade, New Belgium, Sam Adams, Wolf Rock, Oaskar Blues, Ska Brewing, Steamborks, Great Divide, Flying Dog, Backcountry and Aspen Brewing! Enjoy live music from Tony Furtado, Subdudes and the The Rail Benders. For more information call KSMT (970) 453 2234.

For just $60 you can get into the 2008 Massive Festival, a bigger mug than everyone else and a catered lunch. Check it out!

Click here for more information on the Massive Beerfest.

Announcement: For the go-getters among us: The Colorado Pass spring renewal period has begun. Renewal before May 4th requires only $49 down (balance due in September) and, as a bonus for the non-procrastinators includes four $50 tickets and unlimited riding in April 2009. If you’re feeling indecisive, take your time — you have until at least November 15, 2008.

If you’re not familiar with the Colorado Pass it is a season pass to the following resorts: Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge, Arapahoe Basin and will be sold for $439. This season the passes will use RF technology so you never have to take it out of your jacket. See also: the Epic Pass.

Sure, it’s April and it’s starting to look like Spring, that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun! Over Memorial Day weekend, Arapahoe Basin is hosting the 7th Annual Festival of the Brewpubs and Memorial Weekend Beach party:

Join us for our largest party of the year! Spend the day sampling mugs of beer from a variety of Summit County brewpubs for one low price per 14 oz mug (must be 21). Breweries include Pug Ryan’s, Breckenridge, Dillon Dam, Backcountry and Wolf Rock.

Click here for more details on the festival of the brewpubs.

Get some spring skiing in and then buy your mug at 11am. Drinks flow from noon to four. See you there!

Sweetgrass, a backcountry ski film operation out of Colorado has just released the trailer of their latest: Hand Cut. From Nick at Sweetgrass:

The British Columbia Teaser blends the hand-fired days of the Canadian Pacific
steam trains with blower skiing on Rogers Pass and Revelstoke. From these early railroad days to the miners of Colorado’s San Juan mountains, Hand Cut will convey the rugged, calloused-hand history of North American mountains. The film will focus on the purity of backcountry travel, blending self-propelled skiing with the rugged western history. DVD release september 2008, and check out www.sweetgrass-productions.com for our tour dates.

Our premiere will be in Colorado Springs next September, and our tour includes
10 dates in Colorado.

From the SteepSavers email:

Stay tonight (3/21-FRIDAY!) and/or tomorrow night (3/22-SATURDAY!):

• $145 per night: Studios at Lakeside Village (save $93!)
• $175 per night: 1-bedroom condos at Lakeside Village (save $99!)
• $179 per night: Hotel rooms at Keystone Lodge & Spa, A RockResort (save $103!)

Or, save even more and skip the Sunday traffic when you stay over this Sunday, 3/23:

• $79 per night: Hotel rooms at Keystone Lodge & Spa, A RockResort (save $171)
• $79 per night: Hotel rooms at Inn at Keystone (save $107)
• $109 per night: Studios at Lakeside Village (save $93)
• $129 per night: 1-bedroom condos at Lakeside Village (save $109)

Q: Is there any chance that the usual Summit County mtn’s will stay open through the end of April, besides A-Basin and Loveland? My kids have Easter break from 4/21-25. What about Breck? Vail? B-Creek?

If you’re looking to connect with fellow snow enthusiasts then visit Snowago: A skiing / snowboarding / telemarking / snowriding community. It’s a very simple site with the following features:

• User profiles: setup an account and store your pictures, journals, favorite resorts, etc.
• Resort profiles: not just limited to Colorado, it has weather, mountain conditions, pictures, news, events and even discounted tickets.
• Discussions: as with any community, chat with fellow participants and use them as yet another resource
• Surveys and Quizzes: participate by either testing your knowledge or share it with the community to earn snowflakes
• Rewards: use snowflakes to buy prizes (none currently available).

It’s a cool site and has a lot of potential. The only issue being the user-base: the site is only as valuable as the number of people using it. So, go to Snowago, sign up, become my friend, and start contributing. By next season I hope it’ll be the place to hang out.