Unfortunately, it has come and gone already. No, not the winter season, the Mt. Hood Meadows Sno Kona Pond Skim, and my absolute favorite event of the year. The Skim took place for the fourth year in a row last Saturday and this event is only getting betting with age; with more beer (courtesy of Kona Brewing Co.), more creativity and more skin? That is right, skin. With the winner of the contest bearing it all this year, each and every spectator saw more than one may have bargained for….

Let me rewind for those of you who are out of the loop. Each year Mt. Hood Meadows hosts a Pond Skim. What is a pond skim you ask…? (Come on, really???) Put a 94 foot ice cold pond in the snow, dare everyone to garb up, dangle a trip to Hawaii under their nose and you can only imagine what people will come up with. So, each skimmer gets one chance to cross this years’ 94 foot pond. If you successfully cross it your first attempt you advance to the ‘skim-off’ for a chance to win a trip to Hawaii, but only if your steez is up to par…if not second and third place comes down to best showmanship and best crowd reaction.

This years’ skim started with a typical PacNW weathered day; wind, rain and poor visibility on the hill. But yours truly, Matt Zaffino, promised it would turn around and the pond skimming would prevail. Thankfully, Zaffino was right and in spite of the occasional wind burst and snow flurry the weather worked out perfectly for the contest. The snow was fast and that only means one thing, awesome falls. Put your hands together (high speed meets a 94 foot pond) and what do you get? Superman’s, water burns, torn corns, lost tops, soggy people with ice cold bodies…try getting that mental picture out of your head.

We saw skimming brides, Richard Simmons, corporate stooges, Elvis, Speedos, Ms. Piggy, the list goes on. But back to the skin I was telling you all about… Third place went to “King Kamehameha” (who took third place last year, for the same costume, which was a little strange). But first and second place were the two best of the show, between the man who can walk on water, “Jesus” and the man who has no shame, “Borat.” See for yourself!

The weather was good, the Hawaiian brews were great, and the entertainment was out of control. Thank you Mt. Hood Meadows, Kona Brewing, Co. and All About Hawaii Travel for another successful Pond Skim, it was one to remember.

Insider Tips:

• Craving a Kona Brew? Check them out locally at Bamboo Grove (my personal FAV), Salvador Molly’s and Henry’s 12th Street Tavern. Know of any more Local Kona stashes? Let us know!
• It is done running for this season, but keep it in mind for the next. We took up the Grease Bus for the skim and had one hell of a time. Its super comfortable, shows snowboard videos your whole ride up to the hill, it runs off of vegatable oil and is only $10 round trip. Want more FAQ’s? cHeCK eM oUt.

View Original Post at westboundboarder.com

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• Kona Brewing
• All About Hawaii Travel
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• Mt Hood Meadows Pond Skim
• Pond Skimming