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Above: a stuffed kangaroo (or dog?) goes for a long ride in a recent Sugarbush Big Air Contest. Photo (c) 2007 Sugarbush Resort

This weekend the emphasis will be on laughs and music with pond skimming, dummy big air contests, and Reggae festivals.

Red Stripe, a Jamaican beer brand, is sponsoring Ascutney Ski Area’s Spring Fling Weekend starting March 24. Free, live Reggae music Friday night and Saturday noon to 8:00 pm plus an outdoor limbo contest on skis.

The traditional end-of-season pond skimming contests have started. Sponsored by Vermont’s Trout River Brewery, the Annual Pond Skimming Competition at Burke Ski Area will be March 24. This years theme is story book characters. There will be awards for best splash, best story book costume, best wet look, and best exit.

Mount Snow has three big events this weekend. The March 24 pond skimming contest is called Sink or Swim . Skiers and snowboarders dressed in costumes will attempt to cross the 100 foot long pond called “The Bog.” Most eventually don’t make it and the flops are met with laughs
and cheers.

Mount Snow’s Bud Light Reggaefest starts March 24 and continues through Sunday afternoon with performances every day and night. Jamaican style drink and food too.

Mount Snow employees and guests go head to head March 25 in this Dummy Big Air, a “truly dumb competition” to see which one is the most creative, stays in the air the longest, and whether or not it stays in one piece (note: explosives are no longer allowed!). This year BUD TV will be on site to film every dummy in the competition and some among the spectators.

11th Annual Sugarbush Dummy Big Air March 24. I think Sugarbush has the longest running Dummy Big Air contest in Vermont, this year’s event being the 11th.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus

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