Pond Skim at Dartmouth!
This past Saturday was many things: April Fools, my friend Egemen's birthday, and the first day of April, to name a few. To many people on campus, it was also the pond skim, which is an annual event hosted by Dartmouth Ski Patrol. For those of you that don't know, a pond skim is where people ski or snowboard into a pool, with the goal of making it to the other side. Although I didn't participate in the actual pond skimming (mostly because I'm scared of falling into the pond), I still had a lot of fun at the event!
The pond skim is hosted at the Dartmouth Skiway, which is only 15 minutes away from campus by car. There are daily shuttles to and from the skiway, and you can also get a ride from a friend as well. After I made it to the skiway on Saturday morning, I enjoyed some free Mexican food at the event! And then, we all huddled around the pond as we watched people attempt the pond skim. There were success stories, near-success stories, and fails. However, everyone had fun as people (spectators and participants) were dressed up in silly costumes and enjoying the warm weather. Afterwards, a student band performed in the ski lodge as those who stayed could enjoy live music and more food!
By itself, the pond skim is already a pretty fun activity. What made my experience special though, was seeing everyone come together to enjoy the day. While there are several pond skims across the country, it's harder to find one where people are dressed in different onesies and have their name cheered as they go down the mountain. If prospective students are reading this, I definitely recommend attending the pond skim whether you can ski or not - it's just so fun! Also, the money raised from the event goes to charity: this year, proceeds went to the VA Adaptive Sports Program.
While this is my last Dartmouth pond skim, I look forward to attending more events this spring where campus can get together and simply have fun. Those are the best events, and Spring is the best time to have them! I also hope to try the pond skim in the future, although I'm not sure if I'll be ready anytime soon...
