Park City’s funky, ski-town spirit of yesteryear boldly resurfaces every April as skiers and snowboarders unleash their pond skim prowess. Typically held a week or two before Park City Mountain’s (PCM) official April closing date, the longstanding Pond Skim tradition brings out local color in full force. The goal: Make a literal or figurative splash—and maybe traverse the entire makeshift pond in the process. 

“It’s not about how far you go,” explains Jerry Marsh, a first-time pond skimmer who flipped his shirtless way into the icy waters in April 2025. “It’s about how much fun you have.” Yes, some folks make it all the way across the roughly 50-foot stretch of snowmelt/irrigated pond to an adoring crowd, but style matters. Think daffys, flips, and helis as well as less-acrobatic, superbly costumed folks just hanging on for dear life. 

While the tradition has graced the lower First Time area of Park City Mountain since 2022, the pond skim has its roots on the other side of the resort. In 1995, the inaugural event took place at what was then Wolf Mountain (known today as PCM’s Canyons Village). Then-ski patroller Ralph Morrison recalls being on duty as the crew dug out the “pond” with a snowcat and lined it with black plastic, most likely picked up at the lumber yard. 

“It was a ‘just do it if you want to’ kind of thing,” Morrison recalls. He was one of the first to test out the pond skim, forgetting his radio was in his uniform pocket until he was halfway across on his snowboard. “So, I just went as fast as I could and right when I got to the other side of it, I sort of lunged just to make it over to the snow.” 

That original “just do it” sentiment endures today, albeit with larger (though not uncomfortably so) crowds, sponsor tents, live local music, eats and libations, an announcer moving things along, and prizes for best splash (a.k.a.
a wipeout), style, and costume. 

“The Pond Skim is consistently one of the most fun events we have on the mountain every single year,” says PCM spokesperson John Kanaly. “It has that fun, ski-town vibe that so many of us who live here in Park City love so much. It’s part of the culture here.” 

The official date for the 2026 Pond Skim will be based on snow and weather conditions.