Page 63 - Flathead Beacon // 4.1.15

FLATHEADBEACON.COM APRIL 1, 2015 | 63 WEEKEND OUTLOOK
WEEKLY ON-MOUNTAIN NEWS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015
LOW23oF HI42oF
NO FOOLIN’ IT’S SKI SEASON
Riley Polumbus
We’ve got a ski season to finish here and we need your help. There are only two weekends left, both of which contain special events that you do not want to miss.
In case you had not noticed, craft beer has been skyrocketing in the state of Montana over the last few years. Why just our corner of the state, heck within a
its 10th year! Come one, come all, the Pond Skim is Saturday, April 11th.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who skim, and those who don’t. Please do not think you are a fool for not being a skimmer because in all honesty the vast ma- jority of us are not. The Pond Skim can attract 2,000 specta- tors, give or take a few. While on the skimmer side, there are only 60. That’s all the cray cray we can handle.
First off, they all have to wear costumes. Secondly, they must be able to transition from snow to water and skim across our manmade pool. If they don’t, they lose but the crowd wins! For some reason watching other humans dressed in some form of silliness wrecking wildly with a splash causes amusement.
Skimmers who make it through the first round must go off a jump, land and skim across to make it to the third round. For the final challenge, contestants must skim... (Drum roll) switch. This seems pretty impossible in my mind, however you’d be surprised what these guys and gals are capable of, and it will be fun watching them try.
LET’S RE-CAP:
April 4 – Brewfest (1-5 p.m.) and Dummy Derby (4:30 p.m.) April 11 – Pond Skim (2:30 p.m.)
April 12 – Closing Day (9 a.m. – 4 p.m.) see you there!
two hour radius, we’ve more than doubled the number of breweries. That’s why Montana is third in the U.S. for breweries per capita!
Ergo it’s no surprise that our little Winter Brewfest is growing! Last year there were about a dozen breweries at this sudsy fundraiser for the S.N.O.W. Bus and this year there are nearly twenty! (18 to be exact.) All but one of these breweries is from the great state of Montana and they will all bring at least a couple featured beers. That’s a lot of beer! Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door and can be purchased at our Guest & Info Center (406-862-2900), Great Northern Brewery and the Kalispell Sports- man & Ski Haus.
Following the beer sampling, and legal for all ages, is the Dummy Derby. It’s a crowd favorite event where homemade crash test dummies on skis descend a slope, launch off a huge jump and crash into a pit. It’s wholesome (well, mostly) entertainment and the perfect way to cap your day of spring skiing and beer tasting.
And that’s just this weekend! Next weekend, also known as (sigh) Closing Weekend signifies our biggest spectator event, the Pond Skim, in
DUMMY DERBY & BREWFEST - APRIL 4
BUILD - LAUNCH - CRASH - SPECTATE - HYDRATE - DONATE
Dummy demolition starts at 4:30pm at the bottom of Ed’s Run. Enter a dummy for FREE!
Cash prize of $500 to the overall winner. Starting at 1pm sample craft beers at the
Winter Brewfest in the Upper Village. Proceeds help fund the S.N.O.W. Bus. P.S.: RIDE THE BUS!
BIG SALE AT SNOW GHOST OUTFITTERS
30% OFF all ski wear and equipment, plus 40% - 50% OFF select clearance items!
Located in the Upper Village. Open daily from 9am–5:30pm. For more info call 406-862-1996. 877-SKI-FISH | SKIWHITEFISH.COM