A sun-drenched day and a large gathering of energetic fans and competitors were the perfect recipe for a festive 27th annual Cushing Crossing at Squaw Valley ski resort on Sunday.
One of the most iconic Lake Tahoe ski traditions, the Cushing Crossing is the original pond skimming contest that started a spring skiing ritual. Named after Squaw’s founder – Alexander Cushing – the event lends itself to being both comical and skillful, depending on the skier or snowboarder.
There were plenty of success stories at this year’s Cushing Crossing, where the large amount of snow this season played a role in how many competitors crossing the man-made lake without collapsing into the chilly waters.
This year’s overall winner was Cody Townsend. He was one of 50 competitors vying for various titles and prizes.
Cushing Crossing Winners
- Overall winner: Cody Townsend
- Men’s Ski: Errol Kerr
- Men’s Snowboard: Nate Holland
- Women’s Ski: Jamie Burge
- Unlimited: Ben Paciotti and Josh Anderson
- Crowd Favorite: Blake Crosby
Squaw Valley was one of three Lake Tahoe ski resorts that were offering skiing and snowboarding for the Memorial Day weekend. Also open were Mt. Rose ski resort in Nevada and Donner Ski Ranch.
Starting this weekend, Squaw will be the lone ski resort open in the Lake Tahoe region.
Squaw, the famed Olympic ski resort, has committed to remaining open in June and also Fourth of July and beyond. This is the fourth time that Squaw has remained open on July 4 and the first time in resort history to go past that date.
Squaw’s ski lifts will run daily through Sunday, June 4, then on weekends for the remainder of the month. The resort will be open for skiing and riding July 1-4, then switch to Saturdays only as long as conditions permit. Squaw plans to operate the Shirley Lake Express chair on Saturdays for 2017-18 Tahoe Super Passholders. Discounted daily lift tickets will also be available.
Located near Lake Tahoe, Mt. Rose offered one final weekend of skiing and snowboarding before closing for the season on Memorial Day. The resort finished strong with more than 13 feet of snow still stacked up on its slopes.
Family-friendly Donner Ski Ranch is located off Interstate 80 and Donner Summit. The resort also concluded its season Sunday. It’s been quite the year for snowfall at Donner Ski Ranch, which has received 762 inches. The enormous snow total is the primary reason the ski resort decided to remain open through Memorial Day.
Closing dates for Lake Tahoe resorts
- Homewood: April 16
- Kirkwood Mountain: April 16
- Tahoe Donner: April 16
- Granlibakken: April 17
- Soda Springs: April 23
- Sierra-at-Tahoe: April 23
- Diamond Peak: April 23
- Northstar: April 23
- Boreal Mountain: April 23
- Heavenly Mountain: April 30
- Sugar Bowl: May 7
- Alpine Meadows: May 14
- Mt. Rose: May 29
- Donner Ski Ranch: May 29
- Squaw Valley: TBA
