St. Patricks Day on Ice

Every one gets Irish for a day each year in mid March for to celebrate St. Patty's day with a round of Guiness. Thousands gather in cities like Chicago and New York for massive parades replete with bagpipers shamrocking out and revelers painted green.

Meanwhile in Palmerton, PA at Blue Mountain they have a bit different tradition: the annual pond skim and cardboard box derby.

Every year for this much anticipated event, skiers and riders line up to speed down the hill and try and skim across the top of an unfrozen pond. Some make it across, skimming their way to glory and others give the crowd what they want, a splash.

After the skimmers dry off and hypothermia is averted, the day moves on to the annual cardboard box derby in which sliders use their home made cardboard creations to slide down the hill. Some of them even make it to the bottom without their rides exploding into bits of biodegradable shrapnel.

Tripfilms user Mark and Blue Mountain afficionado uploaded videos of The Pond Skim and Cardboard Box Derby for viewing pleasure. My only regret is that Bob Saget turned down the offer to narrate the videos. Enjoy some St. Patty's wipeouts!