This year, Slush Cup is out and Slush Fest in in.
Sunny spring weather means Eaglecrest Ski Area cannot safely host its annual pond skim event, so instead there will be an event dubbed Slush Fest featuring music, barbecue and a planned beer garden Sunday, March 31.
The barbecue will open at 11:30 a.m. and music will start at 2 p.m. The lift will also run an extra hour until 5 p.m. Those who don’t ski or snowboard are welcome to hike up to the chairlift base and listen to music.
Admission to Slush Fest is free and all ages are welcome.
The Slush Cup has faced a handful of weather-related cancellations in recent years. Only once in the past five years has the event been able to take place. It was nixed last year as well as in 2016 and 2015 to go along with this year’s cancellation.
However, Eaglecrest Ski Area marketing manager Charlie Herrington said if there is enough snow to safely host a pond skim event in future years, it will make a return.
“Whenever there is enough snow for a pond skim, there will undoubtedly be a pond skim,” Herrington told the Juneau Empire.
Recent 50 degree temperatures, he said, just mean it won’t happen this year, and it made sense to replace it with something festive.
“We always want to celebrate the end of a great season,” Herrington said. “No matter what, Eaglecrest will always have an end-of-the-season party.”
• Contact reporter Ben Hohenstatt at (907)523-2243 or bhohenstatt@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BenHohenstatt.
