LOVELAND PASS, Colo. — Vikings, sharks and a whole heck of a lot of bikini-wearing skiers and snowboarders descended the slopes of Arapahoe Basin ski area on Saturday in an effort to set a record for the largest swimwear ski parade.
The world record is more than 1,000 people, and A-Basin officials said they appear to have fallen a few hundred short of that, although they believe they set at least a Colorado record with 585 people. Still, the record wasn’t really the point on a day when the sun was shining, the snow was soft and the hills were alive with the sound of (live) music.
“So much fun! Yay, skiing!,” Emma Tussey of Boulder said, laughing.
Tussey and three of her friends were among the more than 300 participants in a loosely organized parade down one of the mountain’s open runs. A-Basin typically has the longest season of any North American ski area and this year expects to stay open until at least June 5. It typically closes for a few months and then reopens in October.
Costumes, barbecues and live music are a spring skiing tradition at the ski area, which sits just below the Continental Divide in Summit County. This was the first year the ski area organized an official parade, although many skiers and snowboarders break out costumes as the mercury rises.
On Saturday, the temperature hit 60 degrees, making it much easier to contemplate baring all that skin.
And yes, in case you wondered, it hurts a lot if you fall. #snowburn