There are a ton of great activities and events in the Tahoe/Truckee area, but only a handful which I truly consider as "must see".  This past sunday was one of my favorite events of the year, the Cushing Crossing at Squaw Valley.  Every spring, as the snow melts, a natural pond forms near the bottom of the KT 22 chairlift.  Every spring, Squaw's finest skiers and snowboarders try to find the most creative way to skim accross it.  I've seen pond skimming events at many other ski resorts, but I've never seen anything quite like the event at Squaw. 

This year the pond was easily 100 foot accross (its size varies year to year) and there was about a 3 foot drop off from the level of the snow to the surface of the water.  The contestants sported an array of costumes and attempted the crossing in every way imaginable.  Men and women, on skis, on snowboards, on cross country skis, on water skis, on all fours (attached to a pair of skis), 2 people on one pair of skis, 2 people on one snowboard (this didn't end well), a ski patroller pulling an emergency sled (luckily there wasn't anybody in it) and even one guy on stilts mounted to a pair of skis (yes, this was really attempted, and he came astonishingly close to making it accross the pond!).

Despite temperatures in the 30's, there was a throng of around 1,000 fans crowded around the shores to watch the 50 contestants.  There were many excited screams and loud groans.  Most importantly everyone was thoroughly entertained both by the costumes, the smooth crossings, and especially by the spectacular crashes!