Slush Cup 2025

Story // Jake Sullivan. March 20, 2025

Koa Gonet - photo: Justin Diak

“In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours…”

Those words were spoken by Mark Twain in 1876 during a speech at the New England Society of New York. While Twain was known for his humor, his joke about the unpredictable nature of the northeast’s weather could have accurately described the last few weeks in Vermont.

After what many had been calling the best winter in nearly a decade, March reminded us all that you can never plan too far ahead when it comes to snowboarding in New England. We’ve had days of warm, heavy rain, followed by a 40-degree temperature drop, diminishing the record-sized snowbanks and leaving them as frozen piles of dirt-stained ice. Snow, sleet, hail, wind, bluebird skies, foggy peaks, you name it, and we’ve had it this month.

While this fickle weather pattern is nothing new for us Vermonters, it’s more frustrating after a winter of record snowfall with no major thaw/freeze cycle like we are accustomed to. The larger resorts are equipped to handle this chaotic pattern, making it easier for them to bounce back than some of the smaller ones, but where you see the effects of Mother Nature the most is in the DarkPark.

Slush Cup living up to its name. photo: Justin Diak

With possibly the most snow we’ve had since the park was created, the second weekend of March seemed like a good time to hold the second annual Slush Cup. However, a severe thaw/freeze left the park unrideable, so we had to reschedule the event a few days before. The new date of March 16 was set more out of desperation than convenience. We were unsure if the park would even be open after that.

After a full day of rebuilding the park in preparation for the event, the shred gods blessed us by holding off the rain predicted for Sunday just long enough to run the last jam of the season. Though the turnout was small, everyone who showed up was ready to throw down. This year's Slush Cup featured a handful of events, including an overall jam, a snowskate downhill race, an uphill race, and a crowd favorite - the pond skim-rail-pond skim. The overall jam had a $10 entry fee that went into a winner-takes-all pot for the best overall performance of the day.

As things got underway, Dale Clements reminded us that he’s not only one of the best skateboarders around but also has it on snow. On his Hovland snowskate, he 50-50’d the flat to down 40-footer then moved over to the DFD and stomped a 50-50 through the kink to boardslide on the last down. He single-handedly eliminated the need for the snowskate race and walked away with a brand new Hovland for his efforts. Congrats Dale.

Dale Clements - Snowskate 50-50. photo: Jake Sullivan

After building the pond skim-rail-pond skim out of necessity, we weren't sure if it would work out due to the flat bottom of the park slowly becoming a giant lake. It turned out to be a hit, with everyone lacing some epic lines. Eventually, someone set up one of the plastic skate kickers to air straight into the second pond, which turned things into a full-on diving event. Will won the crowd's hearts by unstrapping his board and cannonballing into the water, a welcome bath after living in his van all winter in the Kingvale parking lot in Lake Tahoe.

Will. photo: Justin Diak

In the end, a final heat was held, with Koa, Ryan, Will, and Nick battling it out for the overall champion. Will landed some heavy tricks on the 40-footer, Koa stomped a massive backflip onto the down rail, and Nick was doing every swivel and switch-up you could think of. But in the end, Ryan took home the cash and the glory, lacing a full-speed back lip on the 40-footer alongside many other tricks. It was no surprise, considering he’s been unofficially given the crown as King of Darkpark this season.

King of Darkpark. Ryan Sihler. photo: Justin Diak

Thanks to all the riders, everyone who raked the park, and all the sponsors for donating prizes for the event. The rest of the season for the Darkpark is currently up in the air as we are getting more unstable weather, but if the conditions allow, we’ll be out there!

Slush Cup 2025 Gallery

Photos // Justin Diak & Mike Garceau

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