Slush on! Alyeska up a weekend to cure spring fever.

• Author: Pounds, Nancy
• Position: Alaska This Month

Spring fever affects Alaskans in many different ways--some people obsessively chip ice from their driveways or drive their convertible top down along still-frigid Turnagain Arm. Other people ski downhill in wacky costumes, launch across a manmade pond to splash down in the chilly water.

The Slush Cup is the main event in Alyeska Ski Resort's annual Spring Carnival in Girdwood, set for April 23 to April 26, also the final day of Alyeska's daily ski operations for the season. The resort, which includes the 304-room Hotel Alyeska, is 40 miles south of Anchorage.

Spring Carnival and the Slush Cup started in 1977, said Warren Rowe, events manager for Alyeska Resort. The Slush Cup is the weekend's biggest draw, he said, and now held on a Saturday, although Slush Cuppers traditionally hit the deck on Sundays until last year. Other major ski areas organize similar spring carnivals like Vail and Aspen in Colorado, he noted.

About 50 people participate in the Slush Cup, and another 3,000 gather to witness the antics as skiers and snowboarders glide down the snowy track then bounce across the 90-foot pool and plunge into the water, Rowe said. The mid-afternoon event lasts about two hours. "It's never boring."

Rowe, who was raised in Girdwood, has worked for several years at Alyeska, including running events for nearly two years. His favorite aspect is the Alaska celebrity judges who rate Slush Cup jumpers. Last year's judges included Gov. Sarah Palin and her family, two-time Iditarod champion Lance Mackey and former KTUU anchor Megan Baldino. Celebrity judges were not finalized at press time. The Slush Cup also attracts...