Home   >   LIFESTYLE   >   There’s a New World Record in Stone Skipping, and You Won’t Believe What It Is

There’s a New World Record in Stone Skipping, and You Won’t Believe What It Is

By on August 18, 2015

Things don’t always happen quickly in the world of stone skipping. Past world record holders have been able to rest on their laurels for sometimes as much as a decade. But it seems lately there has been a bit of a leapfrog competition going on among some of the elite skippers. Until now. Let’s take a step back a few years… In 2002, Pennsylvanian Kurt (Mountain Man) Steiner set a new world record with 40 skips, beating the old record, held since 1994, of 38 skips. Then in 2007, fellow Pennsylvanian Russ Byars pulled ahead with what seemed like an untouchable new record of 51. Then in 2013, Max Steiner of Michigan pulled ahead with an unthinkable 65 skips. Just when it seemed that skippers had already reached the physical limit of what could be done with a stone thrown by a human, Kurt the Mountain Man came back and last year launched a stone for an astounding 88 skips. Don’t believe it? Watch the video below, complete with circle overlays that clearly indicate each skip.

Do you fancy yourself a competitive stone skipper? You may want to test your meddle at the Pennsylvania Qualifying Competition, known as Rock In River. Winning the prize there qualifies you to compete as a pro at the national competition held on Mackinac Island, Michigan.

About Michael Henderson

Born and bred in Franklin, Pennsylvania, Mike learned about adventure from an early age. Even before he learned to walk, Mike made trips to the Outer Banks with his family, where he slept under his dad’s cot in a canvas tent along the beach. The adventures continued, to the mountains, the Great Lakes, the Pacific Coast, and everywhere in between. Those trips included backpacking into the Grand Canyon and up Mount Rainier, camping in the Rockies in the snow, and skiing right out the front door at home on old alpine skis with cable bindings. Other family activities including canoeing, water skiing, ice skating, bouldering, body surfing, and fishing. By the 1980s, Mike’s interests expanded to include windsurfing, inline skating, photography, and eventually mountain biking, geocaching, and kayaking. He currently teaches photography at the Venango College of Clarion University, as well as windsurfing, geocaching, camping skills, and cross-country skiing at various local outdoor workshops. He collaborated and managed what has been considered the world’s largest, longest-running, and most successful geotrail, the Allegheny Geotrail. Some of his paddling exploits include two Ocracoke-to-Portsmouth Island crossings; St. Ignace, Michigan-to-Mackinac Island; and multiple excursions along the entire Pennsylvania shoreline of Lake Erie.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *