Skirmish, one of paintball’s legendary
destinations, hosted their yearly Invasion
of Normandy event in mid-July, 2018
drawing thousands to their Jim Thorpe,
Pennsylvania park to recreate the pivotal
event of World War Two, when Allied forces
stormed ashore on the beaches of France
to begin their liberation of Europe from
Nazi tyranny. Supported by a vast cross-
section of paintball industry companies
large and small and featuring epic battles
and a full weekend of play on varied terrain,
Skirmish ION, as it has become known,
draws recreational weekend players,
serious scenario teams, tactical mag-fed
operators and even serious tournament
players and industry celebrities and has
grown to become consistently the largest
event in paintball.
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2018 saw just over 4,000 players of all ages
and skill levels converge on Skirmish for the
Invasion of Normandy, and the paintball
industry rallied to support them. G.I. Sportz
brought paintballs for the event along
with an army of equipment technicians
supporting their various brands including
Empire and Tippmann, while other brands
including Valken, Ninja, Inception and HK
Army made the trip as well as numerous
smaller vendors offering everything from
clothing to combat boots and tech services.
Like they do every year, a massive number
of players at the event choose to camp on-
site and the event took on a festival, almost
Woodstock-like atmosphere allowing
players from all areas of the country and all
walks of life to mix, mingle and enjoy the
paintball life.