Winter - A New Concept

After two days of snowfall, we had plenty of snow here for all the kids to spend their afternoons sledding. As soon as they finished school, they grabbed their coats and set off for a paved but abandoned hill we found near a construction zone. Because it is paved, the snow is even and there are no rocks. When you have wipe-outs, hidden boulders are not fun! The only problem with this hill is there is no "gliding" space at the bottom; just a large, 12" curb to slam into. If you're really good, you can veer your sled around a sharp turn and continue down the hill into someone's house. We try to avoid that as much as possible.
As the snow begins to melt but then freezes into ice at night, it turns into "snice" which leads to some interesting sledding. High speeds, little control, no padding, and a wall at the bottom = thrills + pain! Actually, we've done pretty well; I'm not sure how long the sleds will hold up, but our bodies are doing ok. :)
Our sledding hill

Preparing for take-off

Julianna likes to sled, but reports, "Then, you have to walk ALL the way back up the hill!"


Double riders = faster speed and less ability to stop = great combination
Caroline trying to keep control - notice the concrete wall to her right (there's one on the left, too).