Now, sometimes I feel like our society is getting a little out of control with all of the safety equipment that kids have to wear just to go outside and have some fun. But, the "helmets required for sledding" rule was instituted by me last year for this particular hill only. Of course, B put up a huge fight and argued, but I didn't give in. "If you want to go on that hill you have to wear your helmet. If you don't want to wear your helmet then sled in a different spot." He wore his helmet, went sledding, came home, walked through the door and said, "It was a good thing I was wearing my helmet because the first time I went down the hill, I went over the bump and my head hit the pavement." I resisted the urge to say, "I told you so" and instead just smiled and said, "Wow, I'm glad you are okay."
This hill is called the hospital hill for two two reasons. First, it is the hill between our houses and the hospital. Second, sledding this hill could put you in the hospital. Hence, the need for helmets.
The hill is VERY steep. (Think crazy black diamond ski hill.) To get up, you have to climb it like you are climbing a ladder. When the snow on it gets packed, you have to go around and up a different way. It is even steep enough to go down on your snow pants (no sled) even when the snow is wet and slushy.
What really makes it dangerous is not how steep it is but the fact that it ends abruptly at the street/alley that runs behind our quarters. So, you come flying down a very steep hill only to have your sled fly over the mound of the snow the plows have pushed up and then crash down into the road. It's pretty crazy but quite fun, although I personally have never sledded this hill.
B, C and a couple of the neighbor boys had tons of fun on it yesterday until they wore all of the snow off and had to come in. Now they are waiting for it to snow again.
4 comments:
That hill has nothing on the Franklin terraces! Or, West Valley with a brick wall at the bottom.
In both cases, this hill is steeper. But you are right, the brick wall at the bottom at least equals or tops the cliff that will develop at the bottom of this hill by later in the season, and the fact that you are going to fly over that cliff and fall into the road.
B- Um, correction mom. Look at the last picture. If you notice the hill stars by the road, comes down about five feet, terraces and then drops off the steep part. Sometime we should build a ramp at the end of the terrace.
Where are the sheets of plastic for sleds?
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