[December 27, 2009] Sledding brings out the kid in everyone Tweet Dec 27, 2009 (Herald-Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- As the longest vacation of the school year, winter break was vital to my mental health as a young student. Growing up in New England and later northern Indiana, I usually experienced more snow during this time of year than is the norm in these parts. Time off for any reason is probably welcome to most kids, but it's a safe bet that the universe would seem more just and equitable to many of them if winter break included enough snow to go sledding every day. As an outdoor winter activity, it's tough to beat sledding. It requires no special skill or training. Equipment can be as simple as a piece of cardboard or plastic trash bag. Sledding can be enjoyed by people of almost any age. It combines the vigorous exercise of trudging uphill with the thrill of speeding downhill really fast. There's something about being a young human that makes us want to go fast, usually faster than adults want to or will allow. When being pushed on the swing or riding in the car, kids don't have any control over speed. I think part of the appeal of sledding for children is that it allows them a rare opportunity to go as fast as they are able. Even as an adult, the rush of wind on my face and the sound of the sled swishing over the snow are liberating in a way few activities manage. The occasional head-over-heels tumble is a key part of the fun. If I don't manage to flip myself over through the natural course of events it is sometimes necessary to do so intentionally. It doesn't require very much snow or a particularly steep hill to have fun, given the right sled. The old school wooden contraptions with metal runners are best suited to compacted, icy snow. I've never liked them much for downhill sledding but they're good to pull for giving rides. For riding by myself, I've always preferred a saucer sled. Because there isn't much sled in contact with the ground, they're plenty fast. Staying on course is only slightly more challenging that staying pointed in the right direction. A saucer ride is the most unpredictable. That unpredictability makes a saucer sled a poor choice for taking young kids down the hill. A better option is the toboggan, a long, flat-bottomed sled that provides room for two or more people to sit in tandem. Wooden toboggans give a good ride but get heavy after a few trips back up the hill. Plastic sleds are a lot easier to haul around but are more likely to crack or break as the result of a hard landing from a jump. The fastest sled I ever owned was an inflatable doughnut sled. It was designed for two people, rated to carry the weight of an adult and child together, and a lot of fun for my son and me for the two outings it lasted. At some point, we must have caught a stick that caused a slow leak that I could never completely patch. Even more than usual for winter activity, dressing in layers is the key to sustained enjoyment of sledding. You're basically going to be rolling around in snow, which is every bit as intrusive as sand, only cold and wet. Tucking pants into socks and shirts into pants will help seal out the snow, but getting cold and wet eventually is part of the game. Sledding is the number one justification for the existence of hot chocolate in the world. Lee Hadley is an outdoor enthusiast who has lived in Bloomington since 1993. To see more of the Herald-Times or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, Herald-Times, Bloomington, Ind. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]