good place for sledding off hwy 2 or others?

[genepires]

Going saturday for some kiddie sledding just off hwy 2. Kinda at a loss of where though. Any ideas? Hopefully close to a road with a small kid sized hill and reasonable parking. possibilities?

 

north side of stevens pass proper?

maybe near the employee housing just east of the pass?

 

If you can think of other cool places to go on different roads, then it would be helpful for other trips.

 

thanks for the help

gene

 

 

[montypiton]

the old Yodelin Lodge, is, I believe, the Stevens Pass Employee housing complex a mile east of the summit. Historically, the old Yodelin ski run has been used for sledding.

[mattp]

I'm curious here.

 

When I was a kid we used sleds that had steel runners on them and looked like the sled in "Citizen Kane." These things really flew over frozen ground with minimal snow on it like what we had in Michigan when I was growing up. Yes, I went to the emergency room every winter when I hit a bump and bashed my teeth through my chin or hit a tree and broke a rib or whatever but it was all good fun. These things went fast and you had real steering capability (even if my track record suggests that steering and judgment may not have been executed perfectly).

 

My question is this:

 

Is it really "sledding" to slide down a hill in some plastic tub "sled" that we here on the West Coast recognize as a sled? They don't go nearly as fast and they aren't really a sled. They are more like the cafeteria trays that the "bad" kids from the nearby university used to show up with when I was a kid.

 

I mean no disrespect for anyone who wants to head up to the pass and have some fun. I'm just curious about nomenclature. Don't "sleds" have runners? (Runners would be useless in deep snowpack, I know.) Isn't what we do up at the Pass really "sliding" and not "sledding?"

 

(By the way: when I was a kid we had Siberian Husky's and did a bunch of dogsledding, too. Dogsleds have runners. And we didn't say "mush" when we wanted them to go. Maybe it was a "style" thing, but we were not "mushers." We were "dogsledding." And let me tell you: those dogs could go REALLY fast. I don't think it would have been nearly as cool to hook them up to one of the tub type "sleds" that we call sleds around here -- and certainly not as controllable.)

 

I don't mean to hijack Gene's thread. I'd like to hear more roadside options for snowplay because I want to head up there whatever you want to call it. I just thought a little side-discussion might be interesting.

 

Where do you guys go, anyway?

[genepires]

huh Matt, you pose a hard philo question. We use plastic kiddie "sleds" on denali. I think we call the plastic things sleds because of all our pow pow in which steel runner sleds wouldn't work, like you said. It is a geographic use thing.

 

I can think of a few places that I have seen people (usually LOTS) at:

The deer creek road TH at the end gate on the mtn loop hwy, big four side.

Paradise on rainier.

picture lake near baker ski area.

 

Thee has got to be some good places around that aren't mobbed with people yet still accessible. It seems like the road between i90 and alpental is completly fine but are unable to park anywhere.

Edited December 30, 2009 by genepires

[denalidave]

 

I mean no disrespect for anyone who wants to head up to the pass and have some fun. I'm just curious about nomenclature. Don't "sleds" have runners? (Runners would be useless in deep snowpack, I know.) Isn't what we do up at the Pass really "sliding" and not "sledding?"

"sled (sld)

n.

1. A vehicle mounted on runners, used for carrying people or loads over ice and snow; a sledge.

2. A light wooden frame on runners, used by children for coasting over snow or ice."

 

Or, if the terminology is not fitting, just grab an old inner-tube and go tubing instead... Seems like a bit of hair-splitting here.

[robert]

Gene,

Too late I know, but in case you are still looking for a good place... I have taken kids sledding on the north side of Stevens Pass along the cat track up to the cell towers on Skyline Ridge. There is a great sledding snopark at Hyak, the Hyak SnoPark. It costs $10 to park there, but the sledding is groomed and just the right angle. That the car is just a few steps away and there are bathrooms makes it a good option for groups including other than outdoor people. I have taken people sledding out of the Stevens employee lot, but you are looking at a snowshoe of half an hour or so to get to a suitable spot.

[genepires]

thanks! good info and will use. That hyak option sounds good.

 

gene

 

[Rad]

I know people who really like the Hyak spot. Haven't been with my kids yet, but we'll get there.

 

Matt, I also grew up with the sleds with runners. They are way more fun than the other kind. I think they're faster because they work on the same principle as ice skates: put a lot of pressure on a narrow blade to melt ice underneath. Fun! As you get older add alcohol and trespassing and jumps to increase the fun factor.

[genepires]

we went to the hyak place today and the sledding hill was closed! mostly bare ice, twigs and dirt. Sucky. and it cost $20 to park there! and we paid it! we are dumb.

 

but, the hill looks damn near perfect if the snow was there. next winter.

Edited March 1, 2010 by genepires