Here in Alaska we don’t sled like normal people do. Why walk up and sled down wimpy little hills when mountains surround us? We are literally SURROUNDED by mountains (I live in “The Valley”). Hatcher’s Pass is my favorite place on the planet. It’s my playground. And it happens to be home to the two best sled runs that I’ve come across yet: 16 Mile and Paradise.
16 Mile is named such because it begins at mile 16 of the Hatcher’s Pass road. The run itself is probably about a mile long (a guess) and ends near the bottom of the pass. Cliffs, trees, humongous jumps, rocks… You name it. Once you reach the bottom, everyone piles into the van with the designated driver (thanks mom!) and off you go again!
Paradise, in my opinion, is aptly named due to the simplicity and all around easier run that it is compared to 16 Mile. It’s shorter though, and has more flat areas, which can be a good thing if you’re not really all that great at steering a sled.
One prominent detail that needs to be mentioned: we race. There are no rules, the first person to make it to the bottom wins. Wipeouts – accidental or otherwise – are all a part of the game. And every bruise and bump I end up with is totally worth it.
This kind of sledding is a skill. And I really don’t know how to describe just how awesome it is. It is most definitely however, my favorite activity in the whole world.
Since a picture’s worth a thousand words…
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Getting ready to head over the edge |
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Me and Noah on the ride up |
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Baruch tearing it up! |
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to get really good pictures of us sledding and the runs on account of excessive speed, so these pictures don’t really do the sport justice. But I’d say that last one is a good one.
This final picture is the reason I love Hatcher’s Pass, and is probably one of my favorite scenery shots in all of Alaska.
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| Hatcher's Pass, Alaska |
I MISS THIS. DANG IT FOR INSTIGATING HOME SICKNESS!
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm just kidding. Actually, this is really cool, I will show my students how hard core we alaskans are. Because once they asked me why I don't like soccer, and I wanted to tell them "Duh. Because I have better things to do!" Like sled.
You don't like soccer, Val? Also, THIS LOOKS AWESOMELY FUN EMILY! There are really super awesome scary sledding hills at UAF. Which I'm actually kind of terrified because I literally watched my friend break her wrist...
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