Winter finally paid off, and in a big way. Such wonderful whiteness can mean only one thing: sled day! Considering only one of the surveyed hills had fresh tracks, it seems that far too few Hoyas partake in this traditional leisure activity. Because they don’t call it the Hilltop for nothin’, here’s the skinny on the best campus sledding.
First, know your equipment. Cafeteria trays work well, but in the upcoming days the snow may turn icy, so doubling up on them to avoid cracking is your best bet.
If you want to start off easy, the hill between Henle Village and Reiss is as slow-going and gentle as a nervous boyfriend. You may get sick of it after a few runs and want to move up to a more experienced level.
Although it may look scary, the slope between the road to Yates and the football field has good speed and is free of obstacles, so it won’t leave you bruised. The only caveat: there’s a gate at the bottom of it, but we slowed down enough to stop before we had to cross that bridge. A good feature of this hill is that it has multiple grades to it. Moving closer to Yates will give you better speed than the section 20 feet to the south of it. With so many options and so few hiccups, this hill is a great mix of experiences.
For those who crave that sensation of the unknown, try the hill between Village C and New North. Matching the speed of the Yates/Football field hill, the Village C hill spices it up with an unexpected drop off at the end, giving a fortunate few a little airtime. The landing can be tricky, however, since the slope turns into a brick sidewalk.
Also waiting to greet you at the bottom are two metal grates that are a fun test of skill, but less fun when you realize that Leo’s trays handle like a 1950s Chevy.
For the serious sledophile, steer your tray over to the hill between Harbin and New North, right next to the stone staircase. Nicknamed “the Hill of Death” by fellow sledders, this one brings excessive steepness as well as multiple obstacles to the table. Down on your left is a metal pole that pokes through the snow and on your right are a variety of bushes that sting all the way down. For the experienced sledder, or the masochistic novice, the goal is to keep a straight path between these obstacles. When walking towards it from the top, don’t let the bright orange safety netting scare you away; the hill is worth the anxiety it provokes.
When any one hill seems to be getting boring, try the ol’ belly slide, the backwards start or the mid-slide 360. If going in a group, try the formation attack. Just be wary of the fact that one person can fit between trees that three people cannot. If you don’t have time to schlep to an art museum or see a movie this week, be sure to take the time to cruise the hills of Georgetown before it all melts into another week of uninterrupted classes. After all, you can’t rest on the Hilltop forever; you have to slide down it once in a while.
