When winter time comes, one of Americas’ great past times arrives with it, sledding. For us in Missouri, there are only a few times a year when we are able to sled. That time is nearly upon us. While the hill at the Junior High is the most popular place to go, many students have discovered other hidden areas.

     “My favorite place is a hill in between two apartment buildings behind Goody’s that me and my friends named Devil’s Hip,” senior Andy Butler said.

     The best places to sled are where there are obstacles that make sledding fun and don’t have to be built.

     “The shape of the hill has a ramp at the bottom,” Butler said.

     People here in Rolla are deprived of sledding for the majority of the year..

     “The best part about sledding is it never gets old because you can only go a few times a year,” Butler said.   

     Sometimes the traditional sleds get a little boring and kids feel propelled to create new ways to get to the bottom of a snow covered hill.

     “A ski board is something that my friend and I made out of an old set of water skis that we found in my shed. We took everything off and put grip tape on the top,” senior Trevor Branson said.

     Inspiration for new ideas of how to make sledding better can come from anywhere and everywhere.

     “We found them and just wanted to make something that could maybe be put in the winter Olympics. Plus, we wanted something that no one else had,” Branson said.

     It requires a hill with little obstacles to use ski boards because they are hard to maneuver.

     “My favorite place is the hill behind Splash Zone when the snow is packed down and all iced over,” Branson said.

     Using a ski board takes some getting used to because they are different from everything else.

     “You have to stand on the balls of your feet because you ride it like a snowboard. It’s only about 8 inches wide. You don’t strap your feet in so you have to learn how to stay on and turn the board without your feet coming off and hitting the ground,” Branson said.

     The things that are homemade can be more fun than things that are bought from the store.

     “I think they are so much more fun than a sled. You crash a lot so sometimes it takes awhile to get all the way down the hill,” Branson said.