Comments on: Dashing through the snow http://www.yourish.com/2007/12/26/4167 Cutting straight to the point Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:40:44 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: physics geek http://www.yourish.com/2007/12/26/4167/comment-page-1#comment-30302 physics geek Thu, 27 Dec 2007 16:28:15 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2007/12/26/4167#comment-30302 We sanded and waxed our sled runners and then found the steepest, longest hills to race down. One night, when my sled was broken, I picked up a shattered fragment of one of those snow frisby things (someone else was a little too robust in their sliding), put it under my rump and shot down the hill with absolutely no control whatsoever. It was okay, because there were lots of soft people to crash into when I needed to stop. I'm going to take this one step further and suggest that we install those liquid styrofoam crash protection devices like Stallone had in his car in Demolition Man. Better yet, pre-wrap children in those cocoons and set them still. Can't let them roll around because they might get motion sick. We sanded and waxed our sled runners and then found the steepest, longest hills to race down. One night, when my sled was broken, I picked up a shattered fragment of one of those snow frisby things (someone else was a little too robust in their sliding), put it under my rump and shot down the hill with absolutely no control whatsoever. It was okay, because there were lots of soft people to crash into when I needed to stop.

I’m going to take this one step further and suggest that we install those liquid styrofoam crash protection devices like Stallone had in his car in Demolition Man. Better yet, pre-wrap children in those cocoons and set them still. Can’t let them roll around because they might get motion sick.

]]> By: Meryl Yourish http://www.yourish.com/2007/12/26/4167/comment-page-1#comment-30295 Meryl Yourish Thu, 27 Dec 2007 04:03:03 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2007/12/26/4167#comment-30295 Wow, I forgot about that. Yeah, we used to wax the runners, too, sometimes. In Jewish households, you have white candles for the Sabbath. Easy to find. I don't remember if we asked for them or swiped them. Wow, I forgot about that. Yeah, we used to wax the runners, too, sometimes. In Jewish households, you have white candles for the Sabbath. Easy to find. I don’t remember if we asked for them or swiped them.

]]> By: Steve Skubinna http://www.yourish.com/2007/12/26/4167/comment-page-1#comment-30294 Steve Skubinna Thu, 27 Dec 2007 03:31:19 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2007/12/26/4167#comment-30294 When I was a kid we all swiped candles (white ones, we didn't want any dye or other diluents in the wax) to wipe down the sled runners. Every kid with a sled had a white candle stub in his pocket. I don't know if it really made a difference, but we were all convinced it made the sleds go like lightning. Had a cop been present with radar, we would certainly have had him clock an unwaxed sled and then the same sled, waxed. And then we would have insituted an ad hoc tournament to see who could score the highest sled speed. The hill in Manotou Park in Spokane was to us the ultimate sled venue, save for when we Boy Scouts got to do a winter camp on Mount Spokane. Astonishingly high, steep, and long, it was for me the Platonic Ideal of a sledding hill. Many years later I revisited Spokane, and went to the park, expecting to find that the hill had shrunk with the passage of time. Instead, my reaction was "Damn! I used to sled on THAT monster?!!!?" When I was a kid we all swiped candles (white ones, we didn’t want any dye or other diluents in the wax) to wipe down the sled runners. Every kid with a sled had a white candle stub in his pocket.

I don’t know if it really made a difference, but we were all convinced it made the sleds go like lightning. Had a cop been present with radar, we would certainly have had him clock an unwaxed sled and then the same sled, waxed. And then we would have insituted an ad hoc tournament to see who could score the highest sled speed.

The hill in Manotou Park in Spokane was to us the ultimate sled venue, save for when we Boy Scouts got to do a winter camp on Mount Spokane. Astonishingly high, steep, and long, it was for me the Platonic Ideal of a sledding hill.

Many years later I revisited Spokane, and went to the park, expecting to find that the hill had shrunk with the passage of time. Instead, my reaction was “Damn! I used to sled on THAT monster?!!!?”

]]> By: John Bono http://www.yourish.com/2007/12/26/4167/comment-page-1#comment-30292 John Bono Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:14:07 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2007/12/26/4167#comment-30292 I find that winter sledding is just too dangerous(all that hard and slippery ice), so every July 4, I treat the nieces/nephews to a day of sledding. Yes, some people think I'm being too cautious, can one ever be too cautious FOR THE CHILDREN? I find that winter sledding is just too dangerous(all that hard and slippery ice), so every July 4, I treat the nieces/nephews to a day of sledding. Yes, some people think I’m being too cautious, can one ever be too cautious FOR THE CHILDREN?

]]> By: John M. http://www.yourish.com/2007/12/26/4167/comment-page-1#comment-30290 John M. Wed, 26 Dec 2007 19:45:17 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2007/12/26/4167#comment-30290 So we have the softest play surface known to science here (snow), and still we need helmets. Unbelievable. So we have the softest play surface known to science here (snow), and still we need helmets. Unbelievable.

]]> By: Clark http://www.yourish.com/2007/12/26/4167/comment-page-1#comment-30287 Clark Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:51:14 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2007/12/26/4167#comment-30287 Shouldn't sleds come with bumpers at least as strong as automobiles? I realize vehicle skid control would be against the whole purpose of sledding so maybe all trees on 'approved' sledding slopes should have airbags strapped to them. Shouldn’t sleds come with bumpers at least as strong as automobiles? I realize vehicle skid control would be against the whole purpose of sledding so maybe all trees on ‘approved’ sledding slopes should have airbags strapped to them.

]]> By: Flash Gordon http://www.yourish.com/2007/12/26/4167/comment-page-1#comment-30285 Flash Gordon Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:13:12 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2007/12/26/4167#comment-30285 What sort of parent would allow kids to go sledding without body armor? Those metal skids are sharp! Couldn't they make rubber ones? We need a law. What sort of parent would allow kids to go sledding without body armor? Those metal skids are sharp!

Couldn’t they make rubber ones? We need a law.

]]> By: Eric J http://www.yourish.com/2007/12/26/4167/comment-page-1#comment-30284 Eric J Wed, 26 Dec 2007 17:56:22 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2007/12/26/4167#comment-30284 You're still proposing an unacceptably dangerous and deadly world. We clearly need to ban hills. You’re still proposing an unacceptably dangerous and deadly world. We clearly need to ban hills.

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