This winter break, many students, whether they travelled or stayed in town, went out in the snow to have fun. While some students prefer skiing or snowboarding, sledding is also a popular option.

“It makes me feel like a little kid again, and it’s really fun,” Myah Sanborn, sophomore, said.

In addition, many students have favorite sledding hills that they go to frequently during the winter weather.

“My favorite place to sled is Heritage Park. The slopes there are just really fun,” Brooke Wardle, sophomore, said.

Shawnee Mission Park is also a popular option for students and their families because of its ability to cater to a wide audience with different preferences, meaning that everyone from small children to thrill seekers and gentle hill lovers to thrill junkies can have fun here.

Various hills at MidAmerica Nazarene University (MNU) are popular with students and their families also.

Safety is an important thing for students to keep in mind when deciding where to sled.

The infamous Lowe’s Hill is a place many know well due to its proximity to the Lowe’s parking lot and the danger this creates, but many still sled there due to the thrill of the intense slopes. However, some students dislike Lowe’s Hill.

“It’s very dangerous and can be a little bit too intense,” Wardle said. The speed one reaches on the slope is also a concern of students. “It’s really steep, and I would be scared I’d fall off my sled,” Sanborn said.

Even at the flattest slopes, one must be careful that no one gets hurt.

Some students have reported accidentally hitting small children or cars. “

The one concern I have with safety is hitting your head or falling off and getting injured,” Arielle Von Der Heyde, sophomore, said.

The distance one would have to travel to their preferred sledding hill is another contributing factor when choosing where to sled, and while there are decent sledding hills close to South, some students travel a long way in order to find a perfect hill on which to sled.

“I would go anywhere,” Sanborn said.

Other students are not willing to travel as far.

“I would only be willing to travel [up to] a 15-minute car ride,” Von Der Heyde said.

As for what to sled on, several students prefer affordable plastic sleds, and the shape of sled also makes a difference. “Saucer-shaped sleds are the best,” Von Der Heyde said. Sanborn agreed.

Several students go sledding often during the winter.

“We try to go as often as we can,” Sanborn said.

Other students enjoy sledding but haven’t had the chance to go in a while.

“I used to go sledding almost every winter break when I was in elementary school, but haven’t gone since then,” Wardle said.

Several students have fond memories of sledding from when they were younger.

“My friends and I snowboarded on sleds in my yard. We pretended we were in the Olympics,” Sanborn said.