We recently went to visit my parents in North Dakota, where they’ve had a real winter this year.  Mind you, it’s been plenty cold here in Minnesota, but the black fields are testament to our lack of snow.  As a result, the kids were happy to head to Grandma and Grandpa’s, where there was plenty of the white stuff.

My parents also have a nearly-perfect sledding setup.  There’s a small ravine beside/behind the house, and the top of the hill just happens to be where my dad piles the snow when he clears the yard.  Most years he backs the loader down the hill to make a nice smooth surface, but this year there was too much snow for that, so there was a good layer of white fluff to plow through with the sleds.

When we got there, the hill-top pile was pretty primitive and the kids were having a hard time getting up it with their sleds.  My brother got the loader, shaved off the top of the hill so there would be a smooth loading zone, and then cut steps into the hill.  What more could you ask for?

The first day we were there, it was about 30 degrees and sunny, with no wind.  In my opinion, that’s perfect winter weather.  The kids (and adults) had fun sledding, we borrowed some snowmobiles for slow-speed rides in the “cat cutter” trailer, and it only took about 10 minutes to make a big snowman.

The next day, it had cooled off significantly, and due to the amount of sledding on Day 1, the snow was nicely packed and the sled rides were fast.  We warmed up the rosy cheeks with hot chocolate and cookies.  That’s the other benefit of sledding at Grandma’s house.

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