Kayak sledding

I know I promised I would talk about more boat names next, but I think I'll use that for a filler post some other time. The weather's been getting warmer, and it's supposed to be getting above freezing fairly consistently starting this week (WOOHOO!), so everyone's getting eager to get outside. We're using the last little bit of winter that we have to have all the fun we want to have in the snow without the -30 degree temperatures that usually accompany our winters. In this case, Mike, Tony, and I decided to give kayak sledding a try.

We took our kayaks to the sledding hill on UAF campus. The remains of cheap plastic sleds littered the ground, but we didn't let that deter us. Mike and I each grabbed a Stomper, figuring them to be good, maneuverable choices, Tony grabbed the Mullet, and we started huffing our way to the top of the hill. Turns out that kayaks are a lot heavier than normal sleds, and the climb up the hill was something of a workout. When we finally reached the top, I looked down the hill and noticed it was a lot bumpier than I was expecting. Also, the snow was hard-packed, not powder, and I realized the paddles were probably not going to do us much good. I began to have misgivings.

Mike went first. Tony called for him to drag back on the paddle, but it was pretty ineffective, and he turned sideways and bounced hard on each of the drops near the bottom. I felt sure he was going to flip, but he slid safely into the powder at the foot of the hill.

I went next and tried to follow the back-paddling advice, but there was no grip. I might have had better luck trying to control my speed and direction with a handful of Jell-O. The kayak turned sideways just like Mike’s did, but clearly, his balance was far superior to mine. Slamming back into the ground after each drop was uncomfortable, but not nearly as uncomfortable as when the kayak flipped upside-down and I slid the rest of the way down the hill on my face with a kayak on top of me.

The visor of my helmet was broken, but I was surprisingly undamaged, so we decided to continue. But first, we stuck our paddles into the snow at the base of the hill and decided to control our boats by dragging our gloves on the ground, which worked far better. Tony made sledding look easy, and he always slid the farthest when he reached the foot of the hill. Mike, who loves challenging himself, took the chute that wove through the trees and even took a big jump backwards (though that might have been accidental). Not only did I manage to not flip over again, but on one particularly entertaining trip down the hill, my boat came to a gentle stop right up against the paddles, which I tagged to score a point. (GOAL!!!)

Things we learned: 1) Flat-bottomed boats like the Mullet are a better choice than boats with more rocker. 2) Powder would probably have made this easier. 3) Without powder, don’t try to use a paddle. 4) ALWAYS wear a helmet!!! 5) Unless you're actually injured, don't quit just because your first try didn't work out perfect.

This is definitely something that was worth doing, and while I don't know if it immediately jumped to the top of my List of Favorite Activities, you certainly wouldn't have to twist my arm to convince me to go again.

--Video courtesy of Pirate Cat Studios