Snowing and Sled Riding in the ‘Burgh

Boy on snow sled
Image via Wikipedia

Before I get started,  there has been a pretty lengthy debate as to whether riding a sled in the snow is termed as sledding or sled riding.  Now, I never considered the term sled riding EVER to be incorrect since I’ve grown up in either central/western PA my entire life.  As soon as I went to college, though, things changed.  For example, here’s a conversation I had with my friend from New Jersey:

Me:              “Hey Brian!  Do you want to go sled riding with us on Flagstaff Hill?”
Brian:        “. . . What?  You mean sledding.”
Me:              “No.  I definitely meant sled riding.”
Brian:        “No.  Sled riding doesn’t make sense.  You meant sledding.”
Me:              “You ride on a sled… which is why it’s called sled riding.  We’re going sled riding.”

After a long-winded discussion and bringing in a few of our friends, it was decided that Western PA people didn’t know what they were talking about and sled riding was incorrect.


So what is it? Are you going sled riding or sledding?

Sled Riding

Sledding

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Since we are all yinzers here – and with all the snow coming our way – we are going sled riding this weekend!

Now, I know most of you will be prepping for tomorrow’s big game.  To get yourself pumped up for the match-up, why

THE FUN AFTER THE STORM - Downhill Sled Ri...
Image by asterix611 via Flickr

don’t you lace up your boots, put on all your Steelers black + yellow garb, grab your sled, and head to one of these locations to go sled riding!  The adrenaline rush will be exactly what you need to be in high spirits before the game.  If you can’t/won’t go sled riding tomorrow, head out Sunday because the snow will still be there:

  • Point Breeze — Cowboy Hill (near Frick Park bowling greens)
  • Squirrell Hill — Blue Slide Park in Frick Park (located off of Beechwood Ave. in Frick Park)
  • Oakland — Flagstaff Hill (across from Phipps Conservatory)
  • Dormont — Dormont Park (near the Dormont Pool)
  • South Park/Bethel Park — Sunny Slopes
  • Wexford — Knob Hill Community Park
  • Sewickley — Blueberry Hill Park
  • Shadyside — Mellon Park (next to the Phipps Garden Center)

The legality of sled riding in all of these locations has NOT been confirmed.

If you don’t want to go sled riding this weekend, why not try snowshoeing, cross country skiing (if you have skis),  or ice skating at either the PPG Ice Rink in downtown Pittsburgh or at the Schenley Skating  Rink at Schenley Park.

Is there a super-awesome-OMG-this-is-the-best-in-the-world sled riding spot that I failed to mention above?  If there is, let us know!  If you go sled riding this weekend, send us some of your sled riding photos wearing your best Steelers clothing for us to post here on the site!
GO STEELERS!

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3 thoughts on “Snowing and Sled Riding in the ‘Burgh”

  1. Pingback: Easy Sledding | Westlake Marina

  2. Chris

    Kids (and adults!) ride down the Dormont Park hill all the time, and people generally clear out the parking lot at the bottom of the hill so people don't slide right into a car. While I've never seen any police there, since it's next to a municipal center I'm pretty sure the cops would shut it down if it were a problem.

    FWIW, here's a video of my two year-old riding:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/cwinters/3136558097/…

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