How to make a sledding hill in your backyard

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Introduction: Toddler Snow Slide
Step 1: Choose a Location
Step 2: Make a "foundation"
Step 3: Pile on the Snow!
Step 4: Shape the Snow Pile
Step 5: Smooth It Out
Step 6: Make Stairs
Step 7: Slide on Down
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Recommendations
Does cardboard work for sledding?
How do you flatten snow for sledding?

Introduction: Toddler Snow Slide

Winter brings the opportunity for unique outdoor activities if you live in a snowy place. One activity that many people enjoy sledding.

Not all people who live in snowy places can go sledding, though. If you live in a flat area without any good hills, or if you have small children who might be too small to go sledding yet, you can make a snow slide to entertain them from the comfort of your own yard.

My wife and I used the same principles one would use to make a snow jump for skiers/snowboarders to make a sled for toddlers.

Supplies

A snowy yard
A shovel (Flat-nosedor snow shovel)
Gloves
Boots (Optional)
Any other winter clothing you like to keep warm

Step 1: Choose a Location

Choose a place with lots of snow surrounding it.
To cut down on construction time choose:
- Snow banks. This reduce the amount of snow you have to transport.
- Stairs. If you have a back deck with 2 or 3 stairs, you can build a slide down the stairs. (If the stairs aren't used regularly in the winter).

We decided to build ours on a snowbank formed from snow that's been shoveled off our walkway.

Step 2: Make a "foundation"

Make a shape for your snow slide by stomping down the snow to make a "foundation."
Think about which way you want it to point and how long you want it to be.
When the snow doesn't crunch down any more when you step on it, it is compacted enough.

Tip: Make sure the end isn't running into a fence or a bush.

Step 3: Pile on the Snow!

Start piling snow on the "foundation". A shovel makes this go quickly. I suggest a flat- nosed shovel, because it is handy to use it to pat the snow down as you build it up.
As you pile up snow, hit it with the shovel and stomp it down to make it DENSE.
For every new layer, stomp the snow DOWN and IN. You need to stomp it inward so the snow doesn’t just mush out sideways as you are stomping it down.

Step 4: Shape the Snow Pile

The goal of the piling and stomping is to have a lopsided pile with an off-center peak. The peak should be closer to the stair-side of the slide and farther from the bottom of the slide (1/3rd of the length should be stairs and top of slide, and the other 2/3rd should be the actual slide).

The top: Build up snow on the sides to make sure the top is wide enough. Stomp down the top to make it flat. If it can’t be stomped down any more, you can kick snow off to flatten it out.

The slide: Drag your foot down the pile to make a path for your slide to follow. Build up snow on either side of the center-line to start giving your slide shape.

The stairs: We’ll save this for last. Just make sure the snow is compacted on this stair side as well.

Step 5: Smooth It Out

As you've probably noticed with all your previous stomping, stomping makes the snow smooth and slippery.

Stomp along the groove you made with a concave slide shape in mind. Stomp on the center more than the edges of the slide to give it a slide-like indent.
Use your hands to smooth it out further if the stomping didn’t make it slippery enough. (I’d suggest using gloves).

Step 6: Make Stairs

Use your square-point shovel to cut chunks out of the stair side of the pile.
Stomp the stairs’ tops smooth and kick the stairs’ faces a bit to make sure they don’t collapse.

Tip: Don’t try to make the edges of the stairs meet for a perfect edge (unless you’re really confident in the strength of the snow you’re using).

Step 7: Slide on Down

If your toddler is feeling up to it, help them down the slide. Or if your wife is feeling adventurous, she can go down as well.
If you're having trouble sliding, you can use a garbage bag to slide down. It all depends on how wet and slippery your snow is. A sled could be used as well.

Have fun!

Recommendations

If you’re like many moms, the first snow of the year means looking forward to months of having the kids cooped up inside the house, often driving you up the wall. Sometimes they’ll give you some peace and quiet by going outside, but most of the time they want to stay inside and play.

If this is you, it doesn’t have to be. There are some great ways you can make your backyard the perfect place to play in the snow, like these two DIY projects kids will love.

Ice Rink

You can do this fairly easily on your own, and it’s much safer than letting your kids go out on a pond away from home that could potentially break when the temperatures suddenly rise. You’ll need:

Shovel

A leveling material

White tarp or liner

Lumber or PVC pipe for bracing

Running water, preferably an outside source

First off, you’ll want to clear away the snow with a shovel, and then level the ground. You can use gravel to level any slope in your yard.

Next, create your braces by hooking together PVC pipes in a circle or connecting large pieces of lumber. Railroad ties are great for this.

Finally, lay down your tarp. You’ll want to secure it somehow to the brace you’ve made so that no water spills out.

Fill it with water, freeze, and it’s ready to go!

Sledding Hill

If you want your kids to have a safe environment to go sledding, you should build them a sledding hill right in your backyard. You’ll need:

Shovels

Dirt and gravel

Snow (of course!)

Sleds (for testing!)

First, you’ll want to clear away the snow with your shovels.

Then, call in a professional to pour a small mound of a dirt and gravel mixture onto the spot. You’ll want to even it out so that it creates a nice wide hill.

Let sit overnight or several days until it freezes. This will serve as a foundation for your hill so that it will stay sturdy even when the snow is powdery or sparse.

When the mound is good and frozen, heap snow all around it and pack it down—the more the better!

Pull out your sleds and give it a test run! If you ever see the mound peaking through, reapply snow liberally.

This may not keep your kids occupied the whole day, but it will certainly give them a reason to get outside a little more often. And who knows? Maybe this winter fun will inspire more outside activities like igloo and snowman building. It’s a great way to encourage exercise and time away from electronics.

Does cardboard work for sledding?

High on the list of free and DIY sleds is cardboard. The stuff is fairly durable for an afternoon of sledding and is something you probably won't be upset with ruining, especially when you're hitting your highest speed sledding down a particularly steep hill.

How do you flatten snow for sledding?

To pack the snow, drag a smooth shovel down the middle of the slide, or load a sled with some snow to add weight and pull it down repeatedly. If want more of a bobsled track to get into the Olympic spirit, you can fill a round trash can with snow and pull it through several times to provide the curved shape.