New Haven welcomed us back to school this semester with a maaaajor snow day! On the last Friday night in January, thick snowflakes began to fall nonstop, covering campus in almost a foot of powder. There’s a sort of hushed beauty about Yale when the snow is falling, as if we’re all waiting for campus to be completely blanketed before heading out to play.
While I’ve always been a fan of a good snow walk (especially when the snow is knee deep and/or perfect for making snowballs), I had never gone sledding around Yale. As per my senior spring bucket list (see previous post here) this weekend was the perfect time to try it out!
The best sledding at Yale is around the Prospect Hill neighborhood, where the science buildings and School of Divinity is located. Behind “the div school” as we like to call it, there’s a perfectly steep hill that is frequented by undergrads, PhD students, and neighborhood kids alike.
You don’t need to bring a toboggan to school with you if you want to sled–any flat surface should work well enough! Popular options include cardboard, garbage bags, and plastic lids for large storage containers. I even know someone who used a deflated kiddie pool.
Once you’ve got your slick surface, the hill is ready to conquer! I love the way sledding brings out my inner kid and brings out the joyful side of an often-gloomy season. Slipping down the slope, it’s almost impossible to not be laughing out loud the whole way down. I’ll definitely be back out on “the slopes” on our next snow day :)
preparing for the descent
view from the bottom!