Sledding hill at Government Peak remains closed

The Mat-Su Borough has no plans to reopen a popular sledding hill near the Government Peak Recreation Area chalet, an official said Wednesday.

A metal seasonal “stay off slope” sign has been installed at the top of the hill to replace the paper signs officials put up in the area last year.

The run, which starts at the parking lot next to the chalet and extends about 150 yards south, ends on a short incline but has no extended run out area.

The Borough closed the run to sledders last year due to safety concerns, said Hugh Leslie, a parks and recreation official with the Borough.

“The historical problem with that slope is there’s not enough run out at the bottom to designate it as a sledding hill,” Leslie said. “I’ve been doing this for 23 years the last thing I want to do is a kid or adult get hurt in a recreation area. Reminding people to say off that slope was not a decision taken lightly.”

That portion of Government Peak Recreation Area lacks deep snow, Leslie said. And temperature increases often turn the slope into snow topped with a crust of ice, making for some very fast – and potentially hazardous – sledding, he said.

Officials would like to fund a project to make the slope safe and useable for sledding, but the funding just isn’t available, he said.

While Leslie said he hopes visitors obey the signs, there’s nothing the Borough can do to enforce the rule.

“We don’t have the ability to enforce it, we just encourage folks to stay off that slope and hope that they comply with that,” he said.

The Borough does have several designated sledding areas. Miles 10.6 and 16 on Hatcher Pass Road, as well as the Independence Mine area can be used for sledding. A steep sledding hill is also available in Crevasse Moraine, Leslie said.