Slip, sliding fun

As her sled whipped down the hill at break-neck speed, Alinah Grishnel could muster the breath for only one comment about the ride -- wow.

Grishnel joined a group of 10 or so teen-agers at Crevasse Moraine's enormous sledding hill during the first major snowfall of the season. A 20-minute trek up the hill resulted in a 10-second trip down, but the sweat-inducing hike to the top was worth it.

"What a rush," Grishnel said, out of breath from the ride down. "I bet we got going 30, 40 miles an hour. Whoa."

As Grishnel brushed off the snow, she waited for her friends, who made the quick trip down the hill on a giant tube that held three people -- at the start. At the bottom, one boy, Tyson Thomas, stood alone as the other two girls, Shay Tosner and Alicia Poznarski, lay halfway up the hill, the victims of a bumpy ride with no seatbelts.

"This hill is awesome," Thomas said. "Getting back up isn't that fun, but the ride down is incredible. You go better when you are by yourself I think."

The Crevasse Moraine system has long been known to hikers and cross-country skiers as one of the Valley's jewels of outdoor recreation. Located off Loma Prieta Drive on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway, it's centrally located and features miles of trails for people to use.

No matter if it's winter or summer, the area is a popular choice among outdoor enthusiasts. Recently, the list of users has increased to include those seeking fast-paced thrills aboard sleds.

"It's packed every weekend," said Warren Templin, the Mat-Su Borough's recreation specialist. "It's relatively safe compared to the other places people are sledding. It's great to see how many families are using it, out there and having fun."

There are actually two hills at Crevasse Moraine -- a smaller one and the giant hill Grishnel and her friends were sledding. The hills were put in several years ago, but at the time, the borough administration wasn't keen on seeing people flying down them.

"For some reason, the administration at the time was against it, so we didn't have it up and running for people to use," Templin said. "It's the type of thing that a lot of people can use, and safely, for a low cost. Thankfully the administration is changing and seeing the good in it."

You don't have to convince the many users of the area that it's a good thing. Just listen to the thrill-induced screams as they fly down the hill, spraying snow everywhere in the process.

"There's a lot of sledding hills at the schools, but they are nothing compared to this one," Thomas pointed out. "They should put in a little chair lift like at Alyeska."

While a chair lift is certainly not in the borough's plans, some improvements are. Templin said some more safety features are in the works.

"We've got some signage that we are planning to put up to educate the people about what types of sleds to use," Templin said.