• Wednesday-What'sUP February 22 - 10:21 pm

Winter fun in the Upper Peninsula takes on many forms, most of them include the outdoors and snow! Sledding is one of my all time favorites, although I've become a bit more cautious as the years have added up. When you're young like Aladino Mandoli's pal in these photos, you don't notice the cold, the hike or the exercise you're getting while you're outside trekking up the hill over and over just to head back down again. No, all you really care about at that age is the thrill of the ride and the agony of the wipeout when you reach the bottom!

Good morning, nothing like a good slide to make your day.

Beautiful Pictures, I can smell the crispness of the air and snow and trees. Sometimes you make me so homesick. How I'd love to be the on a pair of snowshoes out there. I think I'm a little old for the sled, but more than willing to work on a run for a child to enjoy. Thanks!

I can't believe some people do not understand the origins of the skelton or luge. We've been doing them for years and to some of us, it was the way to begin sledding.

Good Morning fellow Yoopers. where is this young lad sledding at? looks like a pretty nice run.

Mary, You sound like the opening for the ABC's sports Saturdays "The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat". I still love the winter Olympics, but they aren't nearly as good without ABC doing them. Anyway, that sure looks like fun. It's a great place to sled in the summer and a great place to ride down on your piece of cardboard in the summer---oh the memories! Anyway, the pictures are again bringing me back to my childhood days. Pasty.com tends to do that for me. I just love this website. Keep up the good work. And good morning everyone.

I "luged" into a tree once on a course about like the one in the picture. Broke the hand made sled in the process.

When those round, plastic, saucer sleds first came out, I wanted one so bad, but my parents thought our Flexible Flyers were doing the job fine. Well, mom at the time was using an old wringer washer and it had a steel round lid, I unscrewed the handle and I had my saucer sled after all! That thing was fast, heavy, and durable for many years! Don't have that anymore, but still have a couple Flexible Flyers.

As a child growing up in the West end of Hancock we did alot of sledding on "Amotos Hill".We even dared to try some runs at Thorton's quarry---never told my parents.!!! We would sled until the sun went down and the street lights would come on. Trudge home and change from the stiff and cold snow pants and mittens to the warm flannel pj. Great memories. Would also wax our sled runners with candles and wax paper. Does anybody remember skakting at the Lauren Grove ice rink??? Had March of Dimes skating parties there on Sunday afternoon. Loved to buy those great decorated cupcakes for 15 cents.!! Jack Ploof was the rink ice man then.

Would "pretend" speed skating at the Lauren Grove ice rink. Would also visit the Hillside and Terraace in East Hancock. Remember watching them flood the rink and we would help "scrape" the snow with shovels. Sometimes the snow would be so high on the boards that we would have to "scoop" to the end and wait for the guys to shovel it up. We would watch for the "lights to come on" about 6:30 at night for 7 o'clock skating. Was always sad when they didn't "glow". It was also sad when the end of skating season came. The rink would get very slushy and we would try our best to make one last lap in the mushy ice.!! Remember playing "crack the whip" and figures in the center of the ice. Boys always had first "dibs" on the weekends for hockey---we could only skate on Sunday afternoons from 2-4!!! Good old days. We could also skate at the Dee Stadium for 50 cents for the Sunday afternoon and Sunday night skating sessions. Had to walk from West Hancock to Houghton carrying our skates over our shoulders.

Oh, how fun that looks! We used to sled all winter long down the road next to our house. Many years ago there was a accident with a friend there, and I haven't been sledding since.
But I still can't wait until I have children old enough to go!

I remember "skating" many blocks to and from Lauren Grove with my skates on. Too lazy to carry my skates I guess and I don't remember there being any skate guards. ALso we'd walk to Colonial Steak House hill dragging our sleds, sled all afternoon, and then walk back home. It wasn't exercise, it was FUN.

Janie T, When the automatic washing machines came out, think your parents wanted one? It would have been kinda funny for you to say, that old wringer washer is doing just fine. Tee Hee. We had a great sledding hill behind the school in Painesdale. It was hard work walking up the hill after a few runs. Worth it tho.

Lorelei, funny as it seems...mom did have a automatic washer as well, but she liked that old wringer so much! It finally gave up and then she was convinced the newer one was the way to go! Ha!

Hi Dotsi...I grew up a half block from Lauren Grove ice rink! I would 'skate' down the street, never wearing skate gaurds either! Our families were close for a time, I'm a Houle girl. (Anne & Tony) I also did a lot of sledding on Amato's hill and lost a few teeth there behind Thorntons. I was hit in the mouth by an aluminum 'flying saucer'... I too remember coming home freezing cold, frozen stiff snow pants and mittens! My feet would BURN after I took those skates or boots off! My mom would make hot chocolate and home made bread toast! YUMM... What fun!

Notroll - loved your comment about "working on a run for a child to enjoy." There would be lots of enjoyment in watching them make memories.--Not to make you more homesick but it is a beautiful winter day up north and we will take advantage of it by going for a snowshoe.

Boy do I wish we had snow like that to play in down here in SE Michigan. My little niece could sled, and I could cross-country ski.

Afternoon all.
Remember well playing Hockey at Lauren Grove. Late 50's early 60's. Kept the Hockey Jersey for many years. One of these day will get over to moms and go thru the boxes and boxes of old photos she has. I know there are many Shoebox Memories buried in them. Enjoy the day everyone.

We used a coal shovel or a heavy piece of cardboard for sliding down the hills. It was greeeeat.

great album Aldolino !! I love the "ice slide" pics at the end of your album. Always wanted to make one for my kids but the job is a little bigger than i anticipated !! And, someone in ur pic skied the Noquemanon too - nice hat.

TODAY IS REALLY MAGNIFICENT FINN!!!
SUOMI was IRONs!!!!!!!

now that i think about it, i cant recall ever seeing a toboggan run in
the upper peninsula.

surely there must be a toboggan slide somewhere up there??

John,

I think I've read about a luge run up here somewhere, but can't
recall where it is.

John and Barb,
There is a toboggan run in Ishpeming and a luge run in Marquette/Negaunee.

http://content.marquette.org/Travel/luge.htm

http://content.marquette.org/Travel/Al%20Quaal.htm

Could it have been near one of the old log runs?

Sussu, I don't remember having blade guards for our skates either...back in the day. And after a day of skating, I remember that the laces on the skates would be frozen stiff from the snow and slush. So we would trudge through the snow in our skates, on the way home...and tip toe across the pavement/streets/sidewalks in our skates, so as to not dull the blades. Perhaps that is where I developed the skill of being able to walk on my toes.

Jarmo:

Congratulations on Finland's winning the
match with the US. If the US wasn't going to
win, it cheers me to know that they lost to
Finland.

Canada, though proud that the women won at
hockey yesterday, are absolutely in mourning
because the men's hockey team lost to
Russia.

Anyone remember skating across the street from Dover's house on Minnesota Street? Charlie would make a rink every year. How about Whispering Pines on the upper highway or Fulton rink?

rsomero
yes, i remember charlies's rink. we had some
hockey scrimmages there occasionally. charlie
put a lot of work into that rink for his beautiful
daughters every year.