Sledding in Summerlin

Snow Day tradition still going strong

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Every year about this time, Summerlin gets hit with a snow storm. No, honest, it does.

That's because the Summerlin Council hosts Summerlin Snow Day, a day of sledding downhill and attempts at building snowmen. It is strictly for Summerlin residents.

John and Traci Giesea, who live at the Willows, began taking their three children -- now 10, 8, and 3 -- to the event after they moved here from California. This was their third straight year.

"When we moved here, all the kids were like, 'Is it ever going to snow here? So they love it. And it wasn't freezing cold."

Giesea said attending the annual Snow Day has become a family tradition.

The event was first held in 1994 at Hills Park and used 40 sleds. This year's event was Jan. 28, saw about 2,000 participants and used 150 sleds.

The snow was actually crushed ice, brought in by Reddy Ice Corp. Workers arrived at 5 a.m. and proceeded to blast roughly 70 tons onto the sloped area of the Arbors Tennis and Play Park, 610 Sageberry Drive. Arbors has been the location for the event since the park opened in 2000.

The event has become such a tradition, even inclement weather doesn't cause it to be canceled.

"We've even done it in the rain," said Rachel Oliphant, events and communications coordinator for the council. "It was really cold but people still showed up."

She said participants have taken tumbles over the years but no one has sustained a serious injury.

Through the years, the event has seen only a few changes.

"It's one of those things where if it's not broken, don't fix it," said Emily Jordan, administrative assistant. "But at the same time, we try to tweak it to be more user-friendly."

Some of that tweaking included using a conveyor belt one year to take the sleds back up the hill. It caused more grief than it alleviated.

Another year, it allowed non-sledders to be on the slopes. Now the slopes -- there's one that's a bunny hill and one that's for more serious sledders -- are surrounded by bales of hay to limit pedestrian access.

New this year was the use of wristbands, issued when residents paid a fee to attend. The wristbands were checked every time a sledder crested the hill.

The council provided plastic sleds, bought in bulk through an online dealer. Members of the Palo Verde High School football team provided a push for sledders at the top of the hill and a human braking system for catching them at the bottom.

The day's festivities also included refreshments and music.

The sleds -- stenciled with a "property of" designation, are now in a storage unit awaiting next year's event.

"Kids in Las Vegas don't get to see snow," Oliphant said. "This gives them a day of memories."

Summerlin Council is the nonprofit branch of the Summerlin Community Association and organizes social, cultural, educational and recreational activities.