Boxing Day 2009 Sledding Conditions: Horrible!

I began construction on a frontyard to backyard luge run on Christmas, thinking if I could get the basic shape made from the slush, I would have an inpenetrable wall of ice forming the curves. This would then be coated by light fluffy snow as the weather changed. So far it seems to just be jagged pointy crust waiting to destroy any sled that comes near it.

Mine is faring a little better, though I have a couple of low spots to deal with. I tromped things down with my snowshoes yesterday and got a nice deep bed packed down. As it comes round to the front of the house, it banks left and uses the natural slope of the yard to maintain velocity.

The frozen slushy luge run type of track is what left me with that most awesome scar on the back on my cranium.

Since they plowed the path in Lincoln Park it now looks as though someone planned it to be a skating path. Usually I see 3-4 people in the park, this morning, nobody.

I'm sure some city employee was thinking he/she was doing something nice by plowing the path and now it is 2-3 inches of nice flat slippery ice.

Thanks !

Candace Renalls had this great article about 100 snowblowers being brought in to Denny's with broken gears and shear pins due to the heaviness of this snow. 

Interesting PDD style debate in the comments section about how budget cuts have led to slower response times for plows and trucks, which lead to harder to remove ice later on.