When it comes to finding the best place to go sledding, there are three key factors to keep in mind: steepness, length of run and accessibility.
Has your inner-child ever pondered what it may be like to sled down the piles of snow that mount in the parking lot at the Berkshire Mall thro…
Or at least, these are the factors Nick Watroba, a Pittsfield resident and co-founder of 413Shirts.com, says are the things he looks for in a good sledding spot. Last year, his mom gifted him a snow tube for Christmas, which inspired him to set out and sled down 28 hills in 28 days.
Because of the short snow season last year, Watroba was unable to complete his mission, he said, but he plans to pick up right where he left off this season.
"The snow melted at the end of February last year, and I never made it to 28 hills in 28 days," he said. "So, the upcoming tagline to the new videos will be, '28 hills in 28 days ... we just never said 28 days in a row.'"
Of the hills he was able to conquer last year, these were his top three picks:
Most accessible: Clapp Park in Pittsfield.
"It offers easy parking at the base of the hill with a fun, but safe, hill slope," Watroba said.
Best advanced hill: Sheep's Hill in Williamstown; parking off route 7.
"The hill is so long and so steep that they have a rule where there can be no jumps, because it would be too crazy. It's great for 12 and up if someone is looking for a next-level ride," he said.
Family friendly: Forest Park in Adams.
"This is a golf course in Adams. A windy road takes you through the course, where there are many hills to choose from. Small slopes for the little ones, and fun steep ones for the bigger kids."
Watroba went on to say that, ultimately, the best hill, really, is any one that you can find, whether that be in your back yard, a neighborhood park, or even the Lanesborough Target parking lot.
The most important thing, he says, is to get out there and have fun.
"Sledding doesn't need [to be] a long drive; it's great exercise and it gets the fun flowing."
So, if you find yourself with a good amount of snow, warm snow gear and a sled or tube ready for the slopes, here are some places around Berkshire County to check out:
Children sled at the fourth hole at the Forest Park Country Club in Adams.
Adams
• Hoosac Valley Elementary School
14 Commercial St, Adams
• 41 Forest Park Ave., Adams
Dalton
• Wahconah Country Club
20 Orchard Road, Dalton
Lucy Rosen, 5, of Lenox, sleds down the hill at Monument Mountain High School in Great Barrington, where families joined to go sledding Dec. 26, 2017.
Great Barrington
• Monument Mountain High School
600 Stockbridge Road, Great Barrington
Lee
• Lee Elementary School
310 Greylock St. in Lee
Lenox
• Tanglewood parking lots
The hill opposite the Main Gate of Tanglewood (West St., Route 183)
Clockwise from left: Erik Thomas, officers David Lemieux and Kyler Cahoon, Amalio Jusino and Kingston DeJesus, 8, slide down the hill at Southview Cemetery on South Church Street in North Adams, during a community sledding event. Thomas and Jusino organized the event, which they first held in 2013.
North Adams
• Bryaton Elementary School
20 Barbour St., North Adams
• St. Joseph Cemetery
Church St., North Adams
• Southview Cemetery
Church St., North Adams
People enjoy a day of sledding at Osceola Park in Pittsfield.
Pittsfield
• Clapp Park
233 W. Housatonic St., Pittsfield
950 North St., Pittsfield
41 Osceola St., Pittsfield
Williamstown
• Cole Field at Williams College
Stetson Road, Williamstown
• Sheep Hill
671 Cold Spring Road, Williamstown
• Taconic Golf Club
19 Meacham St., Williamstown
Simon Shin slides down the hill at Taconic Golf course in Williamstown in 2017.