Barn Sleding

I grew up on a farm. The main barn was large and round. While it was only 1 story, the roof peaked at least 40 feet up. On one side, the roof sloped to within 6 feet of the ground. It was here that the snow from the driveways was often plowed, making that 6 foot lip very accessible.

No sled required, no snow for that matter either, just a pair of snow pants and the willingness to climb on up the roof.

The roofing material contained a flat middle, about a foot wide, with a ridge running along the long edge. With 2 of the tiles together, there was a perfect indent for boots to fit into and use for climbing.

Up we would climb, some of us to the very top. Down we would zoom. We slide down as many times as we could, before someone caught us. Then, our fun would be done and we'd be sent inside for the rest of the day.

See, sliding down the roof was not allowed. My Mom was always afraid we would fall off. There was a good sized gap at the peak, where the two sides of the roof met. An adult could easily fit through, so nothing kept us from falling through, into the barn, and down to the concrete bellow. Also spaced out on the roof were plastic, opaque tiles. There were meant to let in some light to the cows bellow. These would not support our weight, so we ran the risk of falling through if we picked the wrong spot to slide.

It was lots of fun, until we were caught.