SLEDFEST......a tradition of friends.

OK, so I don't know how I should start this blog exactly??? Should I start by talking about what sledfest is...or should I talk about how excited I got last night when I found a sled online that matched my exact design that I had planned to build.??

I guess I'll start by explaining what Sledfest is. The summer after I graduated from High School my best friend Mike passed away. He was long boarding with a couple of our close friends and accidentally started down a hill that was WAY too steep. He wasn't wearing a helmet and when he bailed off he hit is head. He was in a comma for two days and eventually passed away from the hematoma and swelling in his brain. Anyway, his last words uttered to my two friends that day before he wrecked were: "guys lets make some memories." We took it to heart and really came together and bonded as friends that summer. So, in Mikes honor, two friends and I started a tradition to bring the clan together and remember what it means to love each other and make great memories. We decided that every Christmas eve at midnight we would tear up a mountain slope somewhere and bring in the holiday. We started humbly on the mountain hill behind my moms house in Elk Ridge (payson).... and have gradually upgraded the quality of our hill ever since. Today we actually sneak on to a ski resort (dear valley), where we have a great 5 minute run that has become epic!

Along with good times, great friends and memories, Sledfest has turned into a full on competition. It is simply not good enough to JUST sled...... now it is about who can sled the fastest, or in other words arrive at the bottom first. This has spawned a whole new realm of thinking and planning. My friends and I spend months preparing for our adventure. We are always trying to construct a sled that is faster and better than everyone Else's. This year I decided to design my own ULTIMATE sled. I have had an idea in my head of a design that I feel would be the most insane sled EVER constructed. The goal here is maximum speed, maximum steering, minimal drag, and maximum durability. In my search for an already made sled to validate my design theory, I found the "Hammerhead Sled" a $300 sled that is quite literally my EXACT design.....and the sexiest thing I've ever seen. I can't remember being more excited about something in my whole life! I literally stayed up all night last night searching for schematics on how to build the thing. My version will not be quite as sexy but I'm hoping for pure functionality. I will for sure be documenting this years festivities.....hopefully we can get a couple more good storms to assure for maximum snow coverage on our little run! My friends and I sat around and discussed just HOW fun we thought Sledfest was.....we concluded that it is quite possibly the most entertaining and satisfying leisure activity in the history of mankind so with that being said we decided to create "extreme sledding" and do it not just once, but as many times as possible during the snow season. The distinction was then made; Sledfest would be the annual tradition, with only those who knew Mike in attendance, and extreme sledding would be the activity that we invited ALL who were game to participate in.