DIY snow slide is an ideal activity for adults and kids. After all, you have to spend only a few hours on the construction of the structure.
But for the whole winter, your kids will get a wonderful ice ride.
We start all together
How to fill a hill of snow? To do this, you need a little - snow, desire and enthusiasm. Well, also a few hands. It’s good to connect children to this business. After all, a slide made of snow with your own hands will be especially loved if a piece of your work is invested in it. Smaller children can be entrusted with the simplest and most basic work, for example, bringing snow in children's buckets or rolling snowballs. Older children can be puzzled by the construction of steps. Well, you can even entrust the more experienced to fill the descent with water. Believe me, the process of building a slide from ice and snow will be remembered by the guys for life. It’s so exciting!
Required Inventory
Before building a hill of snow, we will prepare the tools and devices that will be needed for work. There should be a lot of snow so that it can be built from the frame and steps, as well as to pour during the operation of the slide. Also need to cook:
- shovels (by the number of employees);
- pieces of plywood (you can take a used one, not necessarily a whole);
- water.
It is advisable to equip the kids well, who will help you with the construction. After all, the main thing in this matter is not to get sick, and not just the solution to the question: "How to fill a hill of snow?" Therefore, it is better for children to wear waterproof overalls, as well as stock up on several pairs of mittens. Make sure that the kids do not sweat and do not unbutton at the same time, otherwise it is very easy to catch a cold.
Specifications
Any construction object should have its own parameters. They depend on the age of those who will ride on a homemade slide. If it’s teenagers and adults, you can safely erect a hill height of one and a half to two meters. If kids ride this snowy ride, then the height of the slide should be no more than one meter.
The descent length, so that it is easy and not dangerous to ride, should be provided about 5 meters. It is very important to calculate the descent angle. The slide should not be made too steep, the slope should be about 40 degrees. If you make it bigger, then the pleasure of
there will be less descent, in addition, at the end of the descent on a steep hill, the child can get a tangible blow. But a too gentle slope will be uninteresting, because then the speed of the moving out will be significantly reduced.
The width of the slide should be sufficient so that it can be rolled down on a sled. This is about half a meter, no more. When thinking about how to fill the hill with snow, do not forget about the sides on the descent to ensure safety. Otherwise, the kids risk falling, not reaching the end.
Do not forget about reliable steps - it will be easy to climb them up the hill, and if they are sprinkled with sand, they will cease to be slippery.
The benefits of a snow slide
If you make a hill at the beginning of winter, then later throughout the snow time it will be possible to improve and modernize it by adding arches, turns, making branches, adding and decorating with snow sculptures. The advantages of this design are obvious:
- construction can be carried out with children of different ages;
- no special costs for expensive materials or specific tools are required;
- You can experiment and apply your own design.
Before pouring a hill of snow, you need to choose a convenient place. It is very important to place it away from the roadway and away from the paths. See how well it will be lit in the evening, because in winter it gets dark early. Choose its location so that there are no bushes and trees nearby, no fences and hatches, poles, nothing that could be dangerous for skiers.
Shovels in hand - and forward
Better to guess, of course, when a relatively warm day comes. Then the snow will be sticky and the construction process will be much easier. How to mold a hill of snow? First, we roll up several snow balls of different sizes. We put the largest one at the base, then set the smaller ball and so on until the very descent. We fill up the empty space between them with snow and tightly tamp.
Then we form the steps. They should be wide enough and not too high. It is recommended to lay plywood sheets on the descent line - then the surface will be even and smooth. Plywood should be covered with snow and densely tamped with a surface thickness of about 10-15 centimeters. Then, after filling with water, the descent will not sag and no pits and bumps will appear on it.
Fill several times
When the frame of the slide is ready, it remains only to fill the descent with water. It is best to repeat this several times over several days, so that the ice layer is strong.
Otherwise, ice will be quickly broken by sledding. Do not pour water with a strong stream, so as not to blur the snow, do it gently and leisurely.
If there are already frosts on the street and it is impossible to choose a warm day for the construction of a slide due to meteorological conditions, then formwork can be installed from plywood and wooden shields and snow can be poured into it.
Also from snowdrifts that are well pressed, it will be convenient to cut snow bricks. They are laid, for example, at the base of the steps.
Steps should also initially be filled with water - then they will gain strength and will not crumble underfoot. As soon as they freeze well, they must be sprinkled with sand so that the children can climb them without fear.
Think about the top area of the snow slide. It should be smooth, safe and relatively large so that the child does not fall off it. You can also lay boards or plywood on top of it. But be sure to provide that the site is not slippery.
You can make two descents from one platform: one more abrupt, the other more gentle. Do not forget to decorate your slide with an arch or a cheerful snowman - your attraction should be not only functional, but also aesthetically attractive.