Interesting sign at Highland Park instructing sledders where the activity is permitted.
Highland is not an approved location. But that's not what's interesting about the sign.
Notice the illustration. Yep, that looks like a classic Flexible Flyer, but I'm not talking about the sled. Check out the belly-flop position of the sledder.
I remember going downhill head-first, once, and the result explains a lot -- including why I never did it again. But that was in the early 1960s, before helmets for bicycling and elbow pads for skateboarding. Not to mention seat belts and child seats.
The National Safety Council's official sledding position is "to sit or lay on your back on the top of the sled, with your feet pointing downhill. Sledding head first increases the risk of head injury and should be avoided."
Normally, a picture is worth a thousand words. Grammar aside, the safety council got its point across in far fewer.
As for the county, it's sending a mixed message on sledding safety: The activity is allowed only in certain "safe" places, but once there, knock yourself out having fun.