You might want to sled down Mount Trashmore ... but it’s banned

Oh, you know you want to.

The snow is fresh. The hill is perfect. You can hear it in the cool breeze — the siren call to go sledding on Mount Trashmore.

There’s just one problem — sledding is banned at what’s probably Hampton Roads’ best hill to shred.

The rule dates to 1994, when the city banned sledding on the north and west sides of the 65-foot-tall hill, according to a 2008 story in The Virginian-Pilot. Two years later, sledders packed the park. Thirteen people were taken to the hospital with injuries. A 12 year-old-girl hit a fence and her mom sued.

A 2017 story in The Virginian-Pilot said the city tried to scale back on sledding even more the following year and banned certain objects for sliding downhill. In 2000, a full ban was implemented.

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The ban hasn’t been lifted.

“There is no sledding,” said Julie Braley, the public relations manager for Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation. “Any time we get snow we all talk about it.”

A winter storm is predicted to hit Hampton Roads overnight with snow totals up to 6 inches.

When the heavy snow hits, Braley said the parking lot to Mount Trashmore is closed to discourage people from coming to the park. The park will also be closed Saturday.

The reason for the sledding ban is based on safety. Braley said if a person sledding is injured, police and firefighters would have to respond, diverting them from other needs during a snow emergency. Also, closing the park and banning sledding keeps people off the roads during a time when just driving seems more like sledding.

With the hill side of Mount Trashmore covered in snow and not a single person sledding, Carlene Qualls gives her 3-year-old daughter Kaleigh Qualls a short pull ride before leaving the park in 2002. (L.Todd Spencer)

Of course, keeping people from sledding on Mount Trashmore is an uphill battle. Even a simple Google search for sledding hills in Hampton Roads has the former landfill as one of the top options. But for those who try to sneak into the park and hit the hill — and we know you’re out there — you’ll find barricades and staff waiting to keep you off the hills.

So where’s the place to go sledding? That’s difficult to say, but there’s one thing we know for sure: Don’t go to Mount Trashmore.