Ice Blocking — Orange County’s Snow Sledding Substitute!

Alright, I can sometimes be mischievous, and I’m always random, and yes, having fun in a public park past midnight isn’t exactly allowed — usually. But if my way of having fun keeps us kids* out of gangs and away from drugs, then hey, we must not be all that bad!

[*I know we're not really kids anymore, but I sure act like one, still.]

If you find it’s getting late, and you’re looking to have bit of fun (and also to get a bit dirty), then you definitely cannot go wrong with ICE BLOCKING! It seems that so many have only heard of this activity, but have never actually tried it themselves. So here’s my guide on how to have an awesome time rolling around in the grass.

What you need:

1. A park with a grassy hill (the steeper the better, and preferably with less holes!). The park we used was the La Mirada Regional Park. I know it’s not exactly Orange County, but it’s only a few minutes from CSUF. It is very dark here at night, though, so be forewarned!
2. A flashlight. Like I said, it gets really dark sometimes.
3. Ice blocks. These are whole blocks of ice, not little cubes. You can’t really go “Ice Blocking” without this, and really, these can be sometimes difficult to come by. A vending machine in Santa Fe Springs stole about $3 from us, but luckily a nearby Food4Less had nice stack of them for $2 each, I believe.
4. Towels you don’t mind messing up. They really will get dirty and grass-stained.
5. Clothes you don’t mind messing up. They will get dirty, wet, and grass-stained. Snowboarding pants are great for this, if you have any.

What to do:

1. Fold your towels nicely and place it on the bare ice block. Make sure your towel is not touching the grass or going under the ice block.
2. Sit on the towel on the block of ice at the top of your hill. Everyone has their own way of sitting. You can put the block horizontal or vertical, with your butt directly on the block or sitting on it with the backside of your thighs. As long as you can balance and stay on.
3. Slide down the hill! It may take a few tries before you start to get the hang of it, and the ice may need to warm up a bit (literally, it needs to melt a little before it actually slides on the grass).

It’s that simple! Well, you’ll find out. Be ready to fall all over the place and even end up rolling down the hill without the block of ice at all. Watch out for cops kicking you out (or I suppose you can always go during normal park hours, but what fun is that?). We actually saw another block of ice while leaving the park, so it’s actually more popular than you may think. Lastly, have fun!

Try These Variations:

1. The Train. Take a few friends and wrap your legs around each other on the way down. Our 5-person train was the most awesome ride of the night!
2. Double Blocking. Got a big butt? Need more space? Put two blocks together using one towel on top!
3. Head First. Yeah. I didn’t try this one, but hey, who’s stopping you?
4. Backwards. Okay, sometimes this just happens without you even trying.

If you think of another variation that sounds fun, or that you have tried, let us know!