I periodically walk with my dog in Olympus Hills Park in Salt Lake County. It gets a lot of snow at this time of year, usually more than most of Salt Lake City, and is hilly with lots of natural areas, including paths through scrub oak and grasses.
It is a wonderful area to walk and enjoy nature in the middle of our city. Until this year I would often see young people snowboarding, building ramps and sliding down unshoveled stairs and handrails. I love seeing young people outdoors doing physical activities and having so much fun. I would often stop to watch their tricks and skills. All the snowboarders that I came upon were polite and waited for me to pass before resuming their fun.
I am very disappointed that now there are signs stating that snowboarding in this park is no longer allowed and that people are in fact receiving tickets and reprimands from police officers for doing so. This is a perfect area for such activities and I see no reason why people should not be able to continue to use our public park for snowboarding. If the government is concerned about liability they can post the same warnings as are at any skateboard park or sledding area.
This park is especially good for those young people who cannot afford to go to the ski areas, or who may not have the means to travel up to the ski areas. I feel that our public parks should be available to all people to use for as many various activities as is feasible.
Olympus Hills Park with its large, open, natural areas and its snowy location should encourage harmless snow activities. How can we get this unwarranted rule overturned so that we can all use our public park?
Susan Tamowski, Salt Lake City
