--- title: Congresswoman Seeks to Overturn Ban on Sledding at the Capitol description: A congresswoman has formally requested that a ban on sledding on Capital grounds be waived in anticipation for an upcoming snow storm set to hit Washington, D.C. canonical: https://time.com/3732114/washington-congress-capitol-hill-snow-sled/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-04T19:39:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:05:14.085Z article:section: Politics og:title: Congresswoman Seeks to Overturn Ban on Sledding at the Capitol og:description: A congresswoman has formally requested that a ban on sledding on Capital grounds be waived in anticipation for an upcoming snow storm set to hit Washington, D.C. og:url: https://time.com/3732114/washington-congress-capitol-hill-snow-sled/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt52bb4b27aa1308a5/698782200b72e38a4a6ddfe0/capitol-hill-sled.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Washington DC Area Hit With Mid-March Snow og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Congresswoman Seeks to Overturn Ban on Sledding at the Capitol twitter:description: A congresswoman has formally requested that a ban on sledding on Capital grounds be waived in anticipation for an upcoming snow storm set to hit Washington, D.C. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt52bb4b27aa1308a5/698782200b72e38a4a6ddfe0/capitol-hill-sled.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Washington Kids Should Be Able to Sled Down Capitol Hill, Lawmaker Says > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Mar 4, 2015 7:39 PM UTC  Jon Ward sleds with his daughter Gwen and son Jethro on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol on March 17, 2014 in Washington D.C. Jon Ward sleds with his daughter Gwen and son Jethro on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol on March 17, 2014 in Washington D.C. Win McNamee—Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Mar 4, 2015 7:39 PM UTC The District of Columbia’s representative in Congress has formally requested that a ban that forbids sledding on the U.S. Capitol grounds be waived in anticipation of an upcoming snow storm. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton of Washington D.C.wrote to U.S. Capitol Police Board Chair Frank Larkin on Wednesday requesting the ban be removed for March 5-8, so that D.C. families can take advantage of the snow. “This could be the last snowstorm the D.C. area gets this winter, and may be one of the best for sledding in years,” Norton[ said in a statement](http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-asks-for-kids-to-be-able-to-sled-on-capitol-grounds-with). “Children and their parents should able to enjoy sledding on one of the best hills in the city. This is a one-time waiver that will allow D.C. kids to sled while we await a more formal review of the ban, which will likely come after the last snow has fallen in our region. Have a heart, Mr. Larkin, a kid’s heart that is.” In February, Norton made a separate request to overturn the ban. Norton says families are calling her office, asking for the ban to removed. You can read her letter [here](http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-asks-for-kids-to-be-able-to-sled-on-capitol-grounds-with). ### See Washington D.C. as a Winter Wonderland  Snow falls at dusk by the White House in Washington on Feb. 16, 2015, Jacquelyn Martin—AP  A snow-plough cleans the snow in front of the US Capitol building in Washington on Feb. 16, 2015. Mladen Antonov—AFP/Getty Images  Snow covers the Tidal Basin in front of Jefferson Memorial in Washington on Feb. 16, 2015. Mladen Antonov—AFP/Getty Images  Snow covers the Tidal Basin in front of the Washington Memorial in Washington on Feb. 16, 2015. Mladen Antonov—AFP/Getty Images  A man takes a photo of the snow covered Iwo Jima memorial in Washington on Feb. 16, 2015. Mladen Antonov—AFP/Getty Images  Snow covers "The Breadline" sculpture at the Franklin D. Roosevelt memorial in Washington on Feb. 16, 2015. Mladen Antonov—AFP/Getty Images  A snow-plough cleans the snow on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House in Washington on Feb. 16, 2015. 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