HABERSHAM COUNTY, Ga. — Last weekend, as Winter Storm Fern bore down on Northeast Georgia, shoppers across Habersham County rushed to stock up on generators, chainsaws, gas cans and propane. The storm delivered more than a half-inch of ice in some areas, knocking out power for thousands and leaving crews scrambling to clear fallen trees.
This weekend’s forecast brings a very different kind of winter concern.
With the risk of ice reduced and meteorologists calling for 4 to 7 inches of snow across Habersham County, the hottest — and hardest to find — item isn’t emergency equipment. It’s sleds.
Now Georgia searched for sleds across the county and found empty shelves at every stop.
At Cornelia Ace Hardware, owner Matt Colston said sleds have been sold out for more than a week.
“We sold out ahead of Fern last week and now we can’t even order any,” Colston said. “There’s not a sled to be found.”
The search then moved to the Cornelia location of Walmart, where a store manager who identified himself as Chris said shoppers won’t find sleds there either.
Chris said Walmart stores in the region do not typically sell sleds this far south, even when winter weather is in the forecast.
At the Lowes in Cornelia, store manager Jeremy Gattis said the store has not carried sleds for several years.
Our final stop was Habersham Hardware in Clarkesville, which did have sleds earlier this week but was sold out as of press time. They had 138 sleds at the start of the week. “We sold out yesterday,” a clerk told us.
While sleds were nowhere to be found, all four stores visited were well stocked with the high-demand items that flew off shelves ahead of last weekend’s ice storm. Each location had generators, gas cans, chainsaws and propane available.
The contrast highlights how this week’s storm has shifted consumer demand from emergency preparedness to winter recreation, as residents hope for a lighter, more playful event than last weekend’s ice storm, which forced road closures, delayed emergency responses and left some areas without power for days.
Without sleds on store shelves, longtime snow-day improvisation is making a comeback.
Household items such as large pieces of cardboard, plastic storage bin lids, cafeteria trays and heavy trash bags layered over cardboard can serve as makeshift sleds. Pool floats, inner tubes and plastic laundry baskets have also been used during past snowfalls, particularly on gentler hills and shorter runs.
Extreme caution was urged with improvised sleds, especially on steeper slopes. Riders should avoid areas near roads, trees and fixed obstacles, wear helmets when possible and closely supervise children.
While ice brought anxiety and damage to Northeast Georgia just days ago, the coming snowstorm is shaping up to deliver something many residents have been hoping for instead — a quieter winter weekend, neighborhood hills filled with laughter and a reminder that sometimes the best sled is whatever happens to be in the garage.
And this time, at least, no one is scrambling for chainsaws.
