A Long Island man decided to take advantage of February's near-record snowfall to build an impressive snow luge for his nieces and nephews.
Jay Venini of Northport shot video of his backyard creation, dubbed the "Looney Luge," in early February. He says he got the idea to build a snow luge so that his family "could have a fun place to go and play in the snow," according to the YouTube video description.
The kids used toboggans to slide around the track, which, in true Olympic spirit, sported the words "USA 2014" on the side, with the help of some Kool-Aid coloring.
Outfitted with cameras, the children are seen grinning and laughing as they slide down the luge.
Venini said the luge was built up about 5 feet off his deck, which itself is 5 feet off the ground, making the luge about 10 feet high at its tallest point.
"The key was to ice it down at night when the temperature was in the teens," he told NBC 4 New York.
He even placed LED lights in the middle of the ice luge for nighttime riding.
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Venini said the luge started to melt last week amid the warmer temperatures, and while the base has been spared, it is now unrideable.
"We were hoping for snow -- probably the only people in New York, but yes, we wanted snow on Monday to build it back up," said Venini.
Nearby Islip has recorded 58.9 inches of snow so far this season, which is 20 inches above average, according to Storm Team 4.
