It has all the cheap speed, inexpensive durability, and free maneuverability (i.e. Paricon Winter Lightening ($60 for a three-pack through ) If you want a sled to hang in the cabin, decorate your ski-resort timeshare, or pass down to your grandkids, this is it.Ĥ. But what the Boggoa lacks in sterrability, it more than makes up for it in aesthetics and sheer fun. What it lacks in maneuverability and comfortability (spring for the optional pad $30). We fit five people at once on the handmade Mountain Boggan, and it easily held up. Mountain Boy Sledworks 6’ Mountain Boggan ($200) Thankfully, the sledder-always-has-the-right-of-way precept is still the norm at most hills. But in a way, that’s the best feature: Steering is more of a suggestion. In practice, the Flyer handles as well as a kitchen table. ![]() The Flyer introduced flexible rails that allow the rider to steer down the slope-at least that was the idea. The original steel-railed beauty that revolutionized sledding in 1889, when it debuted, is still accounting for untold winter fun. The downfall: it’s hard to develop speed in powder conditions look for ice and steep grades.Ħ. The best part: It’s fun to destroy them (although actually doing so is often harder than it might seem). A plain old second-hand tire is a great choice for tubing on the cheap. Twice-Patched Truck-Tire Inner Tube ($3, purchased at Amigo Tire Co., in Santa Fe, NM)Ĭheap. Still, the Snow Boogie won a handful of first-place votes for its belly-down style and its maneuverability -lean hard one way and the Snow Boogie will actually carve in powder.ħ. Not so in the mountains (no wonder they call them the Rockies). The Snow Boogie is supposed to be ridden like an ocean-going boogie board-only problem is that waves give way when your hands dig in. Wham-O SnowBoogie Air Thunder ($20 purchased at Walmart) In the end, it made our list because it was the only plastic disc that we didn’t destroy.Ĩ. In other words, it’s wicked fun, and everything a sled should be. As such, it’s uncomfortable, unmaneuverable, and uncontrollable. ![]() Paricon Avalanche Circular Sled ($14 available online through Sam’s Club)ĭon’t let the name confuse you. (Hey, someone has to do it.) But it was fast, and the kids on the hill who borrowed it loved it.ĩ. Unfortunately, after a few runs by our male testers, it earned the less-than-glowing moniker “The Capital of Thailand.” That said, we were riding it early season on two inches of snow with intermittent saplings spread throughout the testing hill. The Quickie killed the other sleds on price. TSL Quickie ($9 available at ORS Snowshoes Direct) Here are the ten best sleds** to do it right (don’t worry, there is still plenty of snow), whether you’re a kid in the Rockies or an over-the-hiller in Flatlandia. This was my 10th winter high peak, and Jon’s first winter ascent.Sledding, that noble winter-weekend sport, looks simple. ![]() I’ll write more about glissading in a later post, but basically this is a high-speed butt slide down the mountain that not only decreases your descent time, but saves energy and takes stress off your knees (provided you don’t crash into trees, rocks and other hazards). This hike was the first chance I had to use my new TSL Quicky Sled for a glissade descent. Although the forecast was for mostly cloudy skies, we lucked out and had an absolute bluebird day with great views in all directions. Well, long story short Jon was ready to get back out there so we set a date and made it happen. He spent alot of time out west and hiked 23 of the more than 50 peaks over 14,000′ (there is some dispute over how many peaks actually qualify as fourteeners). Jon is a friend from work who approached me earlier this winter after seeing a summit panorama from Dix Mountain on my cubicle wall. ![]() Wright is the 16th highest peak in the ADK with an elevation of 4580′. On the first day of the trip, Jon Luellen and I hiked to the Summit of Wright Peak.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |