Types of Sleds

Sliding down a hill sounds pretty simple until you try it with several different types of sleds. Speed, control, weight, and safety are all affected by your choice of sledding equipment. The following list will help you choose the type of snow sled that's best for you and your family. From Snow Sled to Saucer The type of flexible flyer sled has a huge impact on the overall sledding experience. Heavier snow sleds offer more control but are a pain to haul uphill, while lighter snow sleds are easy to carry but are sometimes a crazy ride on the way down (though sometimes that's part of their appeal). Here's a breakdown of the various types of snow sleds and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Baby Sleds Toddler sleds or wood baby sleds are designed with the safety of younger children in mind. Even an inexpensive toddler sled should feature a safety belt as well as a tow rope that allows your toddler to stay buckled up while you pull the sled uphill. Toboggan Toboggans are available in many different styles suitable for younger or older children. Plastic toboggans are light but offer little control. A toboggan with runners provides greater control, but the ultimate combination of control and portability comes from a toboggan with steering wheel.

Sleds
Sleds are made primarily from foam, plastic, or wood. A foam sled is lightweight, fast and comparable with a plastic sled for both speed and control. Both foam sleds and plastic sleds are also quite inexpensive. A wooden sled, especially a wooden sled with metal runners, offers greater control than other sled materials but is also heavier to haul uphill.

Saucer Sleds
A saucer sled is the ultimate sled if you're looking for a fast, uncontrollable, and crazy ride. Active kids will enjoy being able to zip up and down the hill quickly with a lightweight saucer sled. Saucer sleds are an appropriate sledding choice for daredevils and older children.

Steerable
A steerable sled provides more control than other sleds, but can take some time to get used to. For experienced sledders, steerable sleds are one of the best combinations of control, speed, and lightweight hauling.

Kicksleds
A kicksled permits an altogether different experience than traditional downhill sleds. Kicksleds can be used on both slopes and flat surfaces. Think of them as winter bicycles. A kicksled is mounted on runners that allow the user to ride with one foot and kick backwards on the ground with the other foot, gaining speed and propelling the kicksled forward.

Snow Boards
And finally, the snow board has soared in popularity during recent years thanks to increased exposure provided by snowboarding's inclusion at the Winter Olympics and the continued success of the X Games. A snow board requires much more practice and skill than a sled, but once mastered, a snow board is a very cool ride.