Sledding: choosing a hill, a sled, and the gear that matters

The hill matters more than the sled

Every decision on this page is downstream of the slope you choose. A good sled on a bad hill is worse than a cheap sled on a good one, and hill selection is free.

• A long flat runout. The single most important feature. You need space to slow down, and more of it than the slope looks like it needs, because a packed track gets faster every hour it is used.
• Nothing hard at the bottom or the sides. Trees, fences, rocks, light poles, parked cars, ponds, and above all roads. Walk the runout before the first run.
• An even surface. Bumps launch small children off sleds. Ice patches make everything faster and unsteerable.
• Not a ski slope. Sleds are not allowed on most pistes and the reason is that a sled and a skier meeting is bad for both.
• Daylight. Obvious and routinely ignored on the way home from school.

The helmet argument

Sledding produces speeds comparable to a beginner ski run, on a surface just as hard, with essentially no ability to steer or stop. The rider is also lower to the ground, feet first, with the head trailing. Almost nobody wears a helmet, and the reason is cultural rather than analytical: sledding reads as play and skiing reads as sport.

If your household owns ski helmets, wear them; a snow helmet is the obvious choice and there is no reason it should sit in the garage on a sledding day. If you do not own one, a bike helmet is far better than nothing, though it is designed for a different impact profile and offers no ear coverage in cold air. A certified snow helmet with a dial adjuster is inexpensive, and the kids helmet chart has the measurement bands.

The one thing that is not optional either way: no scarves, no loose drawstrings, and no hood cords that can catch. A neck gaiter instead of a scarf, as on the face protection page.

Which sled for which child

The three sleds in this ledger sit in three different places on that table, and the roundup ranks them: the sled roundup compares published construction and capacity. What is worth taking from the table on its own is that speed and control move in opposite directions, and for young children control is worth more.

Check the published capacity

Sleds publish a weight capacity and a rider count, and the two together are the useful figure. A sled published for one child is not a sled for a parent and a child, and adding an adult changes both the speed and the stopping distance significantly. If the plan is for an adult to ride with a small child, buy a sled published for two.

The five rules worth stating out loud

• Feet first, sitting up or lying back. Never head first. This is the single behavior most associated with serious sledding injury.
• One rider unless the sled publishes two. Stacking children on a one-person sled is how they come off at the bottom.
• Wait for the runout to clear. One rider at a time on the track, and someone at the bottom keeping it clear.
• Nothing towed behind anything. A sled behind a car, a snowmobile or an ATV is a different activity with a much worse outcome distribution.
• Roll off rather than steering into something. Teach children to bail sideways off the sled. It is the one useful skill on a hill with no brakes.

What to wear, which is more than people bring

Sledding is wetter than skiing. Everyone sits in the snow, everyone walks back up through it, and children fall over constantly. The clothing that matters is the same as for a ski day, and the seams matter more.

• Waterproof pants and jacket, ideally with sealed seams. Critical seams sealed means the lower seams are not taped, which is the wrong way round for someone sitting in snow. What each seam description means.
• Waterproof boots, not trainers. The walk back up is the part that soaks feet.
• Two pairs of mittens per child. The first pair will be soaked within the hour, and hands in the snow is the entire activity. Sizing method here.
• No cotton anywhere. The what-not-to-wear page applies without modification.
• Goggles or sunglasses on a bright day. Snow glare is the same glare whether or not you paid for a lift ticket.

Why this is the right first day on snow for a small child

For a family with a two to five year old, an afternoon of sledding costs the price of a sled and produces a child who thinks snow is fun. A full day of ski lessons at the same age frequently produces a child who thinks snow is cold and difficult. There is no rush. The toddler gear page makes the same argument at more length.

It is also the cheapest way to test whether the clothing you bought works before you commit to a ski trip. A sledding afternoon reveals a leaking jacket, a soaking glove and a boot that lets snow in, all for free and twenty minutes from home. Fix those and the ski trip goes better.

Afterwards

Everything comes home wet. Get the boots and mittens somewhere with moving air at room temperature rather than on a radiator, which is the same principle as drying ski gear overnight and the reason a radiator is on the list of things not to do. Rinse a sled that has been on gritted snow, and store it flat rather than leaning, which is how plastic sleds warp.