Most of us only go sledding with children, if at all. I myself am guilty of relegating this fine winter sports activity to a tot's enjoyment. You read that right, fine winter sport. Let's compare and contrast with a much more serious snow sport, the king of winter, skiing.

Skiers can discuss snow ad nauseam, texture, depth, how much it has been used (or abused), etc. Sliders have the same language, what's the base like, how wet is it, how many people have been down the run?

The environment is one thing that is different, or at least usually is. We ski in the mountains, at resorts, surrounded by breathtaking alpine scenery. The bulk of our sledding memories are of the steep hill at the park or (if one was lucky enough) the backyard. This is totally artificial, why the mediocre venue? The reason is plain, those are the only places we could drag a sled as a child, as an adult all kinds of interesting terrain opens up. Hopefully you are thinking right this minute of a favorite trail, perhaps one that hugs the contours of a ridge line as it drops through meadows and woods.

Now for the big one, the things that stops most of us from really engaging in the sport, equipment. There is absolutely no shortage of fantastic gear for skiing, the skis themselves come in a mouth-watering array of awesome choices, and the accessories are enough to make a devoted gear hound howl at the moon. Sleds, not so much.

Take a quick stock of what is available to you locally (don't despair, this is a first step). The bulk of sleds available "just around" fall into one main category, ill-designed plastic junk that are landfill to be. So cheap and available, just go to the big box store and get one to take out your nieces and nephews, this is where many people get fed up and and toss the thing into the furthest reaches of the garage until needed for familial duties again.

It doesn't have to be this way, there are quality sleds available, just as one would choose other pieces of outdoor equipment research and a little online shopping can deliver proper kit. Just like skis, kayaks, bikes or anything else you could get by with a middle of the road product that will work reasonably well in a variety of conditions, but you probably aren't that kind of gear head. So let's talk sleds, they actually come in a wide variety, many of them optimized for specific conditions.

1. The traditional steel runner sled, an absolute icon. If you point to a picture of this item, everyone will immediately say sled and vice versa. A quality choice for sure, especially since many of these sleds are very well built of durable materials. A great thing to keep yours eyes open for at flea markets, junk shops and the like. The longer they are the heavier they are, nice on the way down. Choose one that puts your head right up over the steering with enough length to rest your thighs on. Check the runners, if they are anything other than super rusted you can bring them back with sanding, polishing and waxing. A nice well loved vintage sled is a thing of beauty.
   Pro: Steering works very well, even at speed. Velocity in the correct conditions is pulse-quickening.
   Con: Snow conditions need to be correct, anything other than very hard-packed or icy runs yields buried runners and frustration.

2. The cheap molded sheet of plastic sled. Available is a dizzying array of shapes and sizes, these are very hard to pin down or recommend. Most of these sleds are of poor design and quality, luckily at this price point one can try a design without a great financial commitment. The plastic matters, look for thickness and stiffness. Thicker material will last longer (sleds take a terrific beating) and stiffness will help the sled float on the snow and track downhill. Try to find a size and design that fits you, if you are cramped up on a tiny sled it won’t work properly at all. Lots of these designs are different for marketing appeal reasons, a good sled in this category that one runs into time and again on the hill is the Emsco Beast or Sportsmans toboggan. A simple long sled of a timeless design that can move firewood or send you careening down a hill at surprising speed. This design has the added bonus of working well in a wide variety of snow conditions as do other well designed plastic sleds.
   Pro: Inexpensive, fairly durable, wide choice.
   Con: Many poor designs, often manufactured cheaply.

3. The traditional wooden toboggan. A really beautiful and simple sled, in the correct conditions a joy to ride. I would not call this a beginners sled, many are made of bent wood that requires maintenance and waxing to perform optimally. The snow condition window is wider than the runner sled but can still be problematic in deeper, lighter snow. These sleds work very well for multiple riders, indeed the single rider may have to work to find the proper position to make the sled go. Steering can also be an issue as toboggans really want to go straight down slope.
   Pro: Beautiful, fast and a blast for a small crew.
   Con: Somewhat fragile, requires technique to use.

My next article will address a few more types, (including a design that I think may be one of the best!) and also have some real life beta from a recent excursion.
Good sliding!