Mountain Boy Sledworks Slalom Sled

by Mountain Boy Sledworks

Product Features

• Fast and maneuverable hand-made wooden sled with full-pivot steering
• Made of 5/8-inch thick marine-grade waterproof molded plywood
• Beechwood surface is protected by four coats of marine-grade finish; slippery plastic runners
• Seats up to 2 adults or 3 children
• Measures 52 x 18 x 5 inches (L x W x H); weighs 10 pounds; 300-pound maximum capacity

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

A fully steerable toboggan, the incredible, hand-made Slalom sled from Mountain Boy Sledworks is fast and maneuverable, and it's designed to be enjoyed by children and adults alike for generations. Constructed of 5/8-inch thick marine-grade waterproof molded plywood, the entire front section of the Slalom pivots. The sled's wide stance makes it very stable and gives it excellent flotation in powder snow. On hardpack, the Slalom slides along on specialized plastic runners for top speed and control.

The top side of the Slalom.

The under side.

The beechwood surface is protected by four coats of marine-grade finish. All screws are stainless steel, and the non-toxic lacquer finish is highly durable. The Slalom meets all ASTM and USC child safety standards. It's sized for seating up to two adults or three children. The Slalom measures 52 x 18 x 5 inches (L x W x H), weighs 10 pounds, and it has a maximum carry weight of 300 pounds.

Care of Your Sled
Wax the bottom of the sled for best performance (though you'll find that it flies down the hill right out of the box). Ski wax is preferred, but in a pinch you can use paraffin or candle wax. After using the sled, bring it inside to dry. Use furniture oil to protect the top surfaces of the sled. The sled is warranted to be free of defects in workmanship or material for one year.

The Mountain Boy Story
Bruce Hoskin's lifelong fascination with wooden sleds became a way of life when he moved to the high mountain town of Silverton, Colorado. He was able to combine his woodworking experience with his love of sledding to create innovative, beautiful sled designs. Mountain Boy sleds give new meaning to the term "functional art"--they are known for their durability, speed and craftsmanship. Hoskin's wooden sleds hearken back to a century ago, when craftsmen made sleds by hand out of fine wood and steel. While Mountain Boy sleds complement any home, they are also made to last. Each sled is an individual work, designed to be passed from one generation to the next.

Environmental Commitment
Mountain Boy works hard to minimize the impact of all of our operations on the environment. Some key elements include:

• Using only recycled cardboard packaging
• Choosing only fast-growing, common, sustainable hardwoods such as birch, willow and maple
• Ensuring that every part of the wood is used. Smaller pieces are turned into kicksled slats or Christmas ornaments, and the smallest bits end up in our woodstove or in the wood-drying kiln.
• Just as important, making products that last! We think it makes sense to buy a sled (or wagon or scooter) that will last for years, rather than buying a cheaper sled that won't last nearly as long.

Lead Free Finishing
All of our sleds are made with non-toxic finishes, and we have them regularly tested so we are sure that they are lead-free. We use wood dyes to bring out the color and figure of the wood, and then a clear lacquer or polyurethane on top. We put on four coats of lacquer or three coats of polyurethane to create a marine-grade finish.

Sled Manufacture
Mountain Boy make limited quantities of specialty sleds in its Silverton, Colorado workshop, including the Elegant and Royal Flyers, Bambino Superior, and Silverton and Double Kicksleds. Other Mountain Boy sleds, wagons, scooters and ornaments are designed in Colorado and made in Huangyan, China, by our good friend Yu Guanglin and his crew.

In his small, family-run workshop, he makes sleds the same way we do - by hand, paying attention to the beauty of the wood, selecting the best materials, getting all the details right. He buys sustainably harvested birch logs, and has planks cut from them to just the right thickness. All the little pieces are used to make ornaments, and the sawdust is used to fire the wood-drying kiln, so there's very little waste. In his shop, he carefully prepares all the materials: each plank is planed by hand, and each willow branch is peeled and sanded by his crew. When he assembles the sleds, he makes sure that all the parts match and have no flaws.

Mountain Boy sledmaker Brice Hoskin is fluent in Mandarin, and travels to China to inspect sleds several times a year. In our long relationship working with Mr. Yu, Brice has been able to closely monitor not just the quality of the product, but also working conditions and the way the workshop is run.

Product Description

The Slalom is the first fully steerable toboggan. Made with 5/8" thick marine-grade waterproof molded plywood, the entire front section of the Slalom pivots to give you incredible steering power. The sled's wide stance makes it very stable and gives it excellent flotation in powder snow. On hardpack, the Slalom slides along on hardwood runners for top speed and control.

See all Product Description

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 52 x 24 x 4 inches ; 15 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 17.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B001JJBNUC
• Item model number: MBS-0701-11
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #118,292 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully crafted sled, very fast, January 2, 2009

By	1st Grade Teacher (Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mountain Boy Sledworks Slalom Sled (Sports)

This is a beautifully crafted sled with solid wood used. The finish is done by hand and it shows. Easily will be the best looking sled you have ever had. The sled is designed for a variety of winter snow conditions and does well on all of them. This sled is very fast with a slick high grade finish on the bottom as well as these very slick plastic runners that allow you to gain great speed and traction on hard packed snow. Sled was easily steerable with the wood handles and the pivoting head (top third of the sled will actually pivot as you steer). I think this feature makes it far superior to other sleds in the same category and price. The sled also has molded edges that help hold you in and the sled is big enough for 2 adults or 3 kids crammed in. Other nice thing is that I have been told that Mountain Boy Sleds are absolute sledding aficionados and will stand behind their sleds. Overall, I am very happy with this purchase.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars beautiful looking sled that functions well, December 30, 2008

By	MBA grad (Portland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mountain Boy Sledworks Slalom Sled (Sports)

This is a beautiful sled - wood grain is gorgeous. The sled seems very sturdy from the wood perspective. As far as performance, I would say this did as well as a wooden toboggan and much more steerable. The downside I see with this and all wooden toboggans is that this needs a constant coat of wax to really perform well. I bought the version with the wooden runners and the rope handles. The rope handles are too small to get your feet in with boots and the wood runners really need wax. The newer version which is now advertised on amazon corrected those two pints in that it now has a wooden steering handle and plastic runners which don't need wax. In comparing this sled to a flexible flyer with runners it is much slower on hard pack snow/ice but better on powdery conditions. I would also look at the mountain boy "ultimate" flyer. This has a unique plastic bottom that allows it to function like extremely well in both powder and packed snow/ice. I own both and would say for the money the Ultimate Flyer is the most versatile and fastest sled I have ever owned.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Sled, October 22, 2009

By	Patricia "Granny Nanny" (CT United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mountain Boy Sledworks Slalom Sled (Sports)

We will have to wait for snow to fully review this sled and will post a video later. We bought two sleds for our Grandchildren age 1 1/2 and 4 1/2. This hopefully will be a gift that they can have for many many years. As for now there is plenty of room on the sled for Mom and Dad to share the thrill. The quality is just amazing and I was surprised by the width. Our daughter an avid snowboarder liked the looks because it reminded her of a snowboard that's why this one was chosen over other models. Actually looking forward to Christmas morning and snow.