Customer Reviews

Mountain Boy Sledworks Ultimate Flyer 52-Inch Sled

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I've tried several kinds of reclining sleds, but this one is my hands-down favorite. For one thing, it can take a spill or two and not get damaged. It's varnished, not painted, so you can see the wood grain. The birch rails are a nice touch, too. It's super stable, and turns very nicely, which is good, because this thing is FAST! Loads of fun - when we go sledding, this is the sled that everbody wants to use.

Being from MN, I've used every sled in the book. After the birth of my first child, my inlaws bought this for us as a keepsake so I could pass on the love of sledding to the next generation. Under the xmas tree it looked great, on the snow it is terrible. The only admirable feature of this sled is the aesthetics--so if someone gets it for you mount it on the wall. I'd sell or more deservedly burn this sled but my in-laws would ask where that pretty sled they spent way too much money on went. I have never written a review for anything but this sled deserves a warning!

Here are the finer points of what is terrible about this sled:
*no handles and extremely slippery--my child slid off it every way possible. When I rode it, a small bump will send you forward and leave the sled behind. Sit on it and you slide off, lay on it you slide off...
*the leading handles catch snow the entire way down the hill. In any fluff they act as a hook. The rope knot also catches on everything. To try to save this sled I cut the extruded portion off and put th rope under the wood handle so it wouldn't catch on the snow.
*the center pivot hardware rusts. The brass hardware is fine.
*the runners are overly deep and slow you down.
*there is no way you can pull a child in this sled without side handles for them to hold on to. I've drilled 8 holes and made my own.

As you can tell, my sled now looks like swiss cheese and it still is the worst. I've used lunch trays that are better. If you are looking for a pretty sled then this is it. If you want it to work then this is not it.

The sled we got for Christmas lasted two runs. Then the front part fell off and something started rattling inside the plastic cover under the front section. Disassembly showed that it was a washer and the nut that held steering section to the bolt. You can see the head of the bolt on top of the rear section. The nut and washer are under the plastic cover.
The nut is a stop nut with a nylon insert to hold it place once it is tightened. However, the nylon insert never engaged with the bolt. There was no thread cut into it. Further analysis showed that it could never have engaged because the section of the bolt that stuck out of the board was too short by at least 1/8". It is not clear why that section was too short, either the bolt is too short by design or the head is not countersunk properly.
The steering section of this sled is fairly heavy and if it comes loose unexpectedly, it can cause serious injury to anyone riding the sled. My friends and I were lucky, but I recommend that any owner of this sled check the nut. If the nylon ring does not fully engage with the bolt, send the sled back or demand a longer bolt.

A note about <heirloom> quality (I do not know if the manufacturer claims this or just reviewers):
Having the threaded section of a bolt pass through anything as a pivot pin causes excessive wear and disqualifies the item as heirloom. It will last at best one busy season. The correct bolt type to use is a shoulder bolt, but the mountain boys may be too cheap for that.

We used our new Mountain Boy Ultimate 52" on our Christmas trip (2007) to Estes Park, CO. On the third trip down a hard-packed hill, our sled stopped dead with my husband on it. Looking underneath we discovered both black plastic pieces had chunks broken off and missing and cracks running from the broken sections. This occurred without striking anything with a measurable impact. It was irreparably damaged. Boy were we disappointed! Later, upon further inspection, we also discovered the middle plank of the long (lower) section cracked almost up to the pivot point. That seemed even worse than the broken undercarriage since the wood on the sled is so beautifully finished.
We contacted Mountain Boy Sleds in Silverton, CO upon our return home (to Houston) and sent them pictures of the damaged sled. Brice Hoskin,of Mountain Boy, handled the matter quickly and better than we could have hoped. Thank you, Brice.
Pros: It is the most beautiful sled I've ever seen. (We're going to hang it on the wall as a display.)
Travels at a good speed. Faster and longer distance than most other sleds.
Turns okay.
Great customer service. They care about your sledding experience.
Cons: It's heavy. Parents will be toting that thing up the hill for the kids after most every run.
The Flexible Flyer had greater speed (but we only got to use the MB on three runs, so this might not be totally fair.)
Our sled didn't turn as smoothly as we expected, but that could be that it needed time to loosen up.

I still don't have a lot of confidence in the black, plastic undercarriage and really prefer the runners like those on a Flexi-Flyer, but we bought what we bought. MB offers sleds with the metal runners if you prefer that style. If you want a beautifully crafted sled that performs on par with the Flexible Flyer, then buy this sled.

I've had one for these past 2 winters and just ordered another for my nephews. I think if I had one of these as a kid, I might never have gotten hooked on skiing. I'm finally able to maneuver around obstacles and go fast at the same time!

We visited Silverton, Colorado and tried one out at the little ski area there. We were actually able to run a slalom course (while laughing our heads off).

I was worried about the heaviness of this thing, but the black bottom slides so smoothly, I haven't had any trouble tugging it up the hills. We picked this one because it is long enough for adults too.

Mountain Boy Sledworks Ultimate Flyer 52-Inch Sled

I ordered the Mountain Boy sled for an adult son who, last winter when it snowed, wished he had a sled. He's difficult to buy gifts for, and this was a huge success. He says it's a "work of art," and can hardly wait for one of Western Washington's infrequent snows to try it out.

I've had my flyer now for a couple of winters and absolutely love it. It's beautiful on display in the living room corner, and we take it up to the Cascade passes as much as we can when we stay at the lodge. I've given Mountain Boy Ultimate Flyers as gifts to friends with young kids, and there's nothing more exciting than a wintery sledding get-together. These things are fantastically fast, very well-built, and totally controllable with the steering. Beats anything I had as a kid!!

Just recieved the Mountain Boy 52" sled for a special event. Should have listened to the reviews here. The packaging from Amazon was so poor that the sled arrived broken. But I decided to fix. Then discovered tthat like many others have said beware the center pivot screw. It had already rattled apart in shipping. Still not willing to give in I took the sled apart and repaired the center screw. Then when it came time to assemble the steering arm discovered that two of the three needed screws were missing. Thought, OK I'm a machinist and can deal with this. Checked the threads and discovered they were metric. Went to hardware store and purchased the correct replacement screws. Then discovered that the holes had been drilled in the incorrect place and needed to drill new screw holes in the steering arm. So now I have a sled with a broken side rail and three extra drilled holes in the steering arm. Tomorrow going sledding and we'll see what else can go wrong. When Mountain Boy says that this sled is designed to be passed from one generation to another they mean as long as it is hanging on a wall as a decoration!!!!

The top steering portion came off on the first day of use. The screw is exposed and we can hear the rattling under the plastic cover that presumably is the nut. Very disappointing for an expensive sled. Will definitely return this product.

We received this sled for Christmas and just took it out for its maiden voyage today. WOW, is it fast! We had to drag our feet at times to slow down. It took a few runs to get used to and was mostly ridden by an adult and child together. Keep in mind, you need to make sure you have some weight in front to steer -- but it is very easy to steer if you keep this in mind. I am back on Amazon tonight to order the pad now. We were slipping off too easily and I think this will help. We highly recommend this beautiful, functional, fast sled to every family! I should also mention that my husband liked all the attention we got for having the coolest sled on the hill!