Down we go

Montreal’s tobogganing scene is rife with
possibilities, products and places

STICKING WITH TRADITION:
(from top) author with Colin and Robert

by ERIN MACLEOD

Over in Germany, they take tobogganing to another level. Three years ago, Hans Teiseroth and designer Tommy Dreen got it into their heads to build a better sled (well, actually, they call ’em “sledges” over in Europe and the U.K.). No child’s play here. Their Alurunner—a lightweight aluminum sleigh—is a futuristic, fine-tuned machine.

“Sleds didn’t have any development in design over the past many years,” says Teiseroth over the phone from Frankfurt, where they ship out 2,000 Alurunners every season. “Mountain bikes have suspension, so this is where we got the idea to add it to our design. We decided that we needed to improve the normal wooden sled, so we chose aluminum, which is also similar material to mountain bikes. We also made it foldable and portable.”

Sounds great, but a sled like this comes at a price: $735. And that’s not including shipping. But sledding has always had a bit of an upper-class element to it. After all, the legendary Cresta toboggan run in St. Moritz has attracted the world’s poshest of posh since 1885. Membership is private, but if you pay the equivalent of $650, the St. Moritz Toboggan club will allow you to fit in five runs between 8 and 9:30 a.m. in the morning, before the members show up.

If you can’t afford to get your very own Alurunner or make your way to St. Moritz this winter, you can still pick up some pretty high-end sleds at Canada’s best source for toboggans—none other than Canadian Tire. Sure, there’s the GT Snoracer with its “patented steering mechanism”, but it’s possible that Bombardier’s Canadian-designed Ski-Doo Snow Cross Racer just might be comparable to the German-engineered Alurunner. It’s not only Canadian Tire’s top-selling sled, but it’s also got a sturdy steel frame and suspension. On top of all this, it will set you back only $99.99. Of course, there are some significantly cheaper options: for less than a fiver, you can get yourself either a plastic “crazy carpet” or a circular flying saucer. And, for even less than that, you can most certainly always engineer your own cardboard or garbage bag ’boggan.

Expert opinion

To get an expert opinion on both toboggans and tobogganing, the Mirror decided to turn to a couple of experts with over 10 years of experience between them: brothers Robert and Colin Golding, aged nine and 11 respectively. “We, as Canadians,” says Robert, “know a lot about tobogganing because every winter there are humungous hills.”

But what should we use to get down those hills? “I think it depends on the kind of hill,” explains Colin. “You don’t need to spend a lot of money. If it is a really steep hill, I would recommend just using your bum. Those roll-up carpet things are not very good, in my opinion, because they are very hard to stay on.” Robert agrees: “They curl up and throw you off. They’re way too hard to control.”

And the popular “flying saucer” sled? “The flying saucers are not good for a steep hill,” says Robert, “because you can spin all the way down and it’s scary. It is okay for a short hill though.” If you’re using the higher-tech GT Snoracer-type sleighs, you need to have a large enough hill, and as Colin explains, “GT Snoracers are racers, so it’s fun, but it should be in a race.”

For these two, however, the all-out winner is the old standard wooden toboggan. “Regular large toboggans are good for bumpy terrain, and can be used on most hills,” says Colin. “You can steer with them too,” adds Robert. “Basically the most traditional one is the best,” concludes Colin. “You can fit more people on it. But we’re getting bigger, so it’s getting harder.”

Where to go

It may be depressing to look out the window after a blizzard and think about digging out your car, trudging through mounds of snow or waiting for a sure-to-be-late bus. But, if you focus on the sledding possibilities, you can make the glass half full by considering the numerous hills throughout the city. Of our experts, Colin insists that Mount Royal is obviously “awesome,” whereas Robert’s attitude is that the best hill is the one that’s closest to get to—preferably around the corner from home. There’s easy access to post-toboggan hot chocolate that way. Whatever your preference though, Montreal has a place to start sliding.

Parks Jean-Drapeau, Lafontaine and Mont-Royal are the obvious options, but there’s also Parc des Hirondelles (2574 Fleury E.), Parc Ignace-Bourget (3333 Newman), Parc Joseph-Paré (Beaubien & 41e Avenue), Parc Lafond (13e Avenue & Laurier), Parc Le Pelican (2590 Masson) and Parc St-Jean-Baptiste (1050 St-Jean-Baptiste Blvd.).

Parc Nature Point-Aux-Praries (12980 Gouin E.) in the east and Parc Nature Bois-de-Liesse (9432 Gouin W.) in the west are a little further away, but getting outside of the city is part of the charm. Don’t worry, you can have your après-sled at chalets found in both parks.