Every year, hundreds of children suffer snow up their pants and other life-altering traumatic incidents as a direct result of poor sledding technique.
It DOES NOT have to be this way. Sledding Safety is as easy as 1,2,3.
Our professional ergonomics and physics consultants were asked to develop a sledding posture that meets the rigorous safety guidelines set forth by the warning stickers posted to modern plastic sleds. They found that the traditional method no longer meets current safety regulations, due to the fact that the rider's head does not "remain inside the sled at all times." Examine the image below.
Performed on a closed course by a professional test driver. Do not attempt at home. Intrepid Safety recommends that further protection be used, including wrist and elbow guards and industrial-strength safety goggles.
As you can see, the head rides more than three feet above the sled, causing the rider and sled assembly to have a dangerously high center of balance.
Our e/p consultants next attempted to bring the center of balance lower with a modified form of the traditional style. However, it is believed the the more elderly segment of the population (those over the age of 13) may have difficulty in achieving the posture.
As you can see in Figure A., the head is still far from "inside the sled."
Our consultants decided to shift the center of balance forward in the sled, thus bringing the posterior out of contact with the sled chasis and allowing the head to reach its lowest position.
Figure B. clearly shows the head, hands, and feet safely within the sled, as the warning label instructed. However, the warning label also indicates that the rider must be facing forward at all times.
The method shown below has been approved by our consultants as a sticker-compatible safe sledding technique. Just remember, it is as easy as 1, 2, 3!
1. Balance your posterior on the narrow strip of plastic composing the aft of the sled.
2. Align your vertebrae with the ribs in the sled chasis and bring your legs up directly over your midsection, bending them slightly at the knees, and grasp your feet with your hands.
3. Bring head back until eyes are pointed toward the bow of the sled and bring feet and hands to docking locations next to head. Notice the careful placement of the knee pads.
This stable, comfortable posture meets warning sticker specifications when performed in unison with observance of the other warnings specified therein. For a brief summary, just remember the 6 "Nos"
-No hills
-No steering or stopping
-No obstacles or jumps
-No sharing
-No one over 59 pounds
-No fun.
Enjoy the snow!
