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Ultimate Sleds? 103

Posted by michael from the suck-it-up dept.
frenchgates asks: "I recently moved near a long and steep sledding hill with dangerous trees right at the bottom. I have acquired a fleet of sleds at this point, plastic shells, inflatables, a toboggin, a flexible flyer, etc, but all have one potentially fatal (literally) flaw: no brakes. I figure this crowd probably takes its gravity-fun seriously so I am looking for info on sleds (or customizations) allow rapid stopping in all snow conditions."
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Ultimate Sleds? More

Ultimate Sleds?

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  • Jump the fuck off (Score:5, Informative)

    by TheOnlyCoolTim ( 264997 ) <tim...bolbrock@@@verizon...net> on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @08:03PM (#4613002)
    That's the way I always did it when I was a kid.

    Tim
  • As long as the hill isn't paved you could use an ice axe to stop yourself.

    Or you could wear crampons and stop Flintstones style.

    • Re:Visit a camping store (Score:3, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      ice axe
      flying sled
      slippery surfaces ;-)

      you could stop yourself all right...permanently

  • LINUX (Score:3, Funny)

    by uncoveror ( 570620 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @08:09PM (#4613037) Homepage
    Better use linux on your super sled. If you use Windows, it will crash. You could hit a tree like Sonny Bono.

  • Chop the trees down. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Trusty Penfold ( 615679 ) <jon_edwards@spanners4us.com> on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @08:10PM (#4613046) Journal

    Chop the trees down. Use the wood to make more sleds.
  • In 1822 George Pocock was riding around England in a carriage pulled by kites. He used a metal spike which he dug into the ground to stop.

    I think the same technique could apply here...just carry some sort of pick or metal tool that can drag into the ground, and then use that. Just make sure that you don't fall off the sled and then land on the point :)

  • Seriously, who needs brakes when you're riding down a snowbank on the detatched hood of a police cruiser?

  • Enter: The rudder (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Syncdata ( 596941 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @08:25PM (#4613165) Journal
    You are going to have a tough time trying to stop something on snow in any kind of device. If the snow is deep enough, a rudder would provide you with steering, and if turned to a 90 degree angle, would almost certainly bring the sled to a complete stop, while simultaneously hurdling you through the air, thanks to our friend, inertia. But at least you were able to steer your sled in the moments before your tragic accident.
    Brakes in the back? Effective for the sled, not for you. Brakes in the front? I hope you like flipping over and having a sled land on you.

    • Re:Enter: The rudder (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Smidge204 ( 605297 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @08:49PM (#4613310) Journal
      Rudder? That better be some wicked-soft snow!

      I remember having a "trike" some time ago. It was basically three skis with the front, middle one mounted on bycicle type handlebars. The undersides of the rails were ribbed to grab the snow and ice just a little bit and turn you.

      This works extreamely well. You don't want to use any kind of "anchor" to stop, since you'll probably be going quite fast... and the jerk from the anchor rope will be just as bad (or worse!) than hitting the trees!

      Another brake design I've seen is a triangle-shaped plate with SMALL spikes on it, hinged at the point opposite the spikes and held up under the sled with a light spring.stomping on the plate pushed the spikes into the snow and slowed you down safely.

      And, of course, "Jump the fuck off" is still the most reliable. :) Those round plastic "plates" don't stop for anything... just lean back and plant your ass in the snow!

      (Building a berm of leaves at the bottom of the hill before it snows would make a great safety net, too)
      =Smidge=
      • "(Building a berm... at the bottom of the hill before it snows would make a great safety net, too)"
        Sounds like you want to hit the buildings/trees higher with a crumpling slide down to follow.
        Or did you mean a berm so you could hit that and stop suddenly as opposed to hitting the buildings/trees and stopping suddenly.
        I think you did not think that one al the way through...
        JtFO!
  • Back in The Day I had a GT snowracer. Had metal spike-things that were driven into the ground when you pushed the breaks with your feet. Worked pretty well.

    Maybe they still make them, or similar kinds, or maybe you could find an old one.

    Oh yeah, and having a steering wheel rocked too ;-)

    • Re:GT Snowracer (Score:4, Interesting)

      by BSDevil ( 301159 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @09:53PM (#4613688) Journal
      It's all about the NOMA GT Snowsracer..I think I may even still have mine in my basement somewhere. Never had a problem using it...except that time that my friend went down the hill on his, let go of the wheel for a sec, and the auto-turning spring smashed him into a tree and he broke both his legs.

      Moral of the story: it's all about the GT. Except if you ever let go of the wheel, get the fuck off the sled.
      • I would imagine the consequences of taking your hands off the wheel in a car could be much much worse ;-)

        Simple solution: Don't do it.
        • They're just about the same as taking the hands of the wheel in a bike. It just goes forward.

          The problem with sleds is that it is very common for the driver to jump off. Without the auto turning feature, one would have to fetch the sled at the bottom of the slope. Not to mention the sled would get there uncontrolled.

      • Things have ome a long way since we were kids. Find a mountain and play with some real toys:

        http://www.k2gravitytools.com/

      • Re:GT Snowracer (Score:3, Informative)

        by Hydro-X ( 549998 )
        Auto steering spring? I pulled that thing off my GT in the first few days I had it. First off, if I had to catch my toque from slowly slipping off my head, it would veer sharply, sending me rolling ass over teakettle down the rest of the hill. Second, when lugging it back up the hill with the tow rope (My GT was a later model and had a retratable pull rope. I don't know if this is a standard feature on the classic GT), it kept turning into the path of the slope. Third, it's a bitch when dad is towing you on this thing with a skidoo and the wheel slips. This is just like my first point, but at much higher speed. However, it IS all about the GT. And now that it's snowed here in Ottawa, I feel like going down to one of the engineering labs and building myself a GT adapted to my 6 foot frame. If you'll excuse me...

  • Grapling hook and a rope (Score:3, Funny)

    by pcmills ( 83944 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @08:32PM (#4613214)
    When your ready to stop, just throw it over. Watch out for that sudden deceleration though.

  • Two words: Retro rockets (Score:5, Funny)

    by KnightStalker ( 1929 ) <map_sort_map@yahoo.com> on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @08:36PM (#4613243) Homepage
    What you need is a complicated system of instantly ignited, rapidly burning chemical propellant in a jet enclosure, with the nozzle pointing in the direction of normal travel. This may have the unintented side effect of ruining the sled run.

    Or you could just use the traditional method of stopping a sled, as others have pointed out, and JUMP THE FUCK OFF! :-)

  • Snowboard. (Score:5, Funny)

    by WasterDave ( 20047 ) <davep@z e d k e p.com> on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @08:44PM (#4613285)
    Use one. Perhaps get lessons.

    Dave

  • combo (Score:2)

    by qengho ( 54305 )
    A combination of "Jump the fuck off" and "dig in with an icepick" would probably work fine, once you got the technique right. Wear a hockey mask and lotsa padding while you hone your skills.
  • Look into something called a Fluke used in mountaineering

  • Why?? (Score:4, Funny)

    by Tom7 ( 102298 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @08:52PM (#4613336) Homepage Journal

    If it has brakes then what is the point of the trees at the bottom?!

  • other people (Score:5, Funny)

    by oyenstikker ( 536040 ) <[gro.enrybs] [ta] [todhsals]> on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @09:00PM (#4613383) Homepage Journal
    I have found that the most reliable way of stopping is running into other people walking back up the hill. Small children probably won't stop you, but they usually walk back up in groups of 2 or 3, which is usually sufficient.

  • een there done that.... (Score:4, Informative)

    by haplo21112 ( 184264 ) <haplo@ep[ ]na.com ['ith' in gap]> on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @09:09PM (#4613443) Homepage
    turn sideways quickly, pull back toward the hill as the sled turns, you'll dig in and stop dead(on pun intended) quickly...

  • Try THIS [pbs.org] just after JUMPING THE FUCK OFF your snow vehicle.
  • I am looking for info on sleds (or customizations) allow rapid stopping in all snow conditions.

    Hey, and I'm looking for a sled that will turn snow into 24 carat gold as it travels down the slope... I'll bet we find out respective sleds at the same time.
  • Well what we did back in the day was not what they do now, but I pride myself in doing it years before it became interesting.

    We use to use a surfboard that had snapped in half in large surf, glass the jagged end to avoid fiberglass in your arse of course. Then make a loop leash plug, IE a place to tie a rope in your case.

    Then we took an approx 20 pound piece of tug-boat drive shaft that had been cut down that we had been using for a shallow draft bay boat while fishing. If you use a anchor you get caught on crap on the bottom much more than if you use something that is basically a what amounts to a cylinder of solid steal about 12 inch long and 5 inch wide. So you have something heavy, with no sharp points, that you can keep on a boat and not worry about driving it though your leg or kicking it with no shoes and loosing toe.

    Now we would wait for some 20+ winds on the beach, crank up our 10+ wingspan stunt kites, and sit on 1/2 a surfboard with a 20 pound weight under our legs attached to a 8 foot surfboard leash. This leash being attached to the back of the snapped surfboard in the leash loop. We would get going fast or toward something that we did not want to ram head first into we just kicked that make shift anchor off and it did quite the job of slowing us down. Not enough to fly off the front just slow you down with drag to get you under control.

    Good luck, I would love to hear if this works for you. You could also deploy a small runners chute behind you to bring your speed down to sub-sonic...ahahaha...either way this would be fun to watch.

  • 'nuff said.
  • Behold, the ultimate sled [ski-doo.com]. It does everything you want, and more.
  • Airbags!

    You may want to pile snow and other cushioning material around the tree-trunks to reduce any head trauma when none of the above methods pan out.

  • Easy solution (Score:3, Informative)

    by Ogerman ( 136333 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @09:45PM (#4613645)
    Do what ski resorts do for their tubing hills: before the trees at the bottom, build up a mound of dirt / strawbale / etc. that'll get covered in snow. Don't make the grade sharp enough to act as a jump though (unless intended!) The mound should slow you down enough to roll off safely.. assuming there's at least some flat area at the bottom of the sled hill to work with. Or you could always try a net. (:

    • Re:Easy solution (Score:3, Informative)

      by linuxbert ( 78156 )
      A ski hill i know of uses rubber mats at the bottom of the tub run. you can smell the burning rubber as you come to a stop..
    • , build up a mound of dirt / strawbale / etc. that'll get covered in snow.

      In addition or instead of that - you could build a cushion at the bottom. Some ideas for padding materials:
      • Cardboard boxes (they still use these for many movie stunts)
      • Garbage bags filled with the fallen leaves from the trees
      • Discarded carpetting - or even better carpet padding
      • discarded mattresses (but not box springs)
      • more hay bales
      Note: if you find some carpet padding (or carpet with integrated padding) you can lay it at the bottom of the slope (or on the ramp proposed above) so that the rubber side is facing up. Make sure it stays relatively free of snow and it will work like a rubber brake shoe / friction brake on the bottom of the sled. That should work pretty well with smooth bottomed sleds, but probably not be as effective with sleds that have runners.

      BTW: my favorite sled design while growing up was to take an inflated car innertube and insert it into a giant heavy duty garbage bag. Madea for a great boucy ride when you had a few moguls like our sledding slope had.

  • Oooh.. here's a novel idea! (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Ogerman ( 136333 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @09:56PM (#4613702)
    I just posted, but here's another idea that might actually be original. How about some sort of bungie apparatus? This could work in all sorts of ways. Either the cord could release and spring back away after slowing you down or else you could ride out the oscillations... perhaps getting a free ride halfway back up the hill. (: Heck, if you get this figured out, charge admission. (and take out a huge insurance policy! hehe)
    • I was thinking along these lines myself, but what about using it as a catch-cable instead? Anchor a long bungee on either side of the sled run, about 3-4 feet up and a couple of feet back from where you want to stop. Attach a catch mechanism to the back of the sled that sticks up that high and has a hook to catch the cord. Think aircraft carrier landing.

      -SablKnight
  • Saw this on espn or something a few years back. [extremz.com]
    Shovel racing
    Anyway they go fast and have to stop, so maybe you can get some pointers from these guys.
  • ...lower your head in the direction of the trees and then just before you hit, jump the fuck off.
  • as my powerful brain recalls out of its depths, i remember reading about some form of wierd new friction increasing device.

    after 2 minutes of googling, i think this might be it:
    http://engineering.dartmouth.edu/thayer/research /i ce-engg.html
  • Tie it to your house or a tree at the top of the hill. Start with a very conservative guess as to length, increase it to your comfort factor.

    Bonus: don't need to trudge back up hill lugging the damn sled.

  • Living in Minnesota... (Score:4, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @10:41PM (#4613901)
    I feel that I am well-qualified to comment on your particular situation.

    First, why would you want to brake a sled? There's no fun in that. The whole point to sledding is to wipe out into the snow, run into a pile of friends, or come to a satisfying stop after a leisurely decceleration. I have never understood brakes on sleds.

    Second, if you're going so fast that you need to brake suddenly to avoid hitting trees, wouldn't you go flying off the sled anyway?

    Third, if you aren't going so fast that a sudden stop would send you off the sled, can't you just jump off, or better yet, use your feet or hands to slow the sled down on the way down?

    Fourth, what are these "dangerous trees"? Do they bite? Or are they dangerous by virtue of the fact that they are so close?

    My favorite sled after a snow tube is a sled made by Rubbermaid. It's a thicker, hollow one-person sled that has a place to put your feet into, with a seat and rope; the contact with the snow is limited to two blade-like protrusions on the bottom of the sled.

    But neither of them have brakes.

    I have found that rope can slow down your sled quite a bit if you let it fly under the sled.

    Dogs attempting to snatch your hat off your head also help to slow down a sled.

  • Hay bales (Score:4, Interesting)

    by effer ( 155937 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @11:02PM (#4613991)
    Just space several hay bales at the bottom several feet/yards in front of the obstacles. Break them apart a bit so they'll cushion the shock enough. It'll still smart to hit one, but you'll likely walk away unharmed.

  • a lever on each side (Score:2, Informative)

    by metalgeek ( 92636 )
    When I was a kid we had a sled with levers on each side, so it you pulled on one, it would dig into the the snow and make you turn.
    pulling both made you slow down.. kinda..... but ultimetly the best would be a gt....
  • A couple of thoughts come to mind. You could attach a large battery on your sled and heating coils to your runners... Turn on the juice, poof, no more snow and stopping will be imminate.

    Another idea is to use sand to arrest yourself down to a speed where more traditional stoping methods (Flinstones was always my preference in my youth) will suffice.

    Attach a chunk of 2x4 to the front with some decent nails driven through the front, hinge the 2x4 and flip them down and push down with your feet and hang on (because your sled will probably do an immediate 180, losing a substantal amount of speed int he process).

    **WARNING: I will not be held responsible for damage to you, your seld or any incoming karmatic backlash for damage done to the trees :)**
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • The battery thing would not do what you're thinking. It would decrease friction, unless he's sliding on an extremely thin layer of ice at near 0C. Instead, it would create a layer of water between the runner and the snow. If he cranked up the heat to try to burn in deeper, he'd be riding on a layer of vapor.
      Sand might help, if it could be dropped right in front of the runner, but over time, this degrades thr run, and the runners.
      The 2x4/nails idea is the right idea in general, but not the way you're implementing it. There's a good reason automotive brakes are pads pressing against a smooth surface with variable pressure instead of a tooth grabbing a cog. If you brake with a strong brake at the front, as you say, you'll do a 180, probably in the vertical plane. Also, sticking out there, that's just plain dangerous no matter what.
      use a good steerable runner sled. hinge the 2x4 hanging backwards from the front, sticking a couple of inches past the rear of the deck, but ending ahead of the runners. 2-1/2 inch nails through a 2x4 give you what, about 5/8 inch exposure? Now, as you near the bottom, if you can't turn sharply enough to slow and stop normally, (or maybe shoot on past or between the trees on to glory), you press down with your toes, ripping up a plume from the nails. If you need to ride feet-first for some reason, just add a vertical member on the board, so when you lean back, your back presses the board down. Of course, that'll entail shifting your weight rearward, thus diminishing your steering effectiveness, but again, if you're using brakes on a sled, you're probably on the verge of rolling off it anyway, so who cares how elegant it is.
  • --hay bales would work as an emergency last ditch bumper, just get fresh ones every time, the older ones will absorb water and freeze solid maybe.

    --when I was a kid seems like the sears wishbook had a sled that had dual handbrakes, both down was a sorta stop, or you used one or the other to steer with. They just looked like pivotable pieces of steel that dug in to the ground some, you hauled back, they swiveled down and dug in, left and right. I never had one though, we usually used picker bushes as brakes rather than the trees, lesser of two painful e-viles.

    How about this, carefully measure it out, do one of those bridge jumpers bungee cords, so as you get near the bottom it takes up the slack and snatches ya back up hill some? That actually sounds like fun! Hey, I think this is a cool idea really!
  • Use a "snowboard". aka a skateboard with the wheels taken off. YOu would steer the same way a traditional skateboard and to stop you just turn 90 degrees and you stop almost imeaditly(actually the board stops but oyu don't fly too far).
  • Listen you mangy little girly tiger. Either you get your furry little butt out to the sled, or you're banned from G.R.O.S.S.

    And stay away from my hot chocolate. Mom made it for me, not you.

    President-Dictator-For-Life Calvin
  • The traditional cheapo plastic toboggan is quite easy to control if they have parabolic rails.

    The concept is fairly simple, when you look at it, but difficult to explain in text; on the underside of the sled are a pair of large plastic ridges which extend parallel from one another from the rear, then flare away from each other at the front. When your weight is over the rear half of the sled, you travel straight and fairly fast; when you place your weight forwards, the flared portion of the rails come into contact with the snow, and provide a reliable braking action unless you are on hard ice. Leaning to one side or the other only engages one rail, allowing nice, easy turns.

    I was quite a menace as a kid with one of these sleds. They were fairly cheap, and easily found in the snowbelt.

    Now, if you have someone handy who is gullible and disposable, you might want to shell out $200 for one of these! [a2xtreme.com]

  • I thought I read an article where a russian inventor had invented a way of using electricity to change the coefficient of friction with snow/ice?

    I thought the first application of this technology would be brakes for skiis or snowboards.

    I don't have a reference to this, but this could be the geeky way of solving the problem...

    I mean if somebody is constructing a cleanroom to build a satellite in his basement, THIS would be a no-brainer... ;)
  • ... put padding on the trees. The local place uses one inch thick foam, rolled into a cylinder about one foot around and 6-8 feet high, four of those attached together on the front of all the chairlift poles.
  • So to [-1 redundant], we've established that:

    1. Inertia's a bitch.

    Half the fun of doing stuff like that as a kid is the fact that it's a pretty darned dangerous activity. Trust me, the fear of death/dismemberment/disfigurement makes anything a whole lot more fun.

    Once we reach adulthood we (usually) condition ourselves to avoid stuff we perceive as dangerous, or at least get in control of the situation [insert darwinist theory here].

    The point being -- the fun is in being out of control. I wouldn't use a sled with brakes if one existed, just as you astutely pointed out -- I do, in fact, take my gravity-fun very seriously.

    Pile up some snow. Make a bank before the trees. And jump the fuck off!

  • For that dragster feel...

  • Stiga snowracer (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    This [stigagames.se] is what you want! Don't know if they are sold outside Scandinavia + Finland though.

    Just step on the brakes, it will stop you within meters even on the hardest ice, although that should not be necessary with the excellent handling. I've repeatedly navigated forrested hills at lethal speeds without too much trouble. I think I hit a tree twice. Cracked one of the skis the second time (not too badly; it is still usable 12 years later without problems), but never injured myself. I'd say jumps are more dangerous than trees. >:)

  • Take inspiration in what the ski resorts do : span large nets in front of the trees. Make sure that the nets slope gently from the ground so that the transition from snow to net is not too rough. To avoid spending on poles, you could even attach one end of the nets to the trees and the other end to the ground ten meters away from the trees. If any hard points remain, make sure they are well envelopped with bales.

  • Buy rafts, inflatable pools or "moonbounce" toys, wrap them around the most dangerous trees. Or perhaps the orange snow-fence I often see?

    An of course, jump the fuck off.
  • First aquire one bungy cord aprox. 75% of the length of your hill.


    Tie the other end of the bungy cord to your waist.


    Sled.


    At the bottom, the bungy cord should kick in and fling you back UP the hill.


    This solves two problems.

    1: How to not hit the "Dangerous" trees.
    2: A way around the pesky problem of having to climb back up the hill.

    • That is, the strap that holds you on to the sled when you snap back up the hill. Otherwise, you'll be eating a lot of powder.

      Oh, and don't forget to make sure that the bungie is attached to an extremely strong point on the sled. Without that, you'll just break the sled.

      Oh, and don't forget that the sled in question will probably have to be a saucer. The slighest angular twist in your path to the bungie mounting point will probably cause you to roll/drag on your way back up the hill otherwise.

      Oh, and ... don't do that. It sounds like a good way to die. Especially if you just missed a tree on the way down and the damn bungie finishes you off just as you're taking a sigh of relief.
  • If you live in the neighborhood where I grew up, then you surely have the crowd of fuckos who wear sweatpants all the time, not just when sledding. Many of them live "below the tracks." They learn early on in their winter-fun careers that it's not their role to have their own sleds, but rather to stand halfway down the hill and "hijack" those kids half their age whose parents actually bought stuff for their kids, rather than buying crack for themselves. So if your neighborhood doesn't have these 15 year old cock gobblers who make sledding miserable for the 10 year olds, perhaps you should go to wallmart and buy some in time for the snowfall.
  • If you want to do something "different", and own something that no one else can buy, something you can pass down to your kids, and you have the skills - build your sled yourself, by consulting an old set of Popular Mechanics Do It Yourself Encyclopedias!

    I have a set of these (hard to find a complete set), and I remember in the "S" volume there were plans for a few snow sleds, etc - I think there may even have been a plan for a sleigh! Anyhow, one of these plans was some kind of racer deal, with outboard "skid rudders" and a steering wheel that turned to allow you to "drive" the sled - seemed like a fun thing! I also think there was a plan for an ice sail-skate racer thingie (not sure what they are called).

    A little background:

    The encyclopedia set was published in 1968, and contained a TON of "do-it-yourself" projects - everything from cars, to homes, to boats - even a clothes dryer! Full plans, full articles giving you instructions on how to build, and what tools to use. The articles typically leave just enough leeway for you to experiment, too. Unfortunately, I think they may have only been published that year, as I haven't seen any later editions for sale anywhere. But if you can find them, they are well worth it - some of the projects are meaningless nowadays, except on the educational level - either there are better products to buy on the market today, or there are similar products which are cheaper than what can be built. Other projects and articles though are still relevant today, and can give you ideas on how to do things cheaper than by hiring someone (for instance, there are three articles in the series on building your own full size swimming pool - one made out of fiberglass. There are articles on building fences, and other home improvements - one talks about building rolling storage systems to recover unused space in crawlways and basements. Other articles detail things like basic auto maintenance, plumbing, electrical wiring - though that last one would have to be checked against code, of course).

    I have known about these encyclopedias for a long time, since I was a kid and purchased one at a used book sale at the library (the "A" volume, which was the "free" volume they would send you - they don't seem to do much of that kind of marketing anymore - anyhow, I bought it because it had some cool plans for a model hovercraft). I find it sad to think it wasn't too long ago when people thought "Yeah - I could just build the damn thing!" and bought these kind of books to help them out. Nowadays, it seems that people think if it can't be bought, it can't exist - and most people don't think about building anymore. A lot of people don't even have the ability to think they can build it. Maybe it was because there are enough products today that are cheaper than building it yourself. Or maybe people are just lazy and don't want to take the time to learn how.

    When I see someone doing "homebrew" stuff, though, it makes me feel better knowing there are still people that can do it - which is why I do so myself, so that others can feel the same way, and perhaps be inspired by example. For most computer geeks, this seems to be the way anyhow, what with case modding, overclocking, hardware building and interfacing, homebrew pringles can antennas, etc.

    I cannot reccommend these encyclopedias enough - I wish they (I think it was a Time-Life series) would republish them again, with some of the old plans and articles reworked for modern materials and parts, but still keeping that old-time "do-it-yourself" feel...

  • If you've got the room, build a berm at the bottom of the run that will redirect the sledder to go perpendicular to the fall line. The upward slope of the berm would slow you down fairly quickly, and the turn would you get you out of the way of the sledder on your tail.
    This is what I've seen them do on the tubing runs at ski resorts.

    Just make sure you build it high enough so that it would acted as a banked turn and not a jump, and this would make things safer for everyone who uses that run.
  • Parachute. If you attach the parachute to you, it will just snatch the sled out from under you. If you attach the parachute to you, it will snatch you off the sled. Possibly ,depending on how fast you are going, the parachute ride at the end might be more fun than the sledding! The only issue would be having the parachute deploy quickly enough, you'd have to experiment with a way to make it quickly fill, like springing open or something possibly.
  • The formula for the perfect sled: A light tubular steel frame (which can be waxed if you're performance obsessed), and a wellington brake (TM).

    Can't beat it. For greater stopping power get boots with pointier toes ;-)

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