VERMONT MAGAZINE Winter 2021 | Page 46

Parker emphasizes that another important thing to keep in mind is that the density and quality of the snow largely impacts the speed and maneuverability of the sled . “ Mad River Rocket sleds perform very well in all types of winter environments – with the exception of incredibly icy and slippery surfaces – but they truly excel in powdery snow . They have a big bow on the front of the sled that plows the snow to the side with incredible efficiency . The sleds also feature what my father Dave referred to as an ‘ inverted keel ’ design underneath . In other words , the trail that the sled leaves behind looks a lot like a monorail track . With just a few inches of snow , the sled rides on that ‘ rail ’ you ’ re carving through the powder . That gives the rider a lot of control when the snow is deep enough to form the rail , but when you ’ re riding over packed snow , it ’ s a different kind of physical undertaking . The sleds move faster when they are unencumbered by the powdery snow . That ’ s why the first track down a backcountry slope tends to be the slowest . If the snow is densely packed down , you ’ re going to move at a quicker pace . The more times you ride down the same track , the faster it gets . Once it gets too fast , you can just blaze a new trail and start all over again packing that snow down . The steepness of the hill and the depth of the snow also play a big part in the speed at which you ’ re going to travel .”

Available in “ large ” and “ small ” models , the versatile sleds are perfect for a variety of uses beyond the backcountry , including recreational backyard sledding , park sledding , and “ freestyle sledding .” Parker says that as the sleds continued to grow in popularity , a dedicated contingent of experienced sled riders has pushed the sport forward in new and adventurous ways , such as acrobatic “ freestyle ” trick riding . “ The ‘ freestyle sledding ’ movement developed at a parallel rate with skateboarding and snowboarding in the 1990s when they were becoming popular . I think that when extreme sports came to the cultural forefront , people felt naturally motivated to try to do the same things with the sleds , such as flips , spins , grab tricks , and big air jumps . It has really

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