Care and storage tips
The toboggan is a piece of sports equipment and with a reasonable riding style and proper care it will give you pleasure for a long time.
- If necessary, grind steel rails in running direction with grain size 60-80.
- The icier the track, the finer the grinding of the rail.
- The inner edge of the rail should be sharp.
- After sanding with steel wool, pull off in running direction (remove sanding residues) and clean from sanding dust with wax remover.
- The structure must be clean in itself.
- The splints should be treated with 3R ORIGINAL DAVOSER wax products.
- After tobogganing, wipe the tracks dry and wax. Unfortunately, most good and fast rails are susceptible to rust.
- Do not expose the toboggan to the blazing sun in the car for long periods of time.
- When mounting the steel rails, ensure 1-2mm toe-in. Front slightly narrower than rear (like the track setting of a car)
- Freestanding or lying Storage
Tobogganing technique
How does a toboggan actually work?
The sled is cleverly designed. In contrast to toboggans such as Grindelwalder, Davoser, etc., the runners are slightly bent in the longitudinal direction and the trestles are movably connected to the runners (with rubber bearings) and not firmly glued as is the case with a sled. The laterally folded runners allow precise and safe steering. By shifting the weight and applying pressure to the corresponding skid and pulling on the steering rope, the geometry is changed so that the sled moves in the desired direction. Braking steering attempts with your feet in the snow are a thing of the past.
Runners and center of gravity
The curved runners also provide an optimum centre of gravity. This makes the rotational resistance smaller than with a slide and the manoeuvrability considerably greater. This means much better cornering performance than with a rigid sled.
Skid inclination
In contrast to the sled, the runners of the sled are inclined on the inner edge. The friction resistance is lower, the guidance is much better and therefore the sled is lighter and easier to steer than a sled. Less frictional resistance also means that the gliding characteristics of a sled are much better and the speed is therefore much higher. The comfortable textile or plastic tarpaulin seats dampen bumps and protect the back.
The skid angle
This is mostly between 5° and 20° depending on the model. Most sport toboggans, however, are built with the maximum runner angle of 25° according to the regulations. The smaller the runner angle, the better the toboggan glides in the straight line on the snow. The larger the skid angle, the better the tracking in the curve and on ice. With 25°, for example, very high speeds are also possible. Whereby, on certain stretches, a sports sled with a 20° runner angle, for example, can also be faster on fresh snow.
How to steer a toboggan
A curve is approached from the outside. Shortly before the bend you straighten up, brake hard and take your feet up again. In a right-hand bend, hold the steering belt with your left hand and pull up the right runner; the right leg is lifted. This relieves the pelvis on the right (inside of the curve). There’s pressure on the left outer skid. The left leg is pressed in the direction of the curve against the left skid. In tight corners, the right arm is stretched out from behind, the shoulder puts pressure on the rear bar (and runner) and the right hand reaches into the snow. Just by lifting your knee, you can take slight bends.
- Rather drive a curve slowly and cleanly than uncontrolled and too fast
