So early last week the wife and I headed out for some “new school” sledding, or what I commonly refer to as backcountry sledding. So what the heck are these sleds? You’ve maybe heard of them referred to as Swiss Bobs. I think we’ve had our arsenal of sleds for about three years now, and I have to be honest, my wife uses them way more than I do – I’d consider her a veteran Bobber. She and her girlfriends typically go a couple times a month.
A Sled is Really all you Need.
Finding optimal locations for Bobbing is the first challenge, the best spots are gully type trails with a good steady decline to them – these things haul a#@ when pointed downhill, so you don’t want it too steep. The other key element would be that you choose a trial that gets good winter use, and single track is always better than wide open. One of the best locations in the Park City area is the Iron Canyon/Mountain Trail. It fits all the above criteria and can be ridden from the top, what I would believe to be at least a 1.5 mile decent. A killer 1.5 miles I might add. If you’ve not tried it, you must.
Ripping the Swiss Bob!
So last week when we headed out we decided to try a new area, one which a Basin resident had recommended and said was on par or better than Iron Canyon – our target, Summit Park! Jump off the Summit Park Exit and turn right back up the hill, looking for Parkview Drive. Take Parkview for a mile or two back into the heart of Summit Park, you’ll come to what I believe is Matterhorn Dr. – you’ll see the Trailhead in front of you. Take off here, hike as high as you like, you’ll see in the image posted here that we took it all the way to the top (killer views up there).
The Top...
The Bobbing, or backcountry sledding on this day was epic. Soft snow top to bottom, which was a fairly new condition for us to Bob in; we typically go after a high and dry period (Translated = NO NEW POW TO SKI). The run itself was great, a lot different than Iron Canyon – a little more open in places, and a lot more structure to the run (jumps, drops and such).
Swiss Bobs are hard to find, we’ve purchased on ebay and at yard sales. You can check this link Swiss Bob Sleds @ REI to purchase a new sled, but as you will notice, they are often out of stock – Maybe that is a sign. So grab a helmet (optional, I like to take mine – the wife opts to go without), your best outerwear (you get wet, very wet) – and go hit it. Oh yeah. To stop the thing, you simply put your feet down and pull up on the handles – this is good to know.
UT Faceshots Rule - Even on a Sled