SLEDGING Sledging (or Sledding) a.k.a. Tobogganing is a sport of coasting down snowy hillsides or chutes on a toboggan, a flat-bottomed vehicle made of hard wood. The toboggan, typically measuring 1.5 ft by 6-8 ft (.46 m by 1.8-2.4 m), is curled up at the front end to allow it to slide over irregularities of surface. The bottom is waxed, and sometimes very low, broad steel runners are added to facilitate speed. The toboggan is a development of the simple bark-and-skin runner less sled of the Native Americans. Steering is accomplished by shifting weight and the use of trailing feet. At winter-sports resorts special iced slides or chutes are constructed with elevated sides to eliminate the need for steering. Tobogganing is the forerunner of bobsledding. Sled is vehicle that moves by sliding. A sledge is typically a heavier, load-carrying sled drawn by a horse or dog, while a sleigh is a partially enclosed horse-drawn vehicle with runners that has seats for passengers. The simplest form of the sled is a board turned up in front, as in the toboggan. Developments include the addition of wooden or metal runners, the coupling of two sleds in tandem (the bobsled), and the introduction of light and graceful horse-drawn passenger sleighs. Small sleds with runners are used in winter sports. Evidence indicates that the sled was used in the Neolithic period, before the invention of the wheel or the use of any draft animal except the dog. Probably it was first drawn by a person. Whether the sled originated in the Old World or the New, or independently in each, is not known. Eskimos used a dogsled in pre-Columbian America. In ancient Egypt sleds were used to haul blocks of stone. The sled is still commonly used in northern regions. Sleding has yet to gain high popularity in India. The irony is that, though millions of people visiting the snowy slopes of Uttaranchal, Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh have savored the magical experience of this exciting adventure sport, a very small fraction would be knowing even the correct name of this sport or the technique involved. Probably with active participation from the State Governments and also loads of support - in terms of coverage, highlighting and awareness generation, from the media Snow Sledging / Snow Sledding / Tobogganing in India will get its due recognition. The good thing is that you can experience this sport of Sledging a.k.a. Sledding a.k.a Tobogganing at various places in Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh and in Jammu & Kashmir. The Snow Camp Whispering Pines, Dhanaulti for instance is a great place (most accessible and closest from Delhi/NCR) for Sledging / Sledding in India. Bobsledding lovers in India may have to wait, till the time that the exciting sport of Bobsledding becomes available and popular in India. Precautions