5 tips for sledding with children

If you want to go sledding together, there are a few important points you should bear in mind. Here are some tips for you - from preparation to the right technique.

When your offspring are old enough, it's time to start packing. The following list will help you to pack all the necessary items in your rucksack:

• Quality sled (depending on whether you want to ride together or alone, with or without a backrest)
• A pad for the seat of the sledge (ideally something warm like lambskin)
• Ski helmet for you and your child
• Sturdy shoes, possibly with spikes if the track is particularly icy
• Long socks so that it's not too cold as soon as the snow gets into the shoe shaft
• Warm outfit and a change of clothes for kids, including hat, scarf and gloves
• Drinks and snacks for the ascent
• Sunscreen
• First aid kit

Practical recommendation: In addition to the points mentioned above, we also have a detailed packing list for your skiing holiday. You may find a few more things you might need here.

If the starting point of the tobogganing fun cannot be reached by a gondola, the route has to be covered on foot. A fact that is usually not so much fun for the youngest companions. What helps then? There are several ways in which you can make the hike more enjoyable for your little ones:

• Choose short routes: The length and gradient should be adapted to the youngest hikers. Bear in mind that children walk more slowly and always take breaks to look at their surroundings. Also plan time for a snowball fight!
• Carry a toddler on a sledge: To give your children a short break, you can also pull the little ones for a while. Depending on their age, your sledge should already have a backrest to prevent them from falling off.
• Create incentives: A dessert at the mountain hut as a reward for the ascent or a chocolate bar halfway through the hike can work wonders. A little motivation makes walking a lot easier. If you are particularly creative, you can also come up with a scavenger hunt or other games (snowball target throwing, building the biggest snow ball, etc.) for the way up - including goodies at the end.

Whether with children or without - you should have your sledge under control at all times during the descent. Pay attention to the following aspects:

• Maintain control of the sled at all times
• Choose a safe riding style so that you, your children and other tobogganers reach the valley unharmed
• Always ride on sight
• Keep a sufficient distance from the people in front of you
• Adapt your speed to your riding style, the people on the toboggan, the slope and the weather

Especially if you are travelling with your kids in a group, you should consider one important aspect: Only stop at clear places to take a break or to wait for your companion!

• Position yourself: Whether alone or in pairs. Sit on the sled so that the weight is evenly distributed. This is the only way to ensure that the steering and braking impulses are effective.
• Braking: The speed is reduced as soon as you put your feet on the ground during the ride. To do this, put both feet out in front of you and apply even pressure to the snow surface with the sole or the heel of your foot. Tip: Tell your children in advance that snow may get under their trousers and into their shoes when tobogganing.
• Steering: Similar to braking, changing direction involves extending your feet forwards. Instead of applying pressure evenly with both feet on the ground as when braking, the force impulse for steering is only applied on one side. The sled will also move in the direction in which you shift your weight. Note, however, that directional impulses do not happen immediately when sledding.

If you take all the points into account and start your tobogganing adventure with the kids with a little preparation, you will have a lot of fun together. After all, the good thing about sledding is that it puts a grin on the faces of adults and children alike.

As a winter sports destination, Austria has a number of toboggan runs to offer. Some of them are ideal for a trip with the whole family:

• Carinthia: The Guggendorf natural toboggan run in Hermagor in the Nassfeld region can be reached after a 30-minute hike. It's an adventurous two-kilometre ride back down into the valley.
• Lower Austria: The adventure run in Semmering is three kilometres long. The youngest snow fans can head to the opposite side to the Panhans toboggan run at the Happylift.
• Salzburg: There are no fewer than 17 sledding runs in the Salzburger Sportwelt - a highlight for tourism. The run at Hahnbaum in St. Johann in Salzburger Land is a child-friendly option.
• Styria: The toboggan run on the Stuhleck offers an ideal experience for children. The way to the starting point is by chairlift or a 90-minute hike. During the descent, you will always meet the funny mascot Semmi and his friends.
• Tyrol: After a one-hour ascent on foot with a slight difference in altitude of 180 metres, the Pinnisalm descent in the Stubai Valley takes you rapidly downhill.
• Vorarlberg: The two-kilometre-long toboggan slope on the Sonnkopf promises great entertainment for the whole family. The subsequent refreshment stop takes tobogganists to the Bündthütte.
• Upper Austria: A particularly child-friendly natural sleddging run starts at Berggasthof Zottensberg in the immediate vicinity of the INTERSPORT Rent shop in Windischgarsten. Tobogganing is available for a fee on a 300 metre run both during the day and under floodlights.

Sledding is definitely recommended for children as it is an outdoor activity. The exercise strengthens the cardiovascular system and the time spent outdoors improves the immune system. Although sledding, like any other sport, is dangerous and can cause injuries, tobogganing is a fun activity for children in winter if done safely.

No, there is no legal obligation to wear a helmet when tobogganing. However, you should wear protective headgear for the descent. Even on routes with a low gradient, speeds can be reached that could result in injury. Children in particular should always wear a helmet, even if it is not required by law.

Children up to the age of 5 should only toboggan when accompanied by an adult. An important prerequisite for travelling alone is that the offspring can already sit safely. From the age of 5 to 6 years, the first steps can be taken so that the kids feel safe handling the sledge on their own.