Swooshing down a snowy hill at top speeds is super-fun! But did you know there are also some super-fun facts about tobogganing?

Check these out!

Dress-Up Tobogganing?

In the late 1800’s, tobogganing was not just a kid’s sport. Adults joined in on the fun, too. They even dressed up for the occasion.

Men wore top hats and women dressed in their best clothes.

The Longest Toboggan Run

The longest toboggan run in the world is found in Grindelwald, Switzerland. It is 9.3 miles long and takes about 1 hour to complete.

However, before you can zoom down the hill, you have to take a 25-minute gondola ride up the sloop. Plus, another 2-hour hike to reach the start of the run.

But then it’s all downhill from there!

Animals Toboggan, Too!

Penguins like to Toboggan, too. They flop onto their tummies then slide down the ice using their flippers and feet for propulsion, steering, and braking.

Tobogganing is a faster and an easier way for penguins to cross large stretches of ice.

Warm Weather Toboggans

Toboggans are not just for the snow. You can use these “vehicles” on sand, too!

People use special sleds to toboggan down sand dunes in places like Australia, Egypt, and South America. Even the Ancient Egyptians used large sleds to help transport objects across the desert.

There are even toboggans with wheels. Tourists can ride this cool toboggan down the side of a mountain to get off the Great Wall of China. To do this, riders hop aboard the toboggan and travel from the Wall to the valley below on a metal winding track. The trip takes about three minutes.

More “Cool” Toboggan Facts

• Toboggan” is from the Mi’kmaq word “tobakun,” which means sled. In fact, the Inuit people made the first toboggans out of whale bone. They used it to transport people and belongings across the snowy tundra.
• In New Mexico, at an annual sporting event, people don’t bother with a toboggan. Instead, they sit on metal shovels to race downs slopes.
• Three Olympic sports were developed from tobogganing: bobsledding, luging, and skeleton racing.
• In 2014, Guy Martin, zipped down a mountainside in Europe on a toboggan. He was clocked in at a whopping speed of 83.3 miles-per-hour (134 kph)!

What do you think about tobogganing? Let us know in the comments section!