When the Snow Sucks, Go Sledding

If you’re a skier, I don’t have to tell you snow has sucked this year. In New Mexico, where I live, we’ve gotten a measly 31 percent of our average. We’ve had only one good storm, so all the ski areas have relied on man-made snow, and not one is fully open. I’ve still managed to take my kids skiing a handful of times, but to fill in the gaps when the slopes have been closed or terrible, we’ve also turned to sledding.

This nostalgia-inducing activity requires far less snow and is much more accessible than skiing. We even have a dedicated sledding area in the National Forest that’s a quick drive from our house. Watching my kids rocket down icy slopes with shit-eating grins reminds me that sliding on snow is always fun, no matter what you ride on.

We’ve tested a few different snow sleds and have some recommendations for what you can use to stay outside and entertained when you’re facing your own snowfall low tide.

Snow Saucer Sled

$6 at Tractor Supply

$18 at Tractor Supply (3-Pack)

My advice: Buy several of these and just leave them in your car during the winter. They cost next to nothing, stack well, and don’t take up much space—but they will hurl a child or an adult down any sledding hill in style.

My kids love saucers mostly because they’re unpredictable. The round shape means they’re nearly impossible to steer, so you have to hold on and just believe that you’ll get to the bottom intact, even if you’re traveling backwards. True, saucers are not very comfortable and my kids often come home with sore butts, but they deliver the most fun per dollar of any piece of outdoor gear I’ve ever owned.

Bonus: You can also use these saucers on sand dunes during the summer. We take them to White Sands in southern New Mexico and they deliver as much fun as they do in winter. You won’t slide as fast on sand as you do on snow, but the kids love the adventure nonetheless.

Alpacka Adrenaline Snow Sled

$200 at Alpacka Raft

The hill where we tested sleds in the Sandia Mountains outside Albuquerque, New Mexico was a block of ice when we got there in the morning, thanks to a strong freeze-thaw cycle. The ice was jagged, and rocks were sticking out at the bottom. Several families popped inner-tube sleds because the rubber wasn’t durable enough.

The Alpacka Adrenaline, however, came away with nary a scratch, thanks to the same bulletproof rubber that Alpacka uses to make its packrafts. My kids bounced down the hill two at a time, one stacked on top of the other—but despite the abuse, I couldn’t find even a small tear at the end of the day.

Handles at the front help you can hold on, and lengthwise tubing makes the sled go straight…ish. But like most consumer sleds, there’s no real way to steer, so you just point and hope. Unlike the saucers’ hard surface that left my kids bruised, the Adrenaline’s inflated tubes ate up the chop and created a much smoother ride.

At $200, the Adrenaline is not cheap, but it will last for years and packs down to almost nothing in the summer. If you do manage to pop the raft, Alpaca has an entire section of their website on how to make the repair.

Flexible Flyer Snow Boat Plastic Sled

$32 at Ace Hardware

My son loves to chat people up. As usual, he made friends with a nearby family while we were sledding, and he commandeered this sled from them. He and his buddy loved it because it’s a two-person option that allowed them to tumble down the hill together. They took turns sitting in front and trying to keep the sled in a straight line, which helped them build trust with each other as the session went on.

A small cushion inside the sled took the bite out of the worst bumps and jumps, and grooves in the bottom made it go straighter than a plastic saucer. Handles on the side kept the boys in the sled even when it turned sideways off a jump.

It would be impossible to squeeze two adults into the Flyer, but it’s perfect for one, giving you enough room to stretch out your legs. I’m about as flexible as a two-by-four, so I can never squeeze onto a saucer without my legs hanging off and dragging in the snow, but I fit comfortably in the Flyer while whizzing unimpeded down the hill.