Snowy hills delight Miami Valley sledders

Credit: Dayton Daily News Archives

Credit: Dayton Daily News Archives


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HISTORY EXTRA is a weekly pictorial history feature showcasing the Miami Valley's rich heritage. If you have a unique set of historic photos found in your parents' or grandparents' attic that depicts the past in the Miami Valley, contact Lisa Powell at 937-225-2229 or at Lisa.Powell@coxinc.com.

A really great day of sledding has been elusive so far this winter, but when that perfect storm eventually hits, sledding devotees will be ready.

Who doesn’t remember that thrill of an unexpected day off from school caused by a winter snow? Kids of all ages still grab their sleds and head to the nearest hill.

>>GALLERY: View photos of Dayton sledders through the years

Flexible flyers, toboggans, discs, inner tubes and even cafeteria trays have transported thrill-seekers down snow-covered hills; and the most famous of all sleds — Rosebud — plays a key role in the classic Orson Welles film “Citizen Kane.”

No matter where we live, almost all of our communities have their own versions of “suicide hill” where generations of sledding enthusiasts have swooped down slopes at break-neck speeds.

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Where did the inspiration for such winter fun come from?

Sleds started out as a practical form of transportation for people and cargo. Developed in areas of the world consistently covered with snow, sleds were a more efficient way to travel than wheeled vehicles.

Early sled designs could be pulled by dog, horse or oxen. Scandinavian archaeologists Haakon Shetelig and Gabriel Gustafson found examples of sleds when they unearthed the Oseberg Viking ship in Norway at the beginning of the 20th century. The ship, discovered in a burial mound, is believed to date back to 834 AD.

The wooden toboggan sled is also a traditional form of transportation used by both the Indians of northern Canada and the people of ancient Egypt, who are believed to have used sleds to drag construction material for the pyramids across the sands.

Kicksled races were recorded in Sweden and Norway during the 15th century, according to “A Brief History of Snow Sledding in Europe.” The small sled with what appeared to be a chair strapped to it was propelled by kicking the ground with your foot.

The modern sport of sledding called luge, skeleton and bobsledding, originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland in the mid-to-late 19th century. Guests on vacation commandeered delivery sleds for recreational purposes and took them on a spin across the icy snow.

Modern competitive sledding started in 1883 in Davos, Switzerland. An Australian student named George Robertson beat a half dozen international competitors on a 4-kilometer stretch in what is believed to be the world’s first international sled race.

Soon afterwards, bobsleigh, luge and skeleton sledding were developed and by mid-decade the first course, or run, was built at the Kulm Hotel in the Alps of Switzerland. The opening of formal competition for luge sledding was in 1883 and for bobsleds in 1884 in St. Moritz.

The International Olympic Committee approved bobsleigh and skeleton sledding for the 1928 Winter Olympics. Skeleton sledding was again contested in 1948, discontinued then reintroduced at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, where James Edmound “Jimmy” Shea Jr. of the United States won the gold medal.

Let’s just say, despite El Nino, we’ll get an opportunity for sledding before this winter’s over. You can find a list of thrilling hills at www.sledriding.com. The website lists slopes by county and provides information on parking and surface texture. Triangle Park in Dayton, the Taylorsville MetroPark sledding hill in Vandalia and the 1,000-foot-long run at John Bryan State Park in Yellow Springs are among popular local spots.

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