Secrets to a Happy Toronto Winter: #8. Not all toboggans are created equal
Thick kiln-dried planks of northern birch and extra-thick powder-coated steel runners ensure Mountain Boy’s heirloom-quality sleds can take plenty of abuse. $210. Mountainboysleds.com.
This nifty toboggan is made locally with Ontario steam-bent ash and assembled with countersunk screws (not staples). It’s dipped in a water-based finish and accented with trendy check-patterned pads. $160. Canadian Outdoor Equipment Co., 199 Lakeshore Rd. E., 905-990-1750.
The main deck of the Molson wide-runner sled is made from LEED-certified three-ply vertical grain bamboo. The one-inch tubing on the side rails and the front makes for quick and easy mounting of a GoPro to capture every shriek-inducing moment. $600. Molsonrunnersleds.com.
Speed freaks, look no further than Polyzone’s Pirtuk (the Inuit word for blizzard) toboggan. It’s made with a special polymer that’s moulded into the shape of a traditional toboggan, so it looks sleek and goes like the devil. $295. 905-563-0226, polyzone.com.
The Luge model from Mastodon is a hybrid: it’s a zippy downhill racer and, with the thick nautical rope, a sturdy pull-along sled. $240. Mastodoninc.com.
