Tobogganing, << tuh BOG uhn ihng, >> is the winter sport of coasting on snow or ice by means of toboggans, which are sleds without runners. A toboggan is made of strips of hickory, ash, or maple, with the front ends curved back. The strips are fastened together by crosspieces. The undersurface is highly polished. The sled is usually 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 meters) long and 11/2 feet (46 centimeters) wide. Four people usually make up a toboggan team. The one at the rear steers the sled. Tobogganists have attained a speed of 900 yards (823 meters) in 30 seconds, or more than 61 mph (98 kph).
Indian hunters first built toboggans made of bark to carry game over the snow. The Inuit (sometimes called Eskimos) used to make toboggans of whalebone. Bobsledding, an offshoot of tobogganing, has become a feature of the Winter Olympic Games. A bobsled can reach a speed of up to 90 mph (145 kph). Both two-seat and four-seat bobsleds have a standard length of 9 to 12 feet (2.7 to 3.7 meters).
