Snowshoes and Toboggans

My dad and I built snowshoes. I only used them a few of times, but I saw them in my garage today. They have to be 38 years old. We had a pattern someone in Scouts had given the troop, and jig. They are made from gray PVC pipe and green nylon rope. I think we bought the leather toe slips at the Army / Navy surplus store on 2nd Avenue just north of Michigan in south Seattle. That was one of my favorite stores!

We drilled the holes, and gently heated the PVC with Dad’s torch, bending around the jig. The pattern included the weave of the nylon rope. I even loaned them to someone once (although I can’t remember who) – they said they worked great except the shoes needed the crampons – the person slipped and slid - but the snowshoes are very light. They were impressed however that we made them!

My brother wanted a toboggan – not a snow sled but a big, wooden toboggan. Dad and Mom bought it for him for Christmas one year. We used to lash it onto the red ’64 Dodge Dart wagon and head for the hills – usually Stevens Pass because it was close to the cabin. The Dart had studded snow tires. One time when there wasn’t much snow, Dad tied a rope to the back of the wagon, and dragged us behind the car on logging roads. Today, common sense tells me it wasn’t a good idea, but Greg and I had fun!

The toboggan was a six-seater made with alternating natural wood – honey oak, and walnut in color. The very thin pad was green, with yellow nylon rope handles woven down each side lengthwise, were your only chance at “safety.”

It might have been the second or third run on the first day, but we finally figured out how to steer. The toboggan pilot (coxswain in rowing, driver in NASCAR) would yell the steering commands. The majority of the participants on a toboggan are idiots. They cannot see where they are going, and they put their trust in a person with no “piloting experience.”

Don S., a close family friend from church, and our neighbor was the pilot on that run…

“Lean to the left!” Everyone one hung on and leaned. The toboggan started it’s “oil supertanker turn.”

“Lean to the right!” Don had a slight panic to his voice, but everyone arched to the right, and the toboggan came upright and started a very slow turn to the right.

We were slaloming just like on skis! However, the actual toboggan run was not that long, and long slow turns were not optimum.

“JUMP!” came the anxious shout as the toboggan smashed into a tree. No injuries to the toboggan or otherwise!

- Craig