Snowtubing: a recreational activity for the whole family

Among all winter sports, snow-tubing seems to be one of the safest activities in which each member of the family can take part. What is it like? Let us take a closer look at this recreational sport.

Tubing

Snowtubing is a sport for which special equipment is used. Tubings are round bouncy sleigh used to ride down snow-covered tracks. They may be different in size: there are tubing created for small children, young people or even adults. What they are made of is a thick material such as polyester. Inside there is an inner tube that helps to absorb the roughness of the track, so that the process of riding is very comfortable and extremely safe. Tubing is suitable for riding in many places where there are no trees and stones. This is necessary to prevent the vehicle from being torn. Still, it is better to go to the special tracks to make the most of this activity.

Types of tubing equipment

The type of sleigh used in snow-tubing can vary from very cheap options to extremely expensive ones. There are several factors that affect its price. Moreover, what they have impact on is the safety of the activity, this is why it is crucial to choose them wisely. What should you pay attention to?

Snow-tubing sleigh may be made of nylon or polyester. The thicker the layer of this material, the more stable the sleigh will be. Also, it may be sewed in various ways: sometimes the stitches are too weak, but in other cases there are p to two layers of them. Should we tell you which sleigh will be better? At the bottom PVC tarpaulin is usually used. This material is thick enough to stay in good condition for as long as possible. The smaller density of the material should be at least 630 g. per square meter.

In addition, the size plays a very important role: to feel comfortable and be safe it is necessary to choose the snow-tubing sleigh in accordance with the age of a person and his or her height.

• If the height is less than 100 centimeters, the diameter of the tubing should not be bigger than 85 centimeters.
• If the height of a person is 100-165 centimeters, the diameter must range from 85 to 95 centimeters.
• For an adult whose height is more than 170 centimeters the diameter of the tubing should exceed 1 meter.
• If you want to ride with somebody else, opt for sleight with the diameter bigger than 120 centimeters.

Safety rules

Some people think that snow-tubing is a dangerous activity which may lead to injuries or fallings because it is uncontrollable. Still, this opinion is not true because any type of sleigh is hard to control when it comes to riding down the hills at high speed. To minimize the risk of anything that can cause health problems it is advisable to stick to the safety rules discussed further.

1. You should always opt for specialized tracks or at least tracks where there is no roughness, as well as no trees, bushes or trampolines. To evaluate the safety of a track it is necessary to look at it from its highest point: if no obstacles are in sight, it is likely to be suitable for snow-tubing.
2. It is important to choose the track in accordance with the child’s age: the younger the child, the lower the angle of the descent should be.
3. When riding in a tubing, it is necessary to hold it with both hands avoid touching the ground with your legs, leaning forward or moving suddenly.
4. You must not jump in a tubing from a trampoline. Remember: the tubing is full of air and in the moment of landing your spine will experience high pressure which is not healthy.
5. Running before riding sown the track is not a good idea, too. It is almost impossible to control the direction of the tubing. The faster it moves the more risky the activity is.
6. Never attach several tubing sleigh together, even if you ride them with your children.
7. Choose tracks that are pretty flat and have a low degree of descent and a long stopping distance.
8. Never use your hand or legs to stop the tubing.

If you follow all the rules mentioned above, you can be sure that snow-tubing is a safe activity. There are two reasons for it:

1. It has a bigger area that touches the ground, which is why it is more stable than any other type of sleigh.
2. It has an air chamber that softens the hits with the ground.

Speed limits

Since snow-tubing is an activity in which children often take part, usually parents are worried about the speed it can reach. There are no reasons for anxiety, though, because its average speed is around 17,9 kilometers per hour. However, it is possible to reach more than 36 kilometers per hour, but it happens only on special tracks created for this activity on purpose. It happens because only such tracks have no obstacles. Why does snow-tubing seem to be faster than riding because the highest speed is reached must faster.

Tubeless sleigh: pros and cons

Sometimes those who do not believe in safety of snow-tubing bouncy sleigh opt for tubeless sleigh. This type of sleigh is basically a PVC tube that is brighter in color and various in form. Moreover, it is often a little bit cheaper. This vehicle is lighter and does not have any smell of rubber. At the same time, there are several disadvantages in using tubeless sleigh. What are they?

• This type of sleigh is not as durable as the bouncy one. It is more likely to get torn or break down.
• It is affected by low temperatures: if the temperature is lower than -15 degrees Celsius, the rubber will snap in half.

Advice

There are several pieces of advice that you might want to follow if you are going to do snow-tubing.

• Always choose a snow-tubing sleight that will be easy to get in the mountains. Remember: its size depends on height and weight of the person who will ride it.
• Store it in a dark, cool place to prevent the smell of rubber from spreading.
• Choose the air tubes that are suitable for the type of sleigh you are using, otherwise it might slap.
• In summer, deflate the tubing sleigh to prevent it from becoming too soft.
• At the same time, when inflating it, avoid using too much air, otherwise it will be likely to tear as soon as somebody sits in here because of high pressure.

This is everything you should know about snow-tubing and the equipment that is used in terms of this recreational activity. Feel free to get unforgettable memories by riding it, but remember to follow the safety rules and choose the equipment carefully!