Hogan's Heros was a popular show here too. I guess that would have been in the 70's. We had 2 boys in school that we called Schultz. "I see nothing".

The only sleds that I remember seeing that had sides and a back would be made for really small kids, something that you're just going to drag around in the back yard or park or something similar.

I searched: Krazy Karpet, we had a sled that was about the same. It was plastic, handle on one end and it would roll up, as soon as you'd fall off. We also had one that was like a saucer, it was metal and just big enough for 1 kid. Both of those sleds, you can't steer them, maybe drag your hands and help a little bit. Mostly, They'd take you down hill.

I weighed a 55 inch sled, it is right at 12 pounds. A 45 inch sled is right at 9 pounds.

I always liked to ride my sled headfirst, laying on my belly, steering with my arms. One ride I remember was comming down the mountain from Mom's homeplace, it'd be over 3/4's of a mile run. We went up to check on Mom's parents, feed the animals and take in wood and all. After we got finished Mom told me to be careful and that I could take off. There is a church at the base of the mountain, and that's where she was to meet me.

So I took off, at the end of the driveway. My sled was well used and I'd just waxed up the runners. It wasn't long till I had a pretty good head of steam, on the sharp turns I'd be hanging over one side with my toes dragging, maybe one knee and now and then an elbow. Slide around that turn and do the same thing on the other side at the next turn. Once I'd get out in the open, I'd let it roll.

That is a dirt road and they always scrape the snow with a road grader. I was skimming down the mountain, and there was a little patch where the snow had melted off, down to bare dirt, mud and grit. I was moving on pretty good, I pushed myself to the back of the sled, thinking I could just skim on across the muddy spot. Boys, that threw the brakes on me. I can't say that it stopped me cold, but it was quick!

If I'd been going a little bit faster, I really think it'd flipped me end for end. I had to get off, carry the sled a little ways, rubbed the runners around in the snow to get the grit cleaned off, and hopped right back on. But I was waiting at the church when Mom came down the road.

I had 32* and snow flurries yesterday. The ground got white yesterday at Mount Storm, WV. I had 23* this morning, bright sunshine here now. Never know, but that's probably the end of sledding for this spring?