FAQs about Toboggans

The word “toboggan” likely originates from the word for sled by the Mi’kmaq (tobâkun) and/or Abenaki (udãbãgan). French Canadians adopted the word in the early 1800s, but spelled it “tabaganne.”

 

The longest toboggan run in the world is found in Grindelwald, Switzerland. It takes a 25-minute gondola ride and 2-hour hike to reach the start of the run. Then it’s all downhill from there. The toboggan run is 15 km long and takes about one hour to complete!

 

At an annual sporting event in New Mexico, people don’t bother with a toboggan. Instead, they sit on metal shovels to race downs slopes.

 

Toboggans can also be used on sand. People use special sleds to toboggan down sand dunes in places like Australia, Egypt, and South America. Even the Ancient Egyptians used large sleds to help transport objects across the desert.