Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
“I’ve never used a sled with a seatbelt before or by kneeling, how does this sled work?”
It makes sense when you're in it. There is a round logo on the front of the sled, which is a slightly bigger end, and you kneel facing forwards. The seatbelt then fits over your thighs to hold you in the sled. In that position, you have a lot of control. You can lean to either side, which helps for steering. You can lean forwards or back to go faster or slow down. And most importantly, you can drag your hands in the snow on either side to assist in steering and maneuvering the sled. Its also possible to do a "hockey stop" where you turn quickly and slide sideways to a stop, with the uphill hand in the snow for balance and support.
“Will it hurt my knees?”
Probably not. The pads are there to make it a comfortable ride, and they work! People even take these sleds off big jumps and land from heights of 5 even 10 feet high. This requires a soft or sloped landing, of course. And it might hurt a bit if you land on a flat or hard surface from such a big jump. No amount of knee pads will prevent that. But for regular sledding and jumps with good landing zones, it feels fine.
“Can I ride the Mad River Rocket sitting with my feet forward, like on a regular sled?”
Yes. We consider it a style of sledding, and its quite common. Especially if you want to carry a small child between your legs. Here is a video of how it can be done. You will find that your weight is further back in the sled, causing the sled to go a little slower. Everything else is the same, you will steer by leaning and dragging your hands in the snow as shown in this video.
“The videos show people kneeling on the Rocket, but with the seatbelt buckle over only their calves, not their thighs. Why do they do that? And is it better?”
Another style of sledding is kneeling, but with the strap under the thighs, but over the calves. It allows you to rise up with your torso, or sit down on your feet. This is often used by the people doing expert level tricks off of jumps. It gives them more control over their body's motion. On the jump, they can "pop up" to get more lift going off the jump, and therefore bigger air. In the air, they can twist around more for spins and flips. And they can also reach further forward with their hands into the snow when pushing along a slow section, or speeding up before a jump.
“How long does shipping take?”
Sleds ship from Vermont using UPS ground or USPS Parcel Select. Within New England they usually take 1-2 business days. Thats right, sometimes you will get it the next day. If it is shipping to the West Coast, it usually delivers within 5 business days. The midwest and places in between are usually somewhere in the middle there, within a week.