Born in Warren, Vermont, the Mad River Rocket Sled has gone from humble beginnings to becoming the foundation of a popular, new winter sport: back-country sledding.
The allure of the great outdoors – no matter the season – can be particularly hard to ignore when you live somewhere as beautiful and appealing as Vermont’s Mad River Valley and outdoor recreation is a great platform for creativity. It’s how so many of our favorite, outdoor pastimes came to be. That’s certainly true of the Mad River Rocket!
Looking for an adult alternative to the traditional kid’s sled in the 1980’s, a group of creative, outdoor-enthusiasts, here in Warren, set out to create something that combined the excitement and ease of sledding with the speed and maneuverability of skis. After numerous prototypes and years, they had it: the Mad River Rocket sled was born.
The Mad River Rocket sled is designed for a kneeling rider who steers their way downhill by leaning this way and that. With pads for your knees and a knee-strap keeping you in place, your hands are free to stabilize you as you glide down the hill, easily dodging trees and other obstacles due to the hull’s unique design. The Mad River Rocket sled is light, making it easy to carry up those hills – so light that accomplished back-country sledding enthusiasts have even developed some aerial tricks!
By the mid-90’s, word had gotten out and the Mad River Rocket began to become more common, adopted by a core group of fans whose use of the fast-moving, maneuverable sled gave it cult-status and an ever growing base of enthusiasts. If you’ve tried one, you know what I’m talking about – if you haven’t tried one, you really should.
And where better to try one than the Mad River Valley?
Clearwater Sports, in Waitsfield, VT offers a Rocket-Sledding Adventure that combines snowshoeing with a rocket sled run, more than a mile long with twists and drops, that will have you gasping with exhilaration once you finally come to a stop; a great introduction to the Mad River Rocket.
Clearwater Sports
4147 Main Street
Waitsfield, VT
clearwatersports.com
Mad River Rockets – learn more at www.madriverrocket.com
Mad River Valley Lodging
Nobody wants a day in the great outdoors to end but the reality is, it has to. When it does, why not have your indoors be somewhere that you look forward to going as well? West Hill House B&B is that place in Vermont’s Mad River Valley. We offer seasonal specials, nine private and comfortable guest rooms, and so much more. Make your Vermont getaway complete by booking a stay at West Hill House B&B in Warren, VT. And…we have Mad River Rocket Sleds for guests to borrow. There is a great sledding hill right behind the barn on the golf course.
