According to the Wall Street Journal, one of the earliest instances of sleds being used for pure fun was in 1650s Russia, when young Russian aristocrats participated in a dangerous game; they built wooden tracks, then slid down them in sleds carved from ice. Since then, sledding has evolved into a formalized sport.

When did people start sledding?

In the U.S., the big breakthrough for sledding came in the 1860s, when Henry Morton of South Paris, Maine, started producing hand-painted wooden sleds with metal runners. They were small enough that even children could manage them.

When was tobogganing first used?

Tobogganing as a sport probably originated on the slopes of Mount Royal in Montreal. During the late 1880s it spread to the United States, where it had considerable popularity until the early 1930s, when widespread enthusiasm for skiing brought about its popular decline.