Better than a sled. Better than a plastic saucer. It's a Zipfy.

Saturday 12 January

Better than a sled. Better than a plastic saucer. It's a Zipfy.

It only takes about 3/4" of snow to get my kids begging to go to the sledding hill in town. They used to bang a big plastic sled up and down the hills, arguing over whose turn it is to lug the awkward thing back to the top, but this winter they have something new, super portable, and very cool to get them to the bottom.

Zipfy Freestyle Mini Luge is a lightweight plastic sled like nothing else we've owned before. Instead of the typical saucer shape, Zipfy has a handle right in the middle which gives kids some control over where they go with their sled, and also makes carrying the 3 1/2 pound sled so easy. I also like that its small size means I can toss it in the back of my car without having to empty my trunk or do any tricky positioning.

Zipfy has my kids extending their legs out in front, and not tucked underneath them, which means they can make quick stops or just drag their feet to slow down. And though I initially thought otherwise, keeping legs up off the ground is pretty easy when you have a need for speed. You just have to watch the videos of Zipfy riders speeding down the Alps to get an idea of just how fast these things can go.

Steering is accomplished by leaning into turns which does take some practice. Though, as my kids will tell you, sometimes the wipe-outs are just as fun as making it to the bottom.

Made for kids as young as six, but holding adults up to 250 pounds, Zipfy has gotten a few test runs from me too. I find it works best on semi-packed snow, as do most sleds, and it is actually a bit easier on my backside than some other sleds.

And for little ones, Zipfy Junior is made for kids as young as three, with a wider base and googly eye stickers, but otherwise, it has the same basic feel as the regular Zipfy.

How nice to get my kids running outside on a cold winter's day instead of curling up with another video game. That right there makes it totally worth it. -Christina

Zipfy Classic is available in nine colors at Zipfy.com, as well as special Artist Series designs and Zipfy Junior. You can also find some colors and styles at our affiliate Amazon.

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