by John Syratt

The history and charm of vintage sleds.

Just about every city or town in Canada has a popular sledding hill. It’s one of the great childhood memories of winter time where even the cold weather would become bearable if there was fun to be had racing downhill on a sled or toboggan.

Wooden toboggans were used by many aboriginal tribes in Canada, including the Cree and Innu, as well as the Anishinabe peoples. In regions covered by snow for months at a time, a sled was the most efficient way of transporting resources or family long distances across different terrains.
Around 1800, a horse-drawn snow sled for carrying people was invented and became known as a cutter. It’s a lightweight open sled that usually has a seat for two people.

As a sport, sledding has its origins in Switzerland in the small resort town of St. Moritz shortly after the arrival of English tourists in the early 1870s.
In the mid-1800’s sleds became more of a recreational toy used for snow coasting, as it was known in the 1800s, rather than a functional implement.
In 1889, Samuel Leeds Allen invented and patented his Flexible Flyer – the first steerable runner sled. Allen’s company flourished and in 1915 they sold around 120,000 Flexible Flyers.

Today, vintage sleds can be found in all shapes and sizes with prices ranging from $25 to $3500. The early Flexible Flyers can cost up to $500 or more depending upon condition.

Over the last 200 years we’ve seen the evolution from dogsleds to bobsleds and everything in between.

Whether it’s the enthralling experience of zipping down a schoolyard hill and spilling headfirst into a pile of snow or trying to beat the clock at an Olympic event, people all over the northern hemisphere are enjoying this winter pastime.

At the Carswell’s Red Deer, AB show in November, Canadian Picker Scott Cozens holds a primitive sled circa 1870 from Quebec. The 31 1/2” long wooden sled with metal rails is priced at $455.

Laura Budd, owner of Cozy Cottage Interiors in Calgary and Okotoks sits among a variety of sleds from the 1890s to the 1950s. Some from Saskatchewan, the larger one from the Lethbridge, AB area and the Lightning Guider in the back comes from Pennsylvania: $75-$795.


A selection of vintage sleds seen in the Picker’s Paradise section of All Through The House & Red Barn Mercantile in Okotoks, AB: $48-$135.

A smaller reconditioned vintage cutter from Archer’s Antiques in Bragg Creek, AB: $3500

Vintage sled from Old Strathcona Antique Mall in Edmonton. Red painted metal frame and runners with three yellow wooden slats: $80
– Treasures Photos