Toboggan or not toboggan...

[Martha]

...that is the question!
I keep seeing toboggans mentioned around the forum - do you provide them for guests, and if so, what kind? Wood or plastic? One or two? Is it mainly for towing small kids around?

I'm a bit worried that people will try and sledge down our bank which is a bit steep, and would probably damage some of the young trees too. Though I bet people ski or board down it sometimes anyway. Last winter, before the trees were in, we had a ramp and a jump there ourselves.

Maybe the answer is to look for small, child-size ones, so they are clearly not for adult use.

Any thoughts? Have they been popular for you?

[Mountain Goat]

Yes, they're popular, and we've got several. Some were left by the previous owner - nice wooden traditional ones, and some we just bought locally - cheap and cheerful. The best value are those silly saucers of plastic you just sit on - about SFr 5 each - had 8 adults using them down our hill (usually after dinner with torches).

They're just for fun around the chalet - as we've got Europe's largest/longest toboggan run (so they say, hard to believe - looks quite compact to me) in our village.

MG

[Margaret]

We provide toboggans. We have 1 wooden one, one shaped plastic one and 2 circular plastic slider things. They are especially popular with UK guests. German guests are less interested but still use them. We tell them not to take them to the mountain to use on the toboggan runs there as I am not sure they conform to their safety standards and they can hire the right sort there anyway.
If you have an area where you don't want them used, I would rope it off in some way. As far as safety goes, it is up to the parents.

[Martha]

hmmm sounds interesting - I might look out for a couple! There's a toboggan area not that fat from us - not a specialist one like yours though, MG, just a gently sloping field. A bit of research found that my childhood friend the "Flexible Flyer" is still going strong and not that expensive...

[Beanie]

Hi FB

We've just started supplying toboggans this year (although did have those plastic saucer things that MG mentioned that went down well - so still have those).

Got in two plastic steerable ones only as a) they're cheaper and b) we thought perhaps a little more controllable. I think the wooden ones look lovely but are more costly and they always look slightly more uncontrollable to me as they're higher too.


However, our caretaker tells us this week that he can't find them after a family left on Saturday. I can't imagine they're trying to sneak them back in their 20kg of luggage but he thinks they're probably buried under the new snow somewhere. I'm astonished that I might have to actually put up signs (which I hate and avoid at all costs) asking people to actually put them back when finished with them !

We did have a family ask if we had them as they had two toddlers and wanted to tow them around on them. They were coming from Geneva and would've bought their own if not, but we got them in at that point.

Maybe start off with plastic ones and see how they fare when used in anger (or under the influence )


Beanie

[Rocket Rab]

I can't speak as one with any experience of providing toboggans, but as a punter I know I'd be delighted to find this sort of equipment in a chalet - I'd also be keen to have fondue and raclette gear, but I'm sure all you Alpine folks already supply that? Do all your guests wash up conscientiously? All those crusty raclette trays!

[Beanie]

Hi RR

There was a thread a little while back on whether to supply a raclette or not.

Funnily enough, the same Scandi/Genevian guests who asked us if we had toboggans to pull their little ones around in, also asked us if we had the full compliment of meat fondue, cheese fondue and raclette (or else they'd bring them with)

We didn't have the last two but decided to get them in along with some fondue/raclette/local recipe books (in French & English).

We tried out the raclette a couple of times when we were last there in Jan and it was a real hoot- very sociable and saves some poor soul being stuck in the kitchen cooking (apart from a little prep & salads etc).

However, the hot-plate part was not the quickest to clean properly so I am not expecting that we'll find it as pristine as we left it !

Beanie

[Martha]

Yes, maybe that's the best thing. Thanks! I might stake up the smaller trees on the bank before I get em though.

We have both fondue and raclette as well, though I am going to get a second fondue for those who like to have meat as well as cheese.

Our raclette is the "X wing fighter" type that holds a half moon piece, with two wings that fold down on it, and has stayed surprisingly clean - I think this kind is less prone to gunk up. as the cheese doesn't burn onto it anywhere. Sort of like this one, but the element's in two bits so you can do two plates at a time
http://www.savoie-specialite.com/uk/rac ... 281,p.html

I agree, it's loads of fun and very easy.

Check out this bad boy for those who just can't get enough - The thousand Euro raclette!!!

http://www.savoie-specialite.com/raclet ... 440,p.html

I love this old-fashioned style that you use coals for, but thought it was tempting fate for a rental house
http://www.savoie-specialite.com/braser ... ,31,p.html

[Rocket Rab]

That is a wicked looking Raclette, FB!! No chalet should be without one!

I think you guys also need a "brasserade" set - I think they also call it a "Pierrade". It looks a bit like the hot plate on the raclette thingy - you sprinkle on a bit of salt and cook thin strips of veal, beef, whatever... accompanied by a lovely gratin and lashings of mayonnaise and other sauces...mmm....I'm feeling peckish..

Sorry about TC, Martha

[Beanie]

Wow- love that coal-fuelled one - how gorgeous !

Ours is more like the raclette-grill-hot-rock type thing here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raclette

where you can melt the special cheese in the little 'shovels' below and then cook little pieces of meat and veggies etc on top - quite yummy.

You can flip over the non-stick tefal grill plate on our one, which is rectangular, and has round indentations for crepes.




Beanie

[Hells Bells]

Back to the toboggans,,............... I got a great one for £6 in our local factory shop. Inflatable, but quite easy to blow up, and fairly large too. Really thick outer material as well. They only had one left or I would have bought two. We have hubby's wooden one in the garage from when he was a child.

[Martha]

A happy ending for this one as we've been left two quite good quality plastic ones by unknown guest benefactors! Clearly we should have had our own - and it was nice of the guests to leave them for us. I think I'll get a wooden one too, for next season.