After six years of market research, prototype creating and testing, New Zealand based Snolo Sleds have released the ultimate high performance alpine sled, the stunning Stealth-X.
The Stealth-X is the modern day, ultra high performance version of your favorite snow sled. Unlike most common sleds, this carbon fiber beauty can be used on both hard compact snow and soft powdered snow. This neat machine is a far cry from the wooden sleds of old that were designed to run down a gentle slope laden with small children. Yet the Stealth-X is certainly no small child’s toy. It is built for serious adult fun. The front ski and arm are adjustable, allowing you to fit the sled to the height of its rider for optimal control. In addition, the front ski can be removed and slotted into the mono shell so you can carry it around as a backpack.
Made entirely out of carbon fiber the Stealth-X Sledge come in at just 8.6 kilos and is capable of speeds in excess of 65 km/hr. For a mere $2,549, the Stealth-X is the ultimate big boy’s snow toy.
The Stealth-X Sled is the brainchild of Sean Boyd, the innovation director of Snolo Sleds. After coming to terms with the fact that he could not ski or snowboard to a level that would excite him without exposing himself to serious risk of injury, Sean came up with the idea for the Stealth-X sled. So after spreading a successful career in many positions in several industries during his life, he decided to put all his knowledge and skills learnt from the automotive, plastics and metal industries together with his passion for design, invention and business, and develop the Stealth-X sled, one could argue the Ferrari of snow sleds
In designing this sled Snolo has taken the old fashioned factor away from a child’s play thing, and made sledding into a serious adult past time that wants to rub alongside our traditional sports of skiing and snowboarding.
The Stealth-X has a seating position that makes you feel like you are sitting in a race car, it has steering ability, and it has speed. Early test runs on an average gradient slope showed it was capable of in excess of 65 km/hr (approximately 40 miles an hour), but uniquely for a sled it can also maneuver and stop in much the same manner as a snowboard using your feet and your body positioning.
The Stealth-X is predominantly built of carbon fiber and comprises three main parts. The mono shell, the front ski and the front arm.
Mono Shell:
The mono shell is made of carbon fibre. It is contour molded to comfortably fit your lower body and has a foam padded seat in the base with a flip up padded back rest. The laid back seating position allows both stability and comfort in steering and leaning. When not in use the back rest folds down, and shoulder straps which are attached to the rear of the sled move from their job as a lap belt to that of a backpack harness. To enhance your safety, a lanyard attaches from the sled to the rider whenever the sled is in use.
Front Ski and Arm:
The single front ski is made of carbon fiber. The foot pegs are attached to the top of the ski with a runner which can be adjusted forwards and backwards to suit the height of the rider. A great feature of the Stealth-X is the ability for the front ski to be removed and slotted in to the mono shell, so the entire sled can be worn as a backpack, making it ideal for back country exploring.
As well as its performance on the snow, the Stealth-X is aesthetically pleasing and its sleek carbon fiber shell and fold down capability makes this sled stand out. In October 2012, the Stealth-X took out the silver medal for the Concept/Experimental section in the Best Awards, New Zealand’s version of the Oscars for New Zealand industrial design. The award gives further reinforcement to the fact that Snolo know this sled is truly one of a kind.
1 comment
Where you going to put your collapsible ski poles, snowshoes, lunch, etc?