Patent ID: 8840120

Claim:
A manufacture comprising a downhill racing sled for carrying a rider while sliding down a snow-covered slope, said rider having legs, each leg having a thigh, a calf, and a knee for varying an angle between said thigh and said calf, said sled comprising an elongated molded hull having a crescent shaped profile, said hull having longitudinally extending runners extending from a bow of said hull to a stern of said hull, and a channel between said runners for providing lateral stability in snow, a first pair of transversely opposed anchor points on opposite sides of said hull for engaging a strap that extends across said hull, and a second pair of transversely opposed anchor points on opposite sides of said hull for engaging a strap that extends across said hull, said second pair of anchor points being disposed astern of said first pair of anchor points, and a strap attached to one of said first pair and said second pair of transversely opposed anchor points, wherein when said strap is attached to said first pair of transversely opposed anchor points, said strap is configured to pass over said thighs of said rider, and when said strap is attached to said second pair of transversely opposed anchor points, said strap is configured to pass under said thighs of said rider and over said calves of said rider, wherein by attaching said strap to said second pair, said rider is able to cause a center of gravity of a mass defined by a combination of said rider and said sled to move along a line perpendicular to said hull by using said knee to adjust said angle between said calf and said thigh, and wherein when said strap is attached to said first pair, movement of said center of gravity along said line is constrained, wherein said channel defines a hump protruding vertically into said hull, and wherein said hump provides a center anchor for coupling to said strap, said center anchor being configured to anchor said strap to said hull thereby securing said rider's legs individually, thus suppressing lateral shifting of said legs during a turn.