Snow Sleds Ahoy: Our Davos has Arrived

The snow sled we ordered a couple of weeks ago has finally arrived and this past weekend we had great fun heading out. At this time of year the whole of Berlin is full of skids being pulled about by their parents on sleds. Even really little kids are being taken to school this way. And most parks have to set aside dedicated sledding areas for the kids to go charging down the hill on.
The sled we bought was a classic wooden one called a Davos (like the one pictured to the right). It seems sturdy and simple and was half the price of some fancier models. Okay so it isn't a folding sled, but I can live without that. It also seems really long-lived. I mentioned in a previous post that our friend still has her childhood one (33 years old) and it is in great shape and is now used by her kids.
So far I've just taken our three-year-old out on the sled for his first proper experience on it. A couple of days ago we went out with friends and their small kids and the women pulled out her childhood sled - but our little guy was a bit frightened. He hopped about demanding to be on the sled, but then when we put him on it he would shriek.
Anyhow, having the sled in the house for a day gave him a chance to get used to the idea of sitting and lying on it. He spend all evening trying out different positions and nagging to be taken out. So yesterday I had the baby in a buggy in front of me and the little fellow in a sled behind and he had the time of his life.
Today I piled him back onto the sled and took him to school on it. He loved it. It was the quickest exit from the house I've seen yet. But unfortunately despite some snow overnight the Berlin city was on the ball and had gritters out early this morning. Most of the sidewalks had already been cleared so we had a bit of a tough ride. He loved it, but I was feeling the strain of having to pull him bump by bump over the cobblestones. I'm praying for a bit more snow and another nice cold snap this week. The weather is promising just that but who knows. The heavy snow this winter was, I'm told, unusual for Berlin, so I'm hoping I won't have to put the snow sled into storage so soon after its late arrival.