Toboggan and snow tubing slide

Abstract

A slide for tobogganing or snow tubing has a mat, with a top layer ( 1 ) of felt-like material to hold water, and a bottom layer ( 2 ) of plastics material to protect the top layer ( 1 ) from dirt and leakage. Tubes ( 3 ) along the sides of the mat form banked side walls. A hose ( 4 ) with spaced outlets, sprays a compressed air/surfactant/water snow-like foam over the mat to produce a simulated snow surface ( 12 ).

1 . A slide for tobogganing and snow tubing including: 
 a mat having a top layer of felt-type material able to hold water and a bottom layer plastics material able to prevent leakage; banking means along the sides of the mat, to form respective banked side walls in the mat; and    hose means along the sides of the mat, operable to spray a snow-like foam, artificial snow or water on to the mat to reduce friction to aid sliding on the mat.    
     
     
         2 . A slide as claimed in  claim 1  wherein: 
 the top layer is constructed from woven polyester or polypropylene fibres or from geotextile materials, and is 1 to 5 millimetres thick; and  
 the bottom layer is constructed from PVC material.  
 
     
     
         3 . A slide as claimed in  claim 1  or  claim 2  wherein: 
 the hose means extends along the sides and top of the mat, and has spaced nozzles to spray the snow-like foam, artificial snow or water onto the mat to create a fully-covered sliding area.  
 
     
     
         4 . A slide as claimed n any one of  claims 1  to  3  wherein: 
 the banking means include flexible tubes, soil or bales of fibrous material, interposed between respective side portions of the top and bottom layers of the mat.  
 
     
     
         5 . A slide as claimed in  claim 3  wherein: 
 a bottom wall, of waterproof material, co-operates with the banked side walls to form a sump at a lower end of the mat for the collection of the snow-like foam, artificial snow or water when the foam, snow or water melts.  
 
     
     
         6 . A slide as claimed in any one of  claims 1  to  5 , and further including: 
 a tank for a mixture of water and surfactant;  
 a source of compressed air;  
 a mixing vessel;  
 pump means connecting the tank to the mixing vessel;  
 an air line connecting the source of compressed air to the mixing vessel; and  
 means interconnecting the mixing vessel to the hose means, to enable the mixture to be aerated or foamed in the mixing vessel before being sprayed onto the mat by the hose means.  
 
     
     
         7 . A slide as claimed in  claim 6 , further including: 
 tank means operable to collect water, or melted foam or snow as a water/surfactant mixture, from the sump; and    second pump means operable to return the water, or mixture, to the mixing vessel.