A Blizzard of Memories

Truly Ball, with her daughter Sarah Easterling and 6-year-old grandson Innis, shows off a sled that’s been in the family 50 years. “It used to snow more,” says Ball, a sixth-generation Ashevillean. Photo by Tim Robison
Truly Ball, with her daughter Sarah Easterling and 6-year-old grandson Innis, shows off a sled that’s been in the family 50 years. “It used to snow more,” says Ball, a sixth-generation Ashevillean. Photo by Tim Robison

Rumor has it we’re in for a hard winter, and for some, that’s welcome news. Katlen Smith loves her family’s collection of old-fashioned sleds and ice skates. “But last winter was the first year we could put them to use,” she says.

The Smiths relocated to Asheville from Colorado, so they know big snow. And, too, “when we were kids, we had massive snow forts that would be there for months, like igloos,” recalls Smith, a native of New England. The sled and seven-foot toboggan in her garage were originally delivered by her husband Stuart’s parents a few years back. “They drove down from Pennsylvania with them,” she says. “Stuart’s dad is incredibly handy. He had sanded and varnished them. They were in beautiful shape.”

Toboggans are traditionally made of wood, with long boards that curl up at the front end. Cross boards hold the planks together and create footholds or seating for the passengers. A rope loops through the cross boards for steering and serves to pull it back up the hill. Toboggans sit right on top of the snow, whereas a sled has metal runners underneath.

Shellie Campbell owns several recreational snow toys. Her dad’s Flexible Flyer sled, with his name written on it, doesn’t even live in her garage — it enjoys pride of place on her sunroom wall.
The Flexible Flyer, patented in 1889 by creator Samuel Leeds Allen, allows for steering using a floating cross bar and runners that can flex sideways.

A six-foot toboggan and an antique sleigh round out the Campbells’ collection. “We bring the sleigh out at Christmas and use it for decoration. It has a railing around the back, so it’s perfect for a small child,” Campbell explains. “You can pull them while they hold on.”

Katlen Smith says her 8-year-old daughter, Neva, still uses the family’s heirloom winter toboggans to do daring winter tricks: “She’s got guts!” Photo by Tim Robison
Katlen Smith says her 8-year-old daughter, Neva, still uses the family’s heirloom winter toboggans to do daring winter tricks: “She’s got guts!” Photo by Tim Robison

The Campbells’ toboggan also has memorable origins: it came with a hardware store in Lenoir she and her husband purchased early in their marriage. Campbell still remembers their half-Samoan dog, fittingly named Christmas, pulling them around on the toboggan in the snowy High Country.

Truly Ball grew up in Asheville with five siblings and still has the sled her parents bought them 50 years ago. There’s no mistaking it, with their surname and a peace sign carved into the wood slats.

For now, Ball’s sled is packed into the storage area of Nest Organics, which she co-owns with her daughter, Sarah Easterling. The huge back area of the shop has essentially become a second garage. “We’ve been in the Asheville area for five or six generations, maybe seven now,” Ball explains, “so we’ve moved several times.” (She also notes that it “absolutely used to snow more” in the Asheville area than it does now.)

Ball recalls one memorable incident from her childhood: a cautionary tale. “We would build bumps of snow on the hill,” Ball says. “Mom was riding on top of Dad, they went over a bump, and Mom flew up and landed on Dad and broke one of his ribs.”

Shellie Campbell’s snow-conveyance collection includes a monster toboggan and an antique sleigh. Photo by Tim Robison
Shellie Campbell’s snow-conveyance collection includes a monster toboggan and an antique sleigh. Photo by Tim Robison

The Next Generation

Although the Smiths also own one of the modern plastic sleds, which are more lightweight, they don’t compare to the traditional versions, says Katlen. “Toboggans are designed for snow, so when you get on, it’s amazing the way they almost move themselves,” she says. “It’s magical.”

According to Campbell, her collection is a family tradition, as well as practical: “We don’t get rid of stuff. My mom still has her first birthday cake, and she’s 80 years old. … I may be a grandmother in 10 or 15 years — why buy [sleds] again?”

As far as the best sledding destinations go, Ball recommends the park in Montford, near the amphitheater.

Campbell’s favorite local spot is no longer accessible. “We used to sled on the golf course at the Grove Park Inn,” she reveals. “I guess after they spent millions redoing it, they don’t want people sledding on it.”
“Last winter, we went sledding around the neighborhood at night,” says Smith, who lives in Oakley. “We all met at one house for hot chocolate first. The neighbor’s dogs and goats were all out with us.” Her daughter, 8-year-old Neva, may have started a new extreme sport. “She would stand on the toboggan like a surfboard and go down a smaller hill,” Smith says. “She’s got guts.”

Ball’s grandsons, 6-year-old Innis and 8-year-old Edan, have inherited the family sled and the passion for snow. The best destination for them may be grandma’s house. “My house is on a dead end, so it’s safe for sledding, and there’s a huge hill,” says Ball. “I was just thinking yesterday how perfect it is.”

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