Christi Molnar, age 10, of Keen, N.H., for her question:

WHEN WAS THE FIRST TOBOGGAN BUILT?

Tobogganing is a winter sport of coasting on snow or ice by means of toboggans, which are long sleds without runners. Indian hunters hundreds of years ago built the first toboggans    not for sport but to carry game over the snow. These toboggans were made of bark.

Eskimos also used to make toboggans to carry their possessions. Their sleds were made of whalebone. We don't know when the first ones were made.

Today's toboggans are made of hickory, ash or maple strips with the front ends curved back. The strips are fastened together by crosspieces into one compact unit. The under surface is highly polished.

Toboggans today are usually six to eight feet long and one and a half feet wide. Four persons generally make up a toboggan team. The one at the rear acts as steersman.

Bobsledding, an offshoot of tobogganing, has become one of the popular events in the Winter Olympics. Bobsleds can reach speeds of 90 miles per hour. Two seater and four seater steel sleds, nine to 12 feet long, are standard. These sleds may weigh as much as 500 pounds.