Tubing (recreation)

According to Time Magazine, tubing was purportedly invented on the Black River in Missouri by Jan & Harriet Wright of Poplar Bluff, MO sometime in the middle of the 20th century,[1] but examples of the practice were published as early as 1916,[2] when the popularization of the automobile meant a large supply of rubber inner tubes was available to the general public.

It is strongly discouraged to tie anything to the tube or use ropes of any kind as a tuber can get bound or wrapped in them and potentially drown.

The Esopus Creek in the Catskill Mountains, New York is a common place for tubing, starting in Phoenicia and proceeding eastward.

As in all watersports tubers should wear appropriate safety gear such as life vests, protective water shoes and helmets.

[3] Some law enforcement offices have prohibited kegs which were popularly chilled in metal tubs harnessed within larger tubes.

[4] Major water parks often have specially designed courses for tubing called lazy rivers.

This kind of tubing is almost always performed on a hill or slope, using gravity to propel the rider to the bottom of the grade.

The low amount of friction between most tubes and snow allows tubers to reach considerable speeds while riding, especially on steep slopes.

This lack of control has led to injuries, some serious, when riders have struck obstacles such as trees while tubing on snow.

Motorized pulley towlines are often used to tow riders and their tube back to the top of the course after riding to the bottom.

Adventure Point At Keystone Resort in Colorado offers snow tubing late into the summer.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Sportsstuff Inc.[8] voluntarily withdrew the Wego Kite Tube from the market on July 13, 2006.

[18] Such sleeves commonly have handles for the rider to grasp and an anchoring point for the tow line to be attached at.

[18] Towed tubing also provides dangers if not performed in an open area away from other obstacles such as docks, piers, and other boaters.

This discrepancy between age groups is believed to be a result of younger riders trying to fit more than one person on a tube.

[22] This can cause body disfigurement or even death depending on the severity of the injury and the time until proper medical attention is received.

Furthermore, people often engage in excessive drinking, leading to a state of drunkenness that can pose a danger to other tubers and even to themselves, as alcohol poisoning is common at some popular tubing locations.

The common cause of the incidents is blunt force trauma as a result of the rider colliding into a fixed object at high speeds.

Due to the location of these injuries, death is not uncommon as was seen in 2015 when a snow-tube rider fatally collided with a light pole.