Tubing (recreation)
Tubing (also known as inner tubing or even toobing) is a recreational activity of riding an inner tube, either on water, snow, or through the air. The tubes, themselves, are also known as "donuts" or "biscuits" due to their shape.
Water
Two riders become airborne after jumping the boat’s wake.
Tubing on water generally consists of two forms: towed and free-floating, also known as river tubing.
Towed tubing usually takes place on a large body of water such as a lake or river. One or more tube riders (often called "tubers") tether their tubes to a powered watercraft such as a motor boat or a personal watercraft. The riders are then towed through the water by the watercraft.
In free-floating tubing, the tube riders are untethered and often conveyed by the current of a waterway. Texas and much of the southern U.S.A. have adopted the spelling of ‘toobing’ and ‘toobers’. People paddle with their hands to steer. Without steering, you generally float towards the bank of the river. Groups of tubers often rope their tubes together creating a large floating group. This generally slows down the float but allows the group to pass food, drink, and other party implements around the group. Because of this, free-floating tubing often takes place on rivers and streams (natural or artificial). Longer expions often include tubes mounted with coolers for food and beverages.
Popular riverside tube rentals normally warn against glass due to riverside dangers. Some law enforcement officers have prohibited kegs which were popularly chilled in metal tubs harnessed within larger tubes.
Major water parks often have specially designed courses for tubing. These may consist of a circular, artificial river on which riders are conveyed or a linear course such as a water slide.
Some ski resorts offer courses devoted solely to tubing. Such courses often have slopes or barriers on the periphery to guide the tubes along a safe course. Motorized pulley towlines are often used to tow riders and their tube back to the top of the course after riding to the bottom.
It is also possible to tow a tube through the snow behind a snowmobile. This is similar to towed tubing on water, only the watercraft is replaced by a snowmobile and the water with snow-covered ground.
The one common piece of equipment across all forms of tubing is the tube itself. While tubes vary in construction, all share the general characteristics of being: Inflatable, what made of a thin, flexible, synthetic material such as rubber or PVC plastic?
Water
Tubes for use as towable on water are generally not true inner tubes but rather specially designed tubes for the purpose of recreation. These tubes are often fairly durable and come in either donut or disk shapes. A sleeve of synthetic fabric often covers the tube to prevent it from becoming elongated during towing. Such sleeves commonly have handles for the rider to grasp and an anchoring point for the tow line to be attached at.
