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Pick the Perfect Christmas Tree on a Segway

Milton, Vermont - December 4, 2009

Visit Sharp Farm in Milton and it looks like any other Christmas tree farm. There are trees as far as the eye can see.

"It's our little environmental Shangri-La, I guess," owner Rick Sharp said.

But something amidst the sea of green is causing tree seekers to do a double take-- this farm's version of a sleigh ride.

"I think we're the first and probably the only one in the U.S. that has Christmas tree selecting by Segway," Sharp said.

For $35 a pop, customers get 35 minutes of fun. It starts with a crash course in how to run the machines. But then you kiss the gravel goodbye and head out into the woods. Time to shop while trying not to drop.

Segways are growing more and more popular all the time, but not a lot of people have ridden them through a tree farm. It's difficult because you're weaving in and out of trees and you have to know where you're going at all times.

"You're standing and it's kind of like skiing," owner Ruth Sharp explained. "You're bumping over things. You're controlling with your feet so it's kind of like a snowboard that way."

Segways first hit the market in 2003 but the beefed up versions used on the farm are even newer. The trick is rocking back and forth on your feet while maintaining proper balance.

"You have to trust the technology is going to balance you," Rick Sharp advised. "Otherwise you can't do it."

"It's a lot of fun," Ruth Sharp said. "The first time we tried it out everyone's got a big smile on their faces. It's something different."

The Sharps plan to offer a variety of Segway tours once the business is up and running. Rick Sharp first got interested because of practical reasons; he has a bad leg and bought one to get around. But that soon sparked an idea-- one the Sharps hope will become a holiday tradition. A modern day sleigh ride without the snow.

The Sharps plan to offer Christmas tree tours until Christmas during day light hours as long as the snow isn't too deep.

Keagan Harsha - WCAX News