This reminds me of the way cog railway employees used to get down from the top of Mt. Washington here in NH:
"Devil's shingle:Since the early days of the railway's construction the workers wanted to minimize time when climbing and descending the ramp, so they invented slideboards fitting over the cog rack and providing enough room for themselves and their tools. These boards no two were exactly alike were approximately 90 cm (35 in) long by 25 cm (9.8 in) wide, made of wood with hand-forged iron and with two long hardwood handles usually attached at the down-mountain end. Common times for the descent of the mountain using these boards were about 15 minutes. The record was 2:45, an average speed above 100 km/h (62 mph).[1]
The "Devil's shingles" were banned in 1906 after the accidental death of an employee."