The first of the skiers went in front of the toboggan (4)
I believe the answer is:
sled
'the toboggan' is the definition.
(toboggan is a type of sled)
'the first of the skiers went in front' is the wordplay.
'the first of' indicates taking the first letters.
'went in front' becomes 'led' (I've seen this in another clue).
The initial letter of 'skiers' is 's'.
's'+'led'='SLED'
'of' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for sled that I've seen before include "Toboggan (mainly US)" , "Tray on which to slide" , "Goods vehicle" , "Sledge" , "Winter transport" .)