sleds

There are many types of sled, or native or finalized by various polar explorers. Since the sled Inuit up to the sled of running.

I present you here some sorts of sleds. To begin :

The sled of the Inuit of the west coast of Greenland but also Nunavut. " Komatik " in language Inuktitut.

All the sleds Inuit, the most practical and the most rational. Adapted well in the conditions of use. Transport of heavy loads on very wide spaces and on well pressed down snow, where from the use of the harnesses of fan-shaped dogs. The back amounts, giving an arm of important control lever, are intended for the operation of the sled in descent when it is not necessary to make cross dogs behind the sled to hold him. Driver, standing on the last board, fires violently behind at amounts. The front of the sled gets up. The back angle of the skates in touch with the snow forms brake. This sled is at the origin of a type of said sled "Greenlander" used by several explorers: Rasmussen, Peary, Suerdrop and the others.

The first slides are of Amerindian origin. The most current is the type Siwash. It is a sort of wide ski of 40cm, long of 2,50m. In the strongly raised and rounded off spatula. It is used with a simple harness, dogs are one behind the other one, or also in tandem double, two dogs side by side. Where from the width which exceeds 45 cms that is the width of a track opened by a man walking with rackets with snow. Nowadays the slide is used in raids or expeditions.
The advantage is to be able to transport rather heavy loads without that the sled sinks totally into the snow. It is the sled which I use in my expeditions. At the same moment sturdy, light and practical for the transport of the material in the bag which I fix to the slide.

Being very widely used because it requires only a minimum of mooring of the transported material. The smooth are narrow and the assembly is made by ligature to look to him of the flexibility. The central part (basketball) is made either by put wooden small strips the one in sides of the others, or in plaiting skins, the called also face, what allows to transport not too heavy loads.
It is used mainly on firmly packed snows. Its round front and its sides make him practical in zone slightly woody. Widely used because it requires only a minimum of mooring of the transported material.

The smooth are narrow and the assembly is made by ligature to look to him of the flexibility. The central part (basketball) is made either by put wooden small strips the one in sides of the others, or in plaiting skins, the called also face, what allows to transport not too heavy loads. It is used mainly on firmly packed snows. Its round front and its sides make him practical in zone slightly woody.

The big Norwegian explorer Fridjof Nansen created, for his time in the wilderness of ice of Greenland, a sled which is at the origin of almost all the contemporary sleds of expeditions. Nansen's big innovation was to conceive a light, resistant sled. Gone up on ribband in shape of ski it is very supple thanks to its assembly in leather strip. Nansen's sleds had no back amounts, their skis were raised in the two extremities. They were provided, each, with a bow what allowed to put the back in front of if the front broke. It is at about the 1930's, that the British expeditions added it back amounts, inspired by the amounts of the sleds of Greenland. Type Nansen

Paul-Emile Victor was inspired by sleds of these numerous predecessors such as Nansen, Peary etc..... Having adapted and integrated the advantages of these different sleds, that of Paul-Emile Victor seems to be perfectly adapted to the general problem of the sled with dogs. Afterward, he was adopted by some Inuit of the coast is from Greenland which replaced the traditional sled by sleds of this type.

I was inspired by sleds at the same moment Amerindian and Inuit to make an unique model for my expedition in Arctic. Wooden of ash tree, ligatured with the face, its length 4m. The width 55cm. Robustness in everything test. With slightly heightened skates it has a very good nurse on the ground and especially a balance completed to avoid that it overturns too easily in the very dirty passages on the ica floe. Very good glide and very flexible. Pure weight 38kg, he was in charge of up to 500 kg during the expedition.