Layout
The Inuit WindSled is composed of four articulated modules, each of them made up with wooden rails and crossbars between in length and in width. This is the so-called 'Larramendi platform', the name of its designer. These rails and crossbars are joined by about 2,000 knots with high resistance ropes, which gives flexibility to adapt to irregularities in the terrain. In the lower part, it has Teflon platforms to facilitate sliding. The first of the modules has a piloting tent where the kite controls are located, but it also has a work space. Next, two modules are attached for the load, and that's where all the equipment goes. The last module has another larger tent for crew rest. With this configuration, it can be divided into two vehicles when terrain and conditions require it. The WindSled works with kites of different sizes, the largest of , depending on wind conditions. Under normal conditions, its perfect average speed is about , although it has reached over in some moments. It is equipped with photovoltaic panels for the electrical supply of the scientific and communications equipment it carries on board and all the composing parts can be repaired without the need of external assistance.History and evolution
After traveling more than through the Arctic, during the Circumpolar Expedition, Ramón H. de Larramendi learned the construction and handling of Inuit sleds and observed the force of the winds in polar territories. It was the germination of the WindSled project. At the beginning of year 2000, he designed the first models of the vehicle and after performing several tests with fiberglass and wood, he found that the latter, following the Inuit tradition, was much more effective than more modern materials. That same year, he made a first crossing in Greenland of with an incipient design that consisted of a single module with a tent on top. Despite the difficulties, it was a success. Since then the vehicle, which has been called "polar butterfly", "polar catamaran" and finally Inuit WindSled, has accomplished a total of six expeditions in Greenland and two in Antarctica, with a total distance covered of , and all of them finalizing successfully. The first crossings in Greenland, in the years 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003, strengthened the possibilities of the mobile platform on the polar terrain. It would obtain the '2001 Trip of the Year' Award from the Spanish Geographical Society. Right after the 2005-2006 Transantarctic Expedition, the expedition decided to use the vehicle for polar scientific exploration, once possibilities of navigating with a heavy load were proven. In addition to serving for geographic exploration, scientific data could be collected on the crossings. With that objective, in 2012, after the Acciona Antarctica Expedition, a prototype of two modules was presented to the Spanish polar scientific community at the Autonomous University of Madrid. It was also presented to the scientific community in Great Britain. During the 2014 and 2016 expeditions in Greenland, the WindSled designer developed new technical possibilities in two Arctic expeditions, increasing its dimensions. In 2014, the vehicle made the circumnavigation of Greenland by ice, a route of with a prototype of three modules in which four people traveled. In 2016, with the Greenland Ice Summit expedition, it became a convoy of four modules, with a total length of , a maximum of six people on board in a journey to attain the level in altitude with two tons of weight. They covered . It was confirmed that, even in extreme conditions, the WindSled was a sustainable and efficient means of transport. The last expedition, 2017 Greenland Ice River, took place in the spring of that year, with five crew on board. It took 28 days to cover and different international scientific projects related to climate change were developed in collaboration with theScientific research
In parallel to these external improvements, the interest of polar scientists has increased. Among the most relevant, the American glaciologistExpeditions
* Greenland Traverse 2000: , 10 days. * Greenland Traverse North-South 2001: , 32 days. * Greenland Traverse South-North 2002: , 33 days. * Greenland Traverse East-West 2003: , 18 days. * WindSled Trasantarctic Expedition 2005-2006: , 62 days. * Acciona WindPowered Antarctica 2011-2012: , 38 days. * Greenland Circumnavigation 2014: , 49 days. * Greenland Ice Summit Expedition 2016: , 38 days. * Ice River Greenland 2017: {{convert, 2000, km, abbr=on, 28 days.References
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