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A sled, skid, sledge, or sleigh is a
land vehicle A vehicle (from la, vehiculum) is a machine that transports people or cargo. Vehicles include wagons, bicycles, motor vehicles (motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, mobility scooters for disabled people), railed vehicles (trains, trams), wate ...
that slides across a surface, usually of ice or snow. It is built with either a smooth underside or a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners similar in principle to skis. This reduces the amount of friction, which helps to carry heavy loads. Some designs are used to transport passengers or cargo across relatively level ground. Others are designed to go downhill for recreation, particularly by children, or competition. (Compare
cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...
with its downhill cousin.) Shades of meaning differentiating the three terms often reflect regional variations depending on historical uses and prevailing climate. In British English, ''sledge'' is the general term, and more common than ''sled''. ''
Toboggan A toboggan is a simple sled traditionally used by children. It is also a traditional form of transport used by the Innu and Cree of northern Canada. In modern times, it is used on snow to carry one or more people (often children) down a hill o ...
'' is sometimes used synonymously with ''sledge'' but more often to refer to a particular type of sledge without runners. ''Sleigh'' refers to a moderate to large-sized, usually open-topped vehicle to carry passengers or goods, and typically drawn by horses, dogs, or reindeer. In American usage ''sled'' remains the general term but often implies a smaller device, often for recreational use. ''Sledge'' implies a heavier sled used for moving freight or massive objects. ''Sleigh'' refers more specifically than in Britain to a vehicle which is essentially a cold-season alternative to a
carriage A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most commonly horse-drawn. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping an ...
or wagon and has seating for passengers; what can be called a dog-sleigh in Britain is known only as a dog-sled in North America. In
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, where there is limited snow, ''sleigh'' and ''sledge'' are given equal preference in local parlance.


Etymology

The word ''sled'' comes from Middle English , which itself has the origins in Middle Dutch word '' slēde'', meaning 'sliding' or 'slider'. The same word shares common ancestry with both ''sleigh'' and ''sledge''. The word ''sleigh'', on the other hand, is an anglicized form of the modern Dutch word and was introduced to the English language by Dutch immigrants to North America.


Operation

Sleds are especially useful in winter but can also be drawn over wet fields, muddy roads, and even hard ground if one helps them along by greasing the blades ("grease the skids") with oil or alternatively wetting them with water. For an explanation of why sleds and other objects glide with various degrees of friction ranging from very little to fairly little friction on ice, icy snow, wet snow, and dry snow, see the relevant sections in the articles on ice and ice skating. The traditional explanation of the pressure of sleds on the snow or ice producing a thin film of water and this enabling sleds to move on ice with little friction is insufficient. Various types of sleds are pulled by animals such as reindeer, horses,
mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two pos ...
s,
oxen An ox ( : oxen, ), also known as a bullock (in BrE British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Oxford Dictionaries, "English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer spec ...
, or dogs.


History

The people of Ancient Egypt are thought to have used sledges (aka "skids") extensively in the construction of their public works, in particular for the transportation of heavy obelisks over sand. Sleds and sledges were found in the Oseberg "Viking" ship excavation. The sledge was also highly prized, because – unlike wheeled vehicles – it was exempt from tolls. Until the late 19th century, a closed winter sled, or ''
vozok Vozok (возок) is a type of closed winter sled that was used throughout Russia until the late 19th century. With the aim of reducing heat loss, the vozok usually had very small windows and sometimes a furnace to keep it warm. Inside it was qu ...
'', provided a high-speed means of transport through the snow-covered plains of European Russia and Siberia. It was a means of transport preferred by royals, bishops, and
boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the Feudalism, feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Kievan Rus', Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria, Russian nobility, Russia, Boyars of Moldavia and Wallachia, Wallachia and ...
s of
Muscovy Muscovy is an alternative name for the Grand Duchy of Moscow (1263–1547) and the Tsardom of Russia (1547–1721). It may also refer to: *Muscovy Company, an English trading company chartered in 1555 * Muscovy duck (''Cairina moschata'') and Domes ...
. Several royal ''vozoks'' of historical importance have been preserved in the Kremlin Armoury. Man-hauled sledges were the traditional means of transport on British exploring expeditions to the Arctic and
Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...
regions in the 19th and early 20th centuries, championed for example by Captain Scott.
Dog sled A dog sled or dog sleigh is a sled pulled by one or more sled dogs used to travel over ice and through snow. Numerous types of sleds are used, depending on their function. They can be used for dog sled racing. Traditionally in Greenland and the e ...
s were used by most others, such as Roald Amundsen.


Modern sleds


Transport

Some of these originally used
draft animals A working animal is an animal, usually domesticated, that is kept by humans and trained to perform tasks instead of being slaughtered to harvest animal products. Some are used for their physical strength (e.g. oxen and draft horses) or for tr ...
but are now more likely to be pulled by an engine (snowmobile or tractor). Some use human power. * The word "motor sled" is colloquial term for a snowmobile * The Inuit ''
qamutiik A qamutiik ( iu, ᖃᒧᑏᒃ; alternate spellings ''qamutik'' (single sledge runner), ''komatik'', kl, qamutit) is a sled designed to travel on snow and ice, built using traditional Inuit design techniques. Adapted to the Arctic sea ice environ ...
'' is uniquely adapted for travel on the
sea ice Sea ice arises as seawater freezes. Because ice is less dense than water, it floats on the ocean's surface (as does fresh water ice, which has an even lower density). Sea ice covers about 7% of the Earth's surface and about 12% of the world's oce ...
. * The '' pulk'' (or ''ahkio'') is a traditional sled of the
Lapland Lapland may refer to: Places *Lapland or Sápmi, an ethno-cultural region stretching over northern Fennoscandia (parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia) **Lapland (Finland) (''Lappi''/''Lappland''), a Finnish region *** Lapland (former pr ...
region, used for expeditions, mountain rescue, and cold weather military units to haul equipment, supplies, and passengers. *
Rescue toboggan A rescue toboggan, also known as a rescue sled or emergency rescue sledge, or by the Finnish word ahkio (also transliterated akia, ackja, akija, and akja), is a carrier for transporting a person or goods on snowy or icy surfaces. It is used by m ...
, developed from the ''pulk'' *
Stone boat A stone-boat is a type of sled (sledge) for moving heavy objects such as stones or hay bales. Originally they were for animal-powered transport used with horses or oxen to clear fields of stones and other uses and may still be used with animals ...
, a farm vehicle used for moving heavy objects such as stones or haybales; can be towed by a tractor. Today some people use kites to tow exploration sleds.


Recreation

There are several types of recreational sleds designed for sliding down snowy hills ( sledding): *
Toboggan A toboggan is a simple sled traditionally used by children. It is also a traditional form of transport used by the Innu and Cree of northern Canada. In modern times, it is used on snow to carry one or more people (often children) down a hill o ...
, an elongated sled without runners, usually made from wood or plastic, but sometimes made from sheet metal. * Saucer, a round sled curved like a saucer (see also flying saucer), also without runners and usually made out of plastic or metal * Flexible Flyer, a steerable wooden sled with thin metal runners * Kicksled or spark, a human-powered sled * Inflatable sled or
tube Tube or tubes may refer to: * ''Tube'' (2003 film), a 2003 Korean film * ''The Tube'' (TV series), a music related TV series by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom * "Tubes" (Peter Dale), performer on the Soccer AM television show * Tube (band), a ...
, a plastic membrane filled with air to make a very lightweight sled, like an inner tube * Foam slider, a flat piece of durable foam with handles and a smooth underside * Backcountry sled, a deep, steerable plastic sled to kneel on with pads and a seat belt * Airboard, a snow bodyboard, i.e. an inflatable single-person sled


Competition

A few types of sleds are used only for a specific sport: * Bobsled (British: bobsleigh), an aerodynamic composite-bodied vehicle on lightweight runners *
Luge A luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine (face up) and feet-first. A luger steers by using the calf muscles to flex the sled's runners or by exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh for s ...
and the
skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...
, tiny one or two-person sleds with runners


Other

* A cutter is an open, lightweight, horse-drawn sleigh that usually holds no more than two people. It was developed in the United States around 1800. Historic styles were often quite decorative. About 1920, cutter racing began in the American Rocky Mountain west, first using a simple homemade
chariot A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000&nbs ...
on skis, later replaced by a bicycle-wheeled chariot that was also pulled over snow. * Troika, a traditional Russian vehicle drawn by three horses, usually a sled, but it may also be a wheeled carriage. * A sled or "stone boat", seen in truck and tractor pulling and
horse pulling Horse pulling is a draft horse competition where horses in harness, usually one or two animals, pull a stone-boat or weighted sled and the winner is the team or animal that can pull the most weight for a short distance. There are different weig ...
. A flat sled able to carry increasing amounts of weight to determine the maximum load the animal or machine can pull.


See also

*
Snowboard Snowboards are boards where the user places both feet, usually secured, to the same board. The board itself is wider than most skis, with the ability to glide on snow."snowboarding." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 17 Mar ...
*
Luge A luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine (face up) and feet-first. A luger steers by using the calf muscles to flex the sled's runners or by exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh for s ...
* Travois, a frame used to drag loads over land, i.e. another horse-drawn transport method without wheels


References


External links

{{Authority control
Animal-powered vehicles {{Cat main, Horse-drawn vehicle This category is to list all animal-powered vehicles. Animal-powered transport Vehicles by fuel ...
Human-powered vehicles Racing vehicles Sledding Sliding vehicles Snow Sports equipment