Pulk

Pulk

Pulk

Type of sled

For the military unit, see Pułk.
For the surname, see Pulk (surname).

A pulk (from Sami languages: puhlke, via Finnish: pulkka; Swedish: pulka; Norwegian: pulk; Northern Sami: bulki) is a Nordic short, low-slung small sled used in sport or for transport, pulled by a dog or a skier, or in Sápmi pulled by reindeer.[1] They are classically made out of wood and other natural materials but are nowadays made of plastic, which makes them inexpensive.

Pulk or ahkio pulled by a skier
A children's sledding area in the Swedish city of Visby. Here you can see the basic toy sled, as well as the saucer style one.

Pulks are originally meant to carry supplies such as a tent or food, or transport a child or other person. In Norway and Sweden, pulks are often used by parents to pull small children on skiing trips. In Finland and Sweden, pulks exist as a winter toy, mainly for children, for going downhill. Besides the classic toy pulk there are similar alternatives like "saucers" (pulks shaped like a disc), as well as sleighs of different configurations.

A larger pulk, designed for transporting larger amounts of goods, is called ahkio [ɑhkio] in Finnish. This word is also used by the US Army for a human-drawn snow sled.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pulka.

References

  1. [1]
    The Sámi and their reindeer – University of Texas at Austin
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