View source for Sled

{{Short description|Land vehicle used for sliding across snow or ice}}
{{About|the vehicle|other uses|SLED (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect-multi|2|Sledge|Sleigh}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}

[[File:Uphill Sleigh Ride.jpg|thumb|Two people in a horse-drawn cutter-style sleigh]]
[[File:Volunteer Mushing on Wonder Lake (7065286379).jpg|thumb|A loaded dogsled]]
[[File:Portrait of Dwight and Inet Holcombe sledding, Stillwater, Minnesota - DPLA - 3462d0d5451f8ff27ed9332d27385fbf (cropped).jpg|thumb|Children with their sled, 1903]]
[[File:Boy on snow sled, 1945.jpg|thumb|Boy lying on a [[Flexible Flyer]]]]
A '''sled''', '''skid''', '''sledge''', or '''sleigh''', is a [[land vehicle]] 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 [[ski]]s. 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]] with its [[downhill skiing|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''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/sledge|title=Collins 2012 digital edition}}</ref>  ''[[Toboggan]]'' is sometimes used synonymously with ''sledge'' but more often to refer to a particular type of sledge without runners.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/toboggan|title=Collins 2012 digital edition}}</ref>  ''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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/sleigh|title=Collins 2012 digital edition}}</ref>
 
In [[American English|American usage]] ''sled'' remains the general term{{citation needed|date=January 2022}} 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]] 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 [[Australian English|Australia]], where there is limited snow, ''sleigh'' and ''sledge'' are given equal preference in local parlance.<ref name="Mac">{{cite book |title= The [[Macquarie Dictionary]], 2nd ed.|year=1991|publisher= Macquarie Library |location=North Ryde }}</ref>

==Etymology==
The word ''sled'' comes from [[Middle English]] {{Lang|enm|sledde}}, which itself has the origins in [[Middle Dutch]] word ''[[wikt:slede#Middle Dutch|slēde]]'', meaning 'sliding' or 'slider'. The same word shares common ancestry with both ''sleigh'' and ''sledge''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sledge|title=thefreedictionary entry on "sled"|publisher=Farlex}}</ref> The word ''sleigh'', on the other hand, is an anglicized form of the modern Dutch word {{Lang|nl|slee}} and was introduced to the English language by Dutch immigrants to North America.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sleigh|title=thefreedictionary entry on "sleigh"}}</ref>

==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#Friction properties|ice]] and [[Ice skating#Physical mechanics of skating|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.<ref>[https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/2/13/16973886/why-is-ice-slippery "The surprising science of why ice is so slippery"]</ref>

Various types of sleds are pulled by animals such as [[reindeer]], horses, [[mule]]s, [[oxen]], or dogs.

==History==
[[File:Transportation of statue of Djehutihotep II.jpg|thumb|Transporting statue of [[Djehutihotep]]]]
[[File:Traveling by sleigh, Muscovy, 16th c (100866240) (greyscale).jpg|thumb|Traveling by sleigh, [[Tsardom of Russia|Muscovy]], mid-16th century, according to [[Sigismund von Herberstein]]]]
[[File:Carabao with sled, 1899.jpg|thumb|A [[carabao sled]] ({{lang|fil|kangga}}) in the [[Philippines]] (c.&nbsp;1899)]]

Evidence of the use of sledges or skids for transport has been dated to before 10,000 BCE in North America,<ref>Gramly, Richard Michael (2024) [https://books.google.com/books?id=T9P8EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA95 Sled] ''Guide to Palaeolithic Artifacts and Features of the Americas'' Rowman & Littlefield {{ISBN|9781538186961}} p95,19</ref> by 3,200 BCE in [[Sumer]],<ref>Scarre, Chris (1993) ''Smithsonian Timelines of the Ancient World'' Dorling Kindersley p99</ref> and in [[Ancient Egypt]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=McCoy |first=Terrence |date=2 May 2014 |title=The Surprisingly Simple Way Egyptians Moved Massive Pyramid Stones Without Modern Technology |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/05/02/the-surprisingly-simple-way-egyptians-moved-massive-pyramid-stones-without-modern-technology/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |language=en |access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref><ref>[https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/545485 Sledge from mortuary complex of Senwosret I] [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]</ref>

Sleds and sledges were found in the [[Oseberg Ship|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]]'', 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]]s of [[Tsardom of Russia|Muscovy]]. Several royal ''vozoks'' of historical importance have been preserved in the [[Kremlin Armoury]].

[[Manhauling|Man-hauled]] sledges were the traditional means of transport on British exploring expeditions to the [[Arctic]] and [[Antarctic]] regions in the 19th and early 20th centuries, championed for example by [[Robert Falcon Scott|Captain Scott]].  [[Dog sled]]s were used by most others, such as [[Roald Amundsen]].

In the [[Philippines]], a traditional [[carabao]]-drawn sled is known as the ''[[kangga]]''. It is still used in place of wheeled carts over rough or muddy terrain, while also having the advantage of traveling over [[rice paddy]] dikes without destroying them.<ref name="Zabilka">{{cite book |last1=Zabilka |first1=Gladys |title=Customs and Culture of the Philippines |date=1963 |publisher=C. E. Tuttle Company  |ol=33515960M |page=37}}</ref>

==Modern sleds==
===Transport===

{{Wide image|Cargo sled, McMurdo Station (cropped).JPEG|700|An enormous cargo sledge being maneuvered by a 10K-AT "All Terrain" [[Forklift truck|forklift]] at [[McMurdo Station]] in [[Antarctica]]}}
Some of these originally used [[draft animals]] but are now more likely to be pulled by an engine (snowmobile or tractor). Some use human power.
* The word "motor sled"<ref>{{Cite web
  | last = sledspace.com
  | title = Sledspace.com – Snowmobile Community
  | year = 2008
  | url = http://www.sledspace.com
  | access-date = 18 April 2011
  }}
</ref> is colloquial term for a [[snowmobile]] 
* The Inuit ''[[qamutiik]]'' is uniquely adapted for travel on the [[sea ice]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Snowracer|url=http://www.schlitten-bob.de/Snowracer_idQQ1ZZmodeQQartlistZZcatQQ13|publisher=schlitten-bob.de|access-date=19 May 2013|language=de}}</ref>
* The ''[[pulk]]'' (or ''ahkio'') is a traditional sled of the [[Sápmi|Lapland]] region, used for expeditions, [[mountain rescue]], and [[arctic warfare|cold weather military units]] to haul equipment, supplies, and passengers.
* [[Rescue toboggan]], developed from the ''pulk'' 
* [[Stone boat]], a farm vehicle used for moving heavy objects such as stones or haybales; can be towed by a tractor.
Today some people use [[kite flying|kites]] to tow exploration sleds.

===Recreation===
[[File:Ake Torsætra-4.JPG|thumb|Adult and child walk uphill, each pulling a small plastic toboggan]]
[[File:Sledge at Gaborone National Museum.jpg|thumb|Sled at [[Botswana National Museum]]]]
There are several types of recreational sleds designed for sliding down snowy hills ([[sledding]]):<ref>[http://www.pariconsleds.com/ Parigon Sleds]</ref>

* [[Toboggan]], an elongated sled without runners, usually made from wood or plastic, but sometimes made from [[sheet metal]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Hörnerschlitten|url=http://www.schlitten-bob.de/Hoernerschlitten_idQQ1ZZmodeQQartlistZZcatQQ8|publisher=schlitten-bob.de|access-date=19 May 2013|language=de}}</ref>
* 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<ref>{{cite web|title=Snow Racer von Stiga finden Sie in der Rubrik Stiga Schlitten!|url=http://www.schlitten-bob.de/Snowracer_idQQ1ZZmodeQQartlistZZcatQQ13|publisher=schlitten-bob.de|access-date=19 May 2013|language=de}}</ref>
* [[Kicksled]] or spark, a human-powered sled
* Inflatable sled or [[Tubing (recreation)#Snow|tube]], 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 (sled)|Airboard]], a snow [[bodyboard]], i.e. an inflatable single-person sled<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snowsleds.net/airboards.html|title=Airboards - from ski slopes to backcountry!|access-date=17 February 2018}}</ref>

===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]] and the [[Skeleton (sport)|skeleton]], tiny one or two-person sleds with runners<ref>{{cite web|title=Herzlich Willkommen !|url=http://www.schlittendiscount.de/schlitten-holzschlitten/willkommen/|publisher=schlittendiscount.de|access-date=19 May 2013|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Hörnerschlitten|url=http://www.hoernerrodel.de/shop/hornerschlitten-110-cm-modell-lattensitz/|publisher=hoernerrodel.de|access-date=19 May 2013|language=de}}</ref>

===Other===
[[File:Horse pulling competition Sheffield Field Day 2017 Vermont 02.jpg|thumb|Horses pulling a "stone boat" in a [[horse pulling]] competition]]
* 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cutter sleigh |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/cutter-sleigh |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=20 August 2019 |language=en}}</ref> About 1920, cutter racing began in the American [[Rocky Mountains|Rocky Mountain]] west, first using a simple homemade [[chariot]] on skis, later replaced by a bicycle-wheeled chariot that was also pulled over snow.<ref>{{cite web |title=Starting traditions: Cutter racing beings in Thayne |url=https://www.wylr.net/wyoming-people/173-features/4173-starting-traditions-cutter-racing-beings-in-thayne |website=Wyoming Livestock Roundup |access-date=20 August 2019}}</ref>
*[[troika (driving)|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 [[Tractor pulling|truck and tractor pulling]] and [[horse pulling]]. A flat sled able to carry increasing amounts of weight to determine the maximum load the animal or machine can pull.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Sled|url=http://lcata.com/facts.htm|publisher=Lake Country Antique Tractor Association|access-date=27 July 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328055316/http://lcata.com/facts.htm|archive-date=28 March 2012}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Snowboard]]
* [[Luge]]
* [[Travois]], a frame used to drag loads over land, i.e. another horse-drawn transport method without wheels

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links
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{{Human-powered vehicles}}
{{Horse-drawn carriages|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Animal-powered vehicles]]
[[Category:Human-powered vehicles]]
[[Category:Racing vehicles]]
[[Category:Sledding]]
[[Category:Sliding vehicles]]
[[Category:Snow]]
[[Category:Sports equipment]]