Sled 153862 222539215 2008-06-29T21:57:58Z Grafen 307602 reduced overlinking - cf [[WP:CONTEXT]] {{for|the Linux distribution|SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop}} {{for|the animal trainer|Sled Reynolds}} {{redirect|Sledge}} {{redirect|Sleigh}} A '''sled''', '''sledge''' or '''sleigh''' is a [[vehicle]] with runners for sliding instead of wheels for rolling. It is used for [[transport]] on surfaces with low [[friction]], usually [[snow]] or [[ice]] but any grassy surface is good when it is not too dry. In some cases round river-washed stones make a good surface for sledges. Devices to be pulled across bare ground, such as a [[travois]], are not generally called "sleds", although skids often are. [[Image:Sleigh.jpg|thumb|left|A horse-drawn sleigh]] [[Image:Sled north of Ngcobo.jpg|thumb|A crude ox-drawn sled with chain on a mountain road north of [[Ngcobo, Eastern Cape]]]] Sleds are typically smaller and simpler than sleighs which are generally understood to be a larger vehicle designed for riding in a sitting position that is drawn by a draft animal such as a horse or oxen, though this is not always the case. The sitting connotation is clear as the English [[bobsleigh]] is a steerable sled invented to sit upon or within. North Americans transmorphed this into bobsled, since clearly the vehicle is not drawn by a draft animal. Both (or all four) are lightweight vehicles whereas a ''sledge'' is more usually a low, sturdy, and rough ''work vehicle'' designed for haulage of heavy loads such as cordwood, stone or ice blocks or the manifold heavy transport needs on a farm. With only gravity as the propelling force, a sled can be used downhill as a recreational (toy) vehicle or drawn behind one trudging step by trudging step to haul a load—such as logs or children back up a slope. Modern competitive sledding has come about since the 1870s when steerable sleds were invented as a recreational prescription to combat winter boredom amongst the rich and privileged in the alpine resort town of [[St Moritz]] by British hotel guests. Alternatively, sleds may be pulled by animals, usually [[horse]]s, [[mule]]s, [[oxen]] or [[dog]]s. They may also be pushed or pulled by humans (playing children, a parent pulling a child, etc.). 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. Dog-teams were used by most others, such as [[Roald Amundsen]]. Today some people use [[kite flying|kite]]s to tow exploration sleds in such climes. The Egyptians are thought to have used sledges extensively over the sands whilst building their public works, in particular, for the transportation of taller [[obelisk]]s. A '''troika''' is a vehicle drawn by three horses, usually a sled, but it may also be a wheeled carriage. The [[SR-71 Blackbird]] is also referred to by the nickname "sled" and its pilots are referred to as "sled drivers". [[Image:Sportsclinicerickcastro2.jpg|thumb|250px|Hockey played on ice sleds by the disabled]] The various categories of sleds include: * Coaster sled * Wooden sled/sledge * Draft-animal sled/sledge ** Horse-drawn sleigh ** [[Dog sled]] * Flying sleigh * [[Bobsled]] - an [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] sport. * [[Toboggan]] * [[Kicksled]] or spark or kicker, a human-powered sled * [[Aerosan]], powered by an airplane propellor [[Image:Cargo sled, McMurdo Station (cropped).JPEG|700px|center|thumb|An enormous cargo sled being maneuvered by a 10K-AT "Adverse Terrain" [[Forklift truck|forklift]] at [[McMurdo Station]] in [[Antarctica]].]] ==See also== {{commonscat|Sledding}} * [[Luge]] * [[Pulka]] * [[Skeleton (sport)]] * [[Ski]] * [[Sledge Hockey]] * [[Snowboard]] * [[Snowmobiles]] * [[Snowmobile]] == External links == * [http://www.SledRiding.com/horsedrawnsleighrides.html North America's Horse Drawn Sleigh Rides] [[Category:Dutch loanwords]] [[Category:Sledding]] [[Category:Sports equipment]] [[Category:Animal-powered vehicles]] [[Category:Human-powered vehicles]] [[cv:Çуна]] [[cs:Saně]] [[da:Slæde]] [[pdc:Schlidde]] [[es:Trineo]] [[eo:Sledo]] [[eu:Lera]] [[fa:سورتمه]] [[fr:Traîneau]] [[gl:Zorra]] [[it:Slitta]] [[he:מזחלת]] [[la:Trahea]] [[nl:Slee]] [[ja:ソリ]] [[pl:Sanie]] [[pt:Trenó]] [[ro:Sanie]] [[ru:Сани]] [[fi:Reki]] [[sv:Släpsläde]]