FUN ON ICE AND SNOW 

Say "kicksled" and most people respond "Huh?" Variously described as a winter bicycle, snow scooter, dogsled without dogs, or "two parallel skis joined by a kitchen chair with handlebars," it’s a gawky-looking, human-powered vehicle. Looks aside, the craft glides swiftly on ice or compacted snow, and can carry a passenger or gear on its neat little front seat.

First developed in northern Europe more than 150 years ago, kicksleds are prevalent today in small towns of Finland, Norway and Sweden. Side streets aren’t sanded or salted there, and people use kicksleds to shop and run other errands. But mundane pursuits pale next to highly competitive racing. Kicksledding was a demonstration sport at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics in 1994. Finland even boasts a professional racing circuit.

Built primarily for use on ice, the sleds rest on long, steel ice-blades. Most models come with clip-on plastic skis or snow runners to adapt them for compacted-snow surfaces. On hard, glass-like ice, the sled travels very fast, faster than most skaters. Even when the Rideau Canal’s ice has suffered overuse and developed a scruffy, scratched surface, you can still go at a pretty good clip, and outstrip most skaters.

Kick-starting a kicksled isn’t rocket science. You pilot it as you would a scooter, but you won’t need as much balance. Grip the handlebars; put one foot (bearing most of your weight) on a non-slip pad on the rear section of one blade. With your other foot, kick at the ice between the blades. Continue kicking with a repetitive, leg-swinging motion. Once you build up speed, stand with both feet on the blades and coast. Switch to kicking with the other foot to keep up your forward momentum.

Steer the kicksled by twisting its handlebars in the direction you want to go. For a faster turn, drag one foot on the ice. Foot contact with the ice is even more effective if you strap a pair of steel- studded crampons on the soles of your winter boots. They also help you brake. Crampons are available for just a few dollars from kicksled retailers and stores, such as Canadian Tire. As an alternative to crampons, you could use spiked shoes designed for track, cross-country or orienteering.

Kicksleds don’t do well in deep, soft snow or on steep, icy slopes. If you do tackle a steep slope, remember the sled has no brakes beyond your foot dragging on the ice. Safe operation may vary depending on your weight, strength, and agility and whether you have a passenger on board. Also remember, you can’t turn as quickly as when you’re skiing. And unlike tobogganing, you can’t simply roll off if the going gets rough. You’re in a vulnerable, standing position. Start out slowly on gentle slopes, to get a feel for downhill operation. Take care on steeper surfaces. Exercise parental caution and control if your children operate a kicksled downhill.

Can you mush a kicksled? It depends on your dog. A standard harness will work, but unless you’re an experienced musher with trained dogs, you’ll have limited steering ability. Donna Leaman gave up in frustration. Her family’s two-year old Labrador/Collie dog resisted attempts to train it in a kicksled harness. "His tolerance is a lot lower than ours," she admits, adding that the people in her family enjoy kicksledding.

Luise Weaver’s two hefty, black Belgian sheep dogs, a 31 kilo male and 25 kilo female, enjoy the sport together. He hitches them up to his kicksled with dog harnesses and a joiner lead, and takes them for a spin on an ice track around the lake.

Ottawan François Cousineau keeps a kicksled at his family’s Gatineau cottage. He says operating the craft is intuitive. "My fourteen year old son pushes our sled with my wife on the front. We also have a 90-pound coon hound that we harness to the front."

Ottawa’s Colin Brown confesses, "I’m 75. I never did learn to skate. I tried skiing a few years ago in Calgary, and when I got up to the top of the hill, I realized I was not too sure about stopping." But a kicksled gets him out in winter, frolicking with grandchildren. "It’s a great machine. (We use it) to get to the cottage. It’s three-quarters of a mile over a frozen lake and there’s no road in," he says.

Kicksled maintenance?

There is none. No waxing. No sharpening. No expensive peripheral equipment such as special boots or ski poles. No ski lift fees either! Breakage should be minimal, if any. Construction is of high-strength spring- and tube-steel and solid birch wood, with non-slip footpads on curved steel ice blades.

To store a kicksled, unscrew a couple of bolts and fold it down flat. This also allows you to transport it on a car roof rack or rear bumper bike rack.

Depending on how energetically you go at it, kicksleds can provide an excellent cardiovascular workout with minimum risk of injury. However, when kicksledding for the first time, take it easy! Lengthen your sessions gradually, to avoid back, hip and leg strain. The rhythmic kicking motion may look similar to skating or skiing, but it isn’t. A separate set of muscles and joints comes into play. You’ll notice the difference particularly in your hip area.

To build or to buy?

If you have skill, time, tools and workspace, you might like to make your own kicksled. These web sites offer plans, advice or materials:

Canadian Tom Strang, at http://trytel.com/~tstrang/spark/spart.html, displays excellent plans and procedures on his site. He writes that construction requires commonly available materials, ordinary tools such as saw, sander and drill, plus a "small amount of heat-forming and welding" for the runners. Your local garage might do the welding for you.
A U.S. website, http://www.blackicedogsledding.com/page20.html, offers individual kicksled parts for sale.
Ready-made kicksleds are priced at roughly $300. Available in a variety of sizes, including a lightweight, racing model, two brands are sold locally: the CrosSled from Norway and the ELSA from Finland.

CrosSled kicksleds are available online from Norwegian-Canadian Knut Brundtland, the North American distributor/retailer. His web site, http://www.crossled.com/, provides an in-depth look at kicksleds and their users.

Check out ELSA kicksleds the on manufacturer’s Finnish web site at http://www.esla.fi/indexe.htm. Locally, they’re available from:

James Sisttie at Expédition Radisson in Wakefield, Quebec (www.expeditionsradisson.com)
Kari Siirala in Carnavon, Ontario ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

Mike Lomas is an avid kicksledder living in Ottawa.