Pulk
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- Upper left: Pulk pulled by a skier
- Upper right: Kid on a toy pulk
- Lower left: Adult and child pulling toy pulks uphill
- Lower right: Small skiing pulk with harness
A pulk (Norwegian: pulk, Swedish: pulka, Finnish: pulkka; Northern Sami: bulki; from Sami languages: pul'hkē) is originally a Nordic term for a low-slung boat-like sled, sometimes without runners, capable of being pulled by hand on foot or skis, or by light draft animals such as dogs or reindeer.[1][2] A toboggan could be called a pulk. They are classically made out of wood and other natural materials but are nowadays made of plastic, which makes them inexpensive.
Pulks are originally meant to carry supplies such as a tent or food, or transport a child or other person. In Norway, Finland 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.
Akja
[edit]A larger pulk, designed for transporting larger amounts of goods, is called a akja (Finnish: ahkio [ɑhkio]; Swedish: ackja; German: Akja, Akia). The term stems from older Sami akio, akje and Finnish: ahkio, akkio, akkia, which in turn is a borrowing from Proto-Norse, cognate with Swedish: äcka, Icelandic: ekja, "driving, fording", to the root ak (Swedish: åk), "drive, ford, ride", ultimately related to "act".[3]
Listed old Sami synonyms includes: geres, kerres, låkkek and pulka.[3]
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German "boat akja" (Boots-Akja) during World War II -
German "weapon akja" (Waffen-Akja) during World War II -
German "plywood akja" (Sperrholz-Akja) blueprint
Slider
[edit]
In the Nordic countries, toy pulks made of plastic are very common for winter recreation. They typically hold 1–2 shildren and have footrests on the front.
There are various derivatives of the plastic toy pulk. In English, such are typically referred to as "sliders" in various compunds, etc.[4] Some classic examples includes:
Gallery
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Raindeer pulled pulk -
Sami with wooden pulk -
Pulk pulled by a skier -
US Army pulks -
Pulk with sail -
Swedish Army pulks -
Wooden pulk in museum -
Skiers with pulled pulks -
Skier with pulk
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See also
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References
[edit]- ^ "pulka sbst". saob.se. Swedish Academy. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
- ^ "The Sámi and their reindeer". utexas.edu. University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 2012-12-19.
- ^ a b "ackja sbst". saob.se. Swedish Academy. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
- ^ "Sled / Slider". pedalsandpetals.com. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
External links
[edit]- ACAPULKA international pulk/pulka website
- The Gear Junkie Archived 2007-09-26 at the Wayback Machine, a syndicated U.S. newspaper columnist, has an in-depth review of a pulk
- XC Ski World reviews of XC ski sleds
- Ski Randonne Nordique A French pulk website (in French)
- Laughing Daw blog Building a Backcountry Pulk
- Madriver Rocket Instructions to build a pulk