View source for Pulk

{{Short description|Type of sled}}
{{About||the military unit|Pułk|the surname|Pulk (surname)}}

{{notability|date=June 2021}}

[[File:12 04 2003 repo.jpg|thumb|Pulk or ahkio pulled by a skier]]
[[File:Visby_ringmur_-_KMB_-_16001000217224.jpg|thumb|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. ]]

A '''pulk''' (from {{langx|smi|puhlke}}, via {{langx|fi|pulkka}}; {{langx|sv|pulka}}; {{langx|no|pulk}}; {{langx|se|bulki}}) is a [[Nordic countries|Nordic]] short, low-slung small [[sled]] used in sport or for transport, pulled by a [[dog]] or a [[skiing|skier]], or in [[Sápmi]] pulled by [[reindeer]].<ref>[http://www.utexas.edu/courses/sami/diehtu/siida/reindeer/Reindeer/reindeer_main.html The Sámi and their reindeer] – University of Texas at Austin</ref> 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 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 "[[Sled#Recreation|saucer]]s" (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'' {{IPA|[ɑhkio]}} in Finnish. This word is also used by the US Army for a human-drawn snow sled.

==See also==
{{Commons category|Pulka}}
* [[Bum slider]]
* [[Mushing]]
* [[Skijoring]]
* [[Toboggan]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.acapulka.com ACAPULKA ] international pulk/pulka website
* [http://thegearjunkie.com/gear-review-eds-wilderness-systems-ski-pulk The Gear Junkie] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926224443/http://thegearjunkie.com/gear-review-eds-wilderness-systems-ski-pulk |date=2007-09-26 }}, a syndicated U.S. newspaper columnist, has an in-depth review of a pulk
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080905172048/http://xcskiworld.com/family/Parents/sleds.htm XC Ski World] reviews of XC ski sleds
* [http://www.skirandonnenordique.com Ski Randonne Nordique] A French pulk website (in French)
* [http://laughingdawg.blogspot.com/2008/01/building-backcountry-pulk.html Laughing Daw blog] Building a Backcountry Pulk
* [http://www.madriverrocket.com/pulk/ Madriver Rocket] Instructions to build a pulk

[[Category:Dog sports]]
[[Category:Cross-country skiing]]
[[Category:Sliding vehicles]]
[[Category:Finnish inventions]]
[[Category:Human-powered vehicles]]