Sledges and sledging in polar regions

Abstract

ABSTRACTSledges have been used for millennia in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. Until the advent of British Arctic land exploration in the nineteenth century, explorers in these regions had relied on indigenous sledges. The British, and individuals from other nations engaging in polar exploration, often faced different conditions and challenges from those that had faced indigenous peoples, and so a period of adaptation and invention began, to develop sledges that better suited the needs of European survey parties. This paper looks at the range of indigenous sledges and the development of various polar sledge types based on indigenous ski-runner, edge-runner, and toboggan styles of sledges. The development of the Nansen sledge, which became the norm in the Antarctic, is discussed, and the issues and debates involving man-hauling versus dog-hauling and the relative effectiveness of sledges and motive power as shown by recorded sledging performances are outlined.