Cross-country skiing with children: Pulk toboggan
Anyone who has skied in Scandinavia will have seen parents towing their children on fiberglass sleds called pulks. The pulk glides through the snow on skates and the child is comfortable inside, protected behind a tinted windshield, wrapped in a special insulated bag and held upright by a harness. The adult is held by long rigid aluminum poles attached to a belt.
When it comes to very young children, a pulk is the snow equivalent of a stroller. It is safer than carrying the child in a backpack and much more comfortable. With older children it can be used as a “back-up” transport, so that the child can ski for a while and then rest for a while.
Skiing with a pulk can be rewarding for both children and parents, but there are problems:
– It can be a bumpy ride for the child, especially if the track is poorly prepared or here. To counteract this you need to make sure the child sits upright and is comfortably restrained: if the harness is loose it will slowly slide down the child’s back. For this reason, pulks are not suitable for children under six months. If you are a good skier, be aware that your skiing action may cause the sled to lift instead of moving smoothly, causing the child’s head to rock back and forth violently.
– The child may be very cold. So be sure to use an insulated bag. The pulk must also have a windshield, partly to protect it against snow kicked up by the skier towing it. Because towing a pulk is a warm job, it’s easy for parents to miss the fact that the child is getting cold.
– The basic “configuration”, with the child behind the parent and out of reach, is unfamiliar to the child, especially since the noise of skis and sledding will make communication difficult. It helps if you are accompanied by another adult who can ski alongside the pulk and keep the child company.
– Towing a pulk requires a reasonable degree of skill and quite a bit of strength. Even on flat ground the pulp feels heavy and when you go uphill it feels very heavy. And that’s because it’s heavy! The sled itself can weigh around 20 pounds and then you have the weight of the child, plus food and liquids, as well as other essentials like diapers and toys. When skiing downhill the pulk pushes you forward so you need a very safe snow plow brake. You also need a strong and reliable turning technique, because in corners the pulk tends to swing behind you, making a wider turn than you intended. The risk of tipping over is not significant, but it exists, and some pulks have roll bars to counteract the hazard.
When you are new to using pulks, it is best to take short trips – half an hour is enough. Then, for very young children, it can increase up to perhaps an hour.
You can rent pulks in many Scandinavian resorts. Expect to pay around £50 (US$75) for six days’ hire, plus £20 (US$30) for the insulation bag.