– **Design**
– Adult-sized sled: runners 2m long, spaced 400mm apart, steel blades 5mm wide
– Handlebars: 900mm above ground
– Function: driven by standing on one runner, kicking with the other foot
– Usage: can carry passenger, luggage, or be used as a dog sled
– Terrain: designed for hard, slippery surfaces like ice or hardpacked snow
– **History**
– First record: newspaper in northern Sweden around 1870
– Evolution: modern design with flexible metal runners introduced in 1909
– Recognition: described in French and English publications in the late 19th century
– Adoption: quickly became standard in Sweden, Finland, and Norway
– Innovation: models with wheel kits for summer use popular among the elderly
– **Racing**
– Popularity: kicksled racing a major sport in Sweden between 1890-1910
– Revival: in Finland around 1990 with races up to 100km long
– Speed: average racing speed around 30km/h
– Equipment: racing models produced by Finnish companies
– Variations: modified for dog sports in Canada, used in kick sled races
– **Further Reading**
– Book: “Sparkstöttingar” by Göran Rosander
– Published by: Nordiska Museet in 1995
– ISBN: 91-7108-385-5
– **References**
– Articles: explicit connotations of kicksled in various publications
– Sources: Vantaan-Sanomat, Svenskt Uppfinnaremuseum, La Nature, Scientific American
– Dates: references from the late 19th century to 2012 and 2017
– **External Links**
– Resources: Wikimedia Commons, Kicksled Handbook from Finland
– Videos: related to kicksleds
– Championships: information on Kicksled World Championships
– Articles: on kicksled history and design
– Museums: with historical references in Swedish or Norwegian
The kicksled or spark is a small sled consisting of a chair mounted on a pair of flexible metal runners that extend backward to about twice the chair's length. The sled is propelled by kicking (sparka or sparke in the Scandinavian languages) the ground by foot. There is a handlebar attached to the top of the chair back. Kicksled is a direct translation of the Finnish word potkukelkka. Estonian calls it either a 'pushsled' (tõukekelk) or 'Finnish sled' (Soome kelk). Some other possible translations are kicker and chair-sled.
