Dog sled
A dog sled is a dog-pulled sled used to transport people and goods in polar regions. Historically, the sledge could be the oldest pulled means of transport . Until the invention of the snowmobile , the dog sled was the only means of transport that could reliably bring people and material to their destination even at very low temperatures.
Huskies ( Siberian Husky or Alaskan Husky ) or Alaskan Malamutes , whose thick fur, stamina and urge to move are good prerequisites for these tasks are often used as sled dogs . The leader of the team is called a musher .
history
The first dog sleds were used by the Eskimos in North America and Greenland . In the 19th century it became the preferred means of winter transport in the polar regions , particularly in Alaska and Siberia . At the time of the great gold rush in Alaska at the end of the 19th century, the whites had also got to know the advantages of dog sledding.
The sleds of that time differed significantly from today's ones in one point (see sketch): Back then it was customary to stand or sit on the front of the sled and to whip the dogs on. The current form, in which the musher stands on the runners at the rear end of the sled and can increase the stability of the sled by shifting weight, does not seem to have prevailed until the 1920s . The whip is also no longer part of the equipment.
The dog sled received general attention outside the polar regions at the latest through the so-called Great Race of Mercy during the diphtheria epidemic in Nome in January 1925. At that time, twenty dog sled drivers covered a distance of 1085 km in just five and a half days in temperatures as low as −60 ° C and a snow storm Traveled Alaska to bring an immune serum against the epidemic to the town of Nome on the Bering Strait . The Iditarod has been held every year on part of this route since 1973 . It is considered the longest and toughest dog sled race in the world.
Dog sleds also played an important role in the race to the South Pole .
Areas of application
Dog sleds are mainly used in the polar region, e.g. B. Alaska, Greenland and the Arctic are used. There they are used as a simple means of locomotion, means of transport or in races (e.g. the Iditarod). In military terms, sled dogs are still used on the Sirius sled patrol in northeast Greenland. As a means of transport, the weight of the dogs can be counted as payload.
Sled dog races take place in different places around the world, in addition to Alaska also in the Alps and in Scandinavia . Driving a sled dog team is now also a tourist attraction and an important source of income for the locals in Alaska, Greenland, Lapland and Svalbard . More recently, dog sledding adventure holidays have been offered by specialized tourism companies. In Europe, such offers can be found mainly for Lapland (e.g. Kittilä , Muonio ) or Spitzbergen , in North America in western Canada and in Alaska .
Special dog sleds were also used in the Wadden Sea on the North Sea coast until the 1950s . Here, the dogs of fish traps pulled the sled, which was mostly equipped with a wide runner, over the mudflats at low tide to empty the traps. During the First World War, the French mountain hunters used sled dogs as service dogs from Canada in winter to supply troops in the difficult terrain of the Upper Vosges.
Material and construction
Constructions
Originally, indigenous peoples' dog sleds were very flexible constructions made of wood with connections made from leather straps (now nylon cords) - which are still used today as work sleds by Eskimos and members of Park Services. In addition to larger work sleds, there were also lighter hunting and travel sleds. In racing, sleds made of metal and wood, often ash and hickory , are used. An essential design feature is a certain flexibility. Modern racing sleds weigh between 8 and 12 kg . Depending on the location, toboggan-like sledges are also used, with the loading area practically resting on the snow. In the case of very soft snow, this has the advantage of not sinking in, but the disadvantage of greater friction and less ground clearance. Such toboggans are used particularly in areas where there are no pre-groomed paths.
Individual components
Important components of a dog sled are the runners on which the sled runs and on the rear ends of which the musher (sled driver) stands. Cornering can be influenced by shifting weight on the runners. A semicircular arch made of soft wood or plastic, the so-called brush-bow, is mounted on the front of the slide . This is to prevent the sled from injuring the dogs if it hits them. The construction on the runners essentially includes the loading area and the handle-bar , the handle that the musher holds on to while driving.
A modern dog sled has certain components that are intended to enable safe operation. What is important is the brake , which is mainly available in two design variants; Both systems are based on the musher exerting resistance between the rear runners and weighing them down with his body weight:
- With the mat brake , a mat attached to the sled with a non-slip surface is thrown onto the trail and the musher steps on the mat.
- With the claw brake , a metal claw is attached to the hinges at the end of the slide, a spring keeps it away from the ground. The musher steps on the mechanism to brake and drives the claw into the ground.
Depending on the weight load on the brake mechanism, the speed can be regulated in this way. Many sleds are now equipped with both systems. The mat is used for leisurely braking on a slight slope or to compensate for level travel, the claw brake is used on steep slopes. The advantage of the mat is that a lot of even pressure can be exerted, which, especially on hard ground, significantly reduces the hits on the sledge and thus on the pulling line and the dogs.
Additional equipment
In order to be able to stop while driving or to make an emergency stop, the sled has a snow anchor . Similar to the ship's anchor, it is a sharp-edged metal construction that is connected to the sled by a line. The anchor can be set in the snow, then pulls itself further into the ground under tensile load and thus prevents the team from moving away.
In addition, the sled should have an emergency line . So that it is fixed to a solid object during longer stops, e.g. B. a tree. In the high Arctic ( e.g. Spitzbergen) no lines are used because there are no trees there, and instead several snow anchors are used to prevent the team from driving away.
Part of the equipment of a dog sled is also the sled sack , which is attached to the loading area of the sled. It is used to transport equipment and is mandatory on long-distance races in order to safely transport injured dogs.
Reins and (in Europe) a whip are not part of a dog sled .
The sled dogs are steered with commands (see below ).
Types of tension
The different areas of application for dog sledding have resulted in three different types of tension . Tension means here, similar to horse-drawn vehicles , the way dogs and sleds are connected to one another.
Mixed forms can also be used for special purposes. On Svalbard, for example, it is disadvantageous to line up very long teams (10 or more dogs) in the normal double-team driving style during the polar night , as the musher can then no longer see his lead dog . Since the width of the team in the pathless and treeless wilderness does not cause any problems, you can significantly shorten the team with a combination of fan hitch and gang hitch without having to do without dogs.
Fan-tension ( Fan Hitch )
With fan tension, each dog is individually tied to the sled with a leash . The animals run in a fan formation in front of the sledge. This is the form of tension originally used by the nomadic peoples of the far north. Here the dogs were used both as sled dogs and as hunting dogs . If the hunter then pursued a prey with the sledge, he could detach individual dogs from the sled and use them as hunting dogs without losing time. The fan-shaped tensioning is unsuitable for heavily forested areas, as the team runs too wide to take narrow paths between the trees. However, if a dog breaks into ice, it does not drag the whole team with it into ruin. Fan Hitch can be used with a maximum of approximately six dogs.
Tandem Hitch ( Single File / Single Tandem Hitch )
Tandem tension does not mean that two dogs run next to each other, but that the dogs are grouped one behind the other between two side lines (tandem), cf. also tandem (wagon) . This means that the team is only a dog wide and therefore able to navigate narrow forest paths and frozen streams. This type of tension occurs with sleds in wooded arctic regions. It is also used for pulkas (small material sleds without a guide), typically with a maximum of two or three dogs.
Double team ( Double File / transition Hitch )
The double team is a type of harness that comes from American racing and has established itself in sled dog sports worldwide.
The dogs run in pairs to the left and right of a central line ( gang-line ). They are connected to this on the collar via the neck line and on the harness via the pull line ( tug-line ). The neck line is used to keep the dog on track, the pull line to transfer the pulling forces to the central line. At the head of the team, the lead dog usually runs alone, but there are also teams with a double lead.
The team is divided into so-called sections . A section consists of two dogs running side by side. The front section is the leading section (with the lead dog (s)), the rearmost the so-called wheel section , in which the strongest dogs typically run. In between there are team and swing sections if more than four or more than six dogs are driven.
The total number of tense dogs varies greatly. Four dogs can be enough for leisurely trips in the plains of Lapland, six is often the minimum in arctic areas because the dogs are somewhat smaller and the roads are worse. The upper limit is eighteen to twenty dogs for large competition teams or for long tours with a lot of luggage.
dog sledding
The most important thing about a dog sled is a well-trained team, especially a good lead dog, who works with and trusts the musher.
Although the sled is steered by means of a weight load and has braking devices, the musher does not steer the sled like a car. The dogs are not only the “ motor ” of the sled, they also have a major influence on the course of the journey. Therefore the musher steers the sled by means of special called commands . These are implemented by the dogs, especially the lead dog.
Related commands in North America
- Go - asks the dogs to start running and is more of a formality in view of the innate pulling instinct
- Gee - turn right
- Haw - turn left
- Come Gee - 180 ° turn over right
- Come Haw - 180 ° turn over left
- Easy - reduce speed to trot (when going downhill)
- Whuuuu - slow down , stop
The commands are mainly used to change direction. The command to slow down is a warning to the dogs, especially the lead dog, that the musher is now slowing down, most teams continue to run anyway. The carriage driver controls the speed using the brake.
One of the most important tasks of the musher is to constantly apply enough pressure to the brakes so that the pull line remains evenly tensioned. If the leash is loose, the dogs can trip and injure themselves. The dogs are particularly at risk on a steep descent, as they have to be able to lay firmly on the leash. The sled must never overtake the back row of the dogs, because apart from the risk of injury to the dogs, they will lose confidence in the sled operator. Dogs that have become anxious are difficult to motivate to work. Even on the flat, the brakes are applied almost continuously in order to make the journey more even and not to overload the "cold" dogs with unnecessary galloping, especially in the morning.
The actual "mushing" (the word presumably means "marching") is used when the dogs can no longer pull the sled with sufficient speed, mostly on inclines or when the sled sinks into deep snow. The musher now “pedals” with one leg while standing with the other on a runner, similar to a scooter , and pushes the sledge in front of him. If there is no other way, he runs between the runners and pushes the sledge.
Sled dog handlers or mushers do not tie themselves to the sled. Although there is a high risk that in the event of a fall the team will cover a long distance without a guide and leave them behind, the injuries that can occur when being dragged along are far more serious. Even if the sled dog handler remained connected to the sled, the dog team would hardly be able to be induced to stop, since teams that stop on mere shouting are the exception. The musher would be forced to free himself from the moving sled by untying or cutting. While it is uncomfortable for a musher to follow the team lonely in the nocturnal ice desert at temperatures well below freezing point, the time to exhaustion and the associated death from frostbite is significantly reduced if he is injured. With the loss of dogs and sleds, a musher also loses all equipment, including any tents, warming blankets and food. For this reason, he advantageously wears essential equipment such as spare flashlights and satellite phones or GPS emergency transmitters on his body. The associated batteries (or rechargeable batteries) are always worn directly on the body so that they are immediately ready for use even in the cold, because their performance is significantly reduced at temperatures below zero.
See also
- Dog sports , dog carts
- Musher dog sled driver
literature
- Gary Paulsen: Iditarod. The toughest dog sled race in the world (OT: Winterdance. The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod ). Piper, Munich and Zurich 2004, ISBN 3-492-22910-7
- Thomas Gut: Mushing - dog sledding . 2004, ISBN 3-8317-1195-X
- Ralf Hewelcke: On the trail of the Sirius patrol. With sled dogs 2400 km along the east coast of Greenland ISBN 3-926578-35-1
