Pulk 101 (and maybe some 201)

Chris Koch / 28.07.2006

The pulk is a necessary piece of equipment for polar exploration and is frequently used in the snowy backcountry. Packing for winter outdoor travel generally is much heavier than its summer counterpart. There are many races in Canada requiring the use of a pulk to compete effectively. The Rock and Ice Ultra is one of them. Scott Smith, is the president of Northern Canadian Adventure Racing Inc., the organization putting on the Rock and Ice Ultra. They offer three events, including a 300 km, 7-day stage race in the Northwest Territories.

In speaking with Scott, I realized I knew very little about the pulk. I knew they existed and what they were used for, but if I were to walk in to a “pulk store” tomorrow, I wouldn’t have a clue of what to look for – though beer holder would be on the list.

Here’s what I knew about pulks. They are a small sled you pull behind you when in the snow. I believe in my youthful “Farley Mowat” world, great adventurers called them sledges. Though, these immediately conjure up images of huge cumbersome sleds made of prehistoric mammoth bones and elk tendons. When I thought of the pulk, I gravitated towards a vision of those orange snow sleds of my youth.

Where do you even get pulks? Scott, immediately put me on to www.skipulk.com - Ed Bouffard’s website. Ed is definitely a pulk expert and his site offers a dearth of free information regarding the pulk, including its history. He also shows you how to either construct your own, or simply order one through him. His free Acrobat file on constructing a pulk is full of details: construction options, epoxy types, usage of fins, and so forth.

After reviewing Ed’s webpage, I had only a few questions remaining in my mind, and they were mainly on the usage of pulks. Something, I imagined, only somebody who has hauled a pulk around for hours (or weeks) under varying conditions could comment on. I should note two items before I go further. Ed mentioned he is not an adventure racer, and he felt a little uncomfortable offering advice on pulks in that capacity. Also, at no time did Ed try and sell his pulks or pulk designs as being the answer to everything. His literature freely discusses what else there is on the market.