Rescue toboggan

A rescue toboggan, also known as a rescue sled^[1] or emergency rescue sledge,^[2] or by the Finnish word ahkio (also transliterated akia, ackja, akija, and akja),^[3] is a carrier for transporting a person or goods on snowy or icy surfaces. It is used by mountain rescue or ski patrol teams to evacuate an injured skier or snowboarder. There are related designs for use on water to carry accident victims or emergency equipment.

A rescue toboggan takes the form of a pulk or small sled shaped as an elongated boat-like pan, usually made of aluminum or fiberglass,^[4] with vaulted ends, each of which may be attached to forked extending handles. There are many variations and adaptations such as a brake, stability fins,^[5] and an integrated or removable litter. A particular variation may be preferred by various regions or individual ski patrollers.

^ "Ultralite Rescue Sled". Brooks-Range Mountaineering. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
^ Adam Turner. "Ski Patrol - Rescue Toboggan". Coroflot. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
^ "Rescue Toboggans". Cascade Rescue. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
^ "Company History". Cascade Rescue Company. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
^ Brennan Rego (February 20, 2013). "New life for old toboggans: Bellevue man to manufacture Sun Valley-style sleds". Idaho Mountain Express. Retrieved 2015-01-18. Bennett said much of the time involved in developing his sled was focused on constructing a fin system to keep the sled behind the operator, as opposed to sliding away down the hill.
"I took some garbage to the dump one day, saw a box spring frame, and thought, 'That would make a perfect fin,'" he said. "The first design was just one long fin in the middle at the back of the sled. It didn't work. Then I cut that fin in two and put one piece on either side at the back of the sled. That worked great."
Another problem Bennett overcame was how to engineer an effective braking system. He said he was testing his design one day when it suddenly started to pick up speed at an alarming rate before he managed to regain control.
"You better believe I was thinking the whole time about what I could come up with to slow the thing down!" he said.
Bennett's solution was to install a chain under the sled's nose that contacts the snow only when the operator pushes down on the poles used to pull the sled. The resulting friction stops the sled.

[1] "Ultralite Rescue Sled". Brooks-Range Mountaineering. Retrieved 2015-01-18.

[2] Adam Turner. "Ski Patrol - Rescue Toboggan". Coroflot. Retrieved 2015-01-18.

[3] "Rescue Toboggans". Cascade Rescue. Retrieved 2015-01-18.

[4] "Company History". Cascade Rescue Company. Retrieved 2015-01-18.

[5] Brennan Rego (February 20, 2013). "New life for old toboggans: Bellevue man to manufacture Sun Valley-style sleds". Idaho Mountain Express. Retrieved 2015-01-18. Bennett said much of the time involved in developing his sled was focused on constructing a fin system to keep the sled behind the operator, as opposed to sliding away down the hill.
"I took some garbage to the dump one day, saw a box spring frame, and thought, 'That would make a perfect fin,'" he said. "The first design was just one long fin in the middle at the back of the sled. It didn't work. Then I cut that fin in two and put one piece on either side at the back of the sled. That worked great."
Another problem Bennett overcame was how to engineer an effective braking system. He said he was testing his design one day when it suddenly started to pick up speed at an alarming rate before he managed to regain control.
"You better believe I was thinking the whole time about what I could come up with to slow the thing down!" he said.
Bennett's solution was to install a chain under the sled's nose that contacts the snow only when the operator pushes down on the poles used to pull the sled. The resulting friction stops the sled.

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