1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a ski sled which combines the thrill of skiing with the safety and ease of operation of a sled wherein a seated operator can control the direction of the ski sled by tilting the skis and can operate a brake to slow down or stop the ski sled.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Those interested in winter sports often start sledding as children. A sled is easy and safe to operate but a typical sled with steel runners is hard to steer and does not function very well on many surfaces such as deep, soft snow. Therefore, most people who want to continue with outdoor activities learn to ski because that offers greater variety and more excitement. Not everyone can learn to ski, however, particularly where physical handicaps are involved. Further, some persons who may not have time to learn to ski would still like to periodically enjoy riding down a hill like a skier but without having to stand up and balance on a pair of skis.
Attempts have been made in the prior art to provide such an apparatus. A ski sled is shown in the Nuss U.S. Pat. No. 3,107,923 issued Oct. 22, 1963. That ski sled has a mechanism for twisting the front portions of the skis to steer the ski sled. No braking mechanism is shown. A snow shuttle is disclosed in the Chilzer U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,209 issued Sep. 14, 1982. That snow shuttle has a single, rather wide runner at the rear and a front runner which can be pivoted with respect to the rear runner for steering purposes, the rear runner having a braking member associated therewith. The Chilzer snow shuttle is more like a conventional sled and would not offer the thrills skiing. A ski maneuvering apparatus having brackets connecting the skis for steering the skis, but without a seating platform or braking mechanism, is shown in the Zepkowski U.S. Pat. No. 4,357,036 issued Nov. 2, 1982. Various other mechanisms can be found in the prior art, but all have drawbacks similar to those mentioned above.