In the notice for the Big Land Challenge Dog Team Race (Well Worth the Drive, March/April issue), it should read komatik not “komatik sled.” Komatik is a long platform with two full-length runners. They often have a box on them, the “komatik box.” Used in a broad sense, komatik is the Inuit word for sled. Inuktitut, the Inuit language, is very descriptive and detailed so I am sure there are many words and sounds to go along with the details of a sled.
 

Komatiks were originally constructed by tying all the components together but now are nailed or screwed, and made of plywood. We have two: a six-foot one we use mainly for fishing or a short hunting trip, not overnight, and a 10-foot one that we use on longer trips and for hauling cut up firewood etc.

Sorry to say we only have a “crackie” for a dog, who rides on my lap, so we use a snowmobile for power.

Jim Purdy
Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador
 

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