all track and no skis

The Larven shown was manufactured by the Swedish firm of Lenko in Ostersund. It is unique in that it is all track and no skis. As you can see in the picture, this is a wild thing. There are many models to choose from but today I'll describe only one. This unit is 16 inches wide and nearly six feet long. It weighs in at a mere 150 pounds due in part to the fact that the chassis and shroud are made of aircraft aluminum alloy. To operate this unit you must straddle the sled- wearing your skis no less.

Direction of travel is determined by your skis and on wide turns you
simply slant the Larven into the turn you wish to make and the sled will do the rest. Weird to say the least! Sharp turns are accomplished by shifting your weight to the outside ski and slanting the Larven. They claim that these same maneuvers can be made going uphill, downhill or across hills.

Turns are best made by accelerating going into the turn. As the brochure states, "after a couple of runs you'll be surprised how maneuverable, quick and sassy the Larven is."

One picture in the brochure shows a daring soul in mid flight at a height that appears to be about eight feet. Of course the rider is wearing skis. I'd like to have seen the look on his face thirty seconds later when he hit the turf. Can you imagine what would happen if the skis became tangled under the track while landing? The rider must make a perfect landing every time. Any miscalculation on the rider's part and the damage to the anatomy is too painful to contemplate.