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Truck gets sled ride to Kugaaruk

Terry Kruger
Northern News Services
Monday, May 28, 2007

PELLY BAY - When you buy a truck in Taloyoak and need to get it to Kugaaruk, 240 kilometres away, all you need is a bit of ingenuity, two powerful snowmobiles and a very big komatik.

NNSL Photo/Graphic

Raymond Kayasark, left, and his brother Childerik Qayaqsaaq stand beside the Chevy pickup they moved to Kugaaruk from Taloyoak on top of a 20-foot sled pulled by two snowmobiles. - Terry Kruger/NNSL photo

Driving around Kugaaruk in his red 1999 Chevy 1500 pickup, Raymond Kayasark is nonchalant about the feat.

"I had just a few problems with the sled," he said.

Kayasark bought the truck from Denis Lyall and will put it to use for his fuel supply business. He has the contract to deliver fuel to the airport and homes around the Kitikmeot community.

He backed the 2,500 kilogram vehicle onto a seven metre-long sled, then hooked it to his four-stroke Bearcat snowmobile and a four-stroke Venture driven by his brother Childerik Qayaqsaaq and started pulling.

The komatik was specially built for the trip out of 2 by 6 cross beams topped with plywood. The runners were made from 4 by 12 beams lined with plastic.

"We had to stop every time we got to hills," said Kayasark. "We had to make sure there were no big rocks the sled would get stuck on."

The May 8 journey lasted a full 24 hours and went without incident. The only trouble came when one runner started to collapse. To keep it solid, they put another sled up against the wonky runner.

"On one hill we used four (snow)machines," he said.

It was the first time he had attempted such a feat, but once he had completed it successfully, he turned around and went back for a small aluminum boat.