A luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine (face-up) and feet-first. A luger begins seated, propelling themselves initially from handles on either side of the start ramp, then steers by using the calf muscles to flex the sled's runners or by exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the pod. Racing sleds weigh 21–25 kg (46–55 lb) for singles and 25–30 kg (55–66 lb) for doubles. Luge is also the name of an Olympic sport that employs that sled and technique.
Departing German luger at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Doubles luge, Myroslav and Ivan Lenko at the 2022 Luge World Cup trainings
Luge sled, with steel runners removed
A young luger on the start ramp at the Utah Olympic track
A sled, skid, sledge, or sleigh is a land vehicle that slides across a surface, usually of ice or snow. It is built with either a smooth underside or a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners similar in principle to skis. This reduces the amount of friction, which helps to carry heavy loads.
Two people in a horse-drawn cutter-style sleigh
A loaded dogsled
Boy lying on a Flexible Flyer
Traveling by sleigh, Muscovy, mid-16th century, according to Sigismund von Herberstein