Discovering Kick Sleds: A Central New York Man’s Unique Hobby

If you've never seen or heard of a kick sled, you don't know what you're missing. Unfortunately, it is very rare to see one in the states. But, one man in Rome, New York has a whole collection and they're available to rent.

Ross Bartell is a Rome native who lives close to the banks of Delta Lake. Delta is the perfect spot for him to enjoy one of his many winter month hobbies, the kick sled. Ross is also known in the area for hockey, building backyard skating rinks for people at their homes and this latest sport of kick sledding. A hobby that is more of a way of life in Scandinavian nations.

Bartell tells the story of when he first discovered the recreational vessel in Lake Placid. Bartell says,

I was working the World University Games in Lake Placid and this 83-year-old lady came out of the woods on one of these and crossed over Mirror Lake Drive and went out onto Mirror Lake. So, I chased her down, thinking she was on cross country skis. She then began to tell me the story of kick sleds in those Scandinavian countries.

Bartell was hooked. He was eventually able to acquire two of these transportation modes and his goal is to import them to introduce the recreation to other winter lovers in Central New York.

While it is very difficult to import these sleds, he does offer them to those who wish to rent them for a day. They're great fun, especially out on the frozen snow covered Delta Lake. The best part is, the learning curve is very simple. They're easy to use and fun to ride. You can see in the video above, the WIBX crew was able to learn fairly quickly.

If you are interested in contacting Ross to experience this fun winter activity, feel free to reach out to him at 315-525-0622. You can rent one of these awesome kick sleds for just $40 for the whole day. If you rent more than one, it's $35 per day.

You can listen to the full interview with Bartell below.