what do you carry on trips?

Sweet, thanks for the info Jeff. I figured any use of that sled setup would incorporate the siltarp as a "bag", but it would probably be pretty shredded in the process (and wouldn't go outside the skis, so it wouldn't reduce drag as well).

I didn't get any pictures, but at the annual refresher today for Cascade Backcountry Ski Patrol I finally got a chance to build, load and really test the strength of the sled.  I put it together as part of a medical scenario, then did a short package and transport with it and it worked great.

That wasn't much of a test, so I decided to ride it rodeo-style back down the icy, rutted, snowshoe/postholed wreck of the Kendall road out of Gold Creek Sno Park.  It held up beautifully to some pretty jarring conditions -- much worse than it would be exposed to in a soft snow descent.  Super fun ride, too

Next real test is to fully package someone up on this in a sil-tarp with padding and the whole nine-yards, to see how they compare to the drag-bag style like the Brooks Range that Jeff mentions. 

*Edited to add a picture of the sled*

wow, if it makes the kendall snow park road fun it's worth a look!

Thanks all for the followup on how the sled works, this looks good and worth considering. Now if I could convince everyone I ski with to drill holes in their tips/tails...

Nifty sled Marcus!
- great on the icy Gold Creek logging road
- could be problematic in deeper snow
- possible self-rescue device too