Land skis

Claim 1

A land ski comprising elongated support means simulating a conventional ski and having upper and lower surfaces, front and rear ends, and a longitudinal central axis situated in an upright plane during use of the land ski, ski-binding means carried by said support means on said upper surface thereof for connecting a ski shoe thereto, said ski-binding means being situated on said upper surface of said support means closer to said rear end than said front end thereof, and only three wheels situated beneath said lower surface of said support means and only three connecting means respectively connecting said three wheels to said support means, said three wheels including front, rear, and intermediate wheels with said rear wheel being situated beneath a part of said support means situated in the region of a rear part of said ski-binding means, with said intermediate wheel situated forwardly of said rear wheel beneath a part of said support means situated to the rear of a front end region of said ski-binding means, and with said front wheel situated at a substantial distance forwardly of said rear wheel beneath a part of said support means situated between said ski-binding means and said front end of said support means, said three connecting means including two connecting means respectively connecting said intermediate and rear wheels to said support means for rotary movement only about central axes of said intermediate and rear wheels which extend transversely with respect to said support means while being normal to said upright plane and the latter extending midway through said intermediate and rear wheels so that the latter are symmetrical with respect to said upright plane, the third of said connecting means connecting said front wheel to said support means also for rotary movement about a central substantially horizontal axis of said front wheel which extends transversely with respect to said ski and which is normal with respect to said upright plane during forward travel of said elongated support means in the direction of said axis thereof, said third connecting means also connecting said front wheel to said elongated support means for swivelling movement with respect thereto about a substantially upright axis which is situated in said upright plane the latter also passing substantially midway through said front wheel when said axis thereof is normal to said upright plane so that during forward travel of said support means in the direction of said axis thereof said front wheel also is symmetrical with respect to said upright plane, all of said wheels having outer substantially cylindrical surfaces for engaging a surface on which the land-ski travels, and said outer surfaces of said wheels being relatively narrow and each terminating in opposed circular curved sides, the width of each of said wheels at said outer surface thereof being sufficiently small to provide for engagement of each wheel with the surface on which the land-ski travels at one or the other of the curved sides thereof during lateral tilting of said support means in one direction or the other, said rear wheel having a position with respect to said support means for reliably supporting the user of the land ski when the user leans rearwardly, while the relationship between said intermediate and rear wheels is such that the latter has a lesser frictional engagement with a surface of travel than said intermediate wheel when the user leans forwardly while during such forward leaning with the weight of the user supported by said intermediate wheel and with the lesser frictional engagement between said rear wheel and said surface of travel said front wheel is pressed by the user with a greater force against said surface of travel while being capable of swivelling about said upright axis to execute a turn.