Snowmobiling

The Ski-doo




The origin of the snowmobile is not the work of any one inventor but more a process of advances in engines for the propulsion of vehicles .The Aerosan, propeller-powered and running on skis, was built in 1909-1910 by the Russian inventor Igor Sikorsky. There is some dispute over whether Aerosans should be considered snowmobiles, as they are not propelled by tracks, but if they are, they would be the first snowmobiles developed. The first United States patent for a snow-vehicle using the now recognized format of rear tracks and front skis was issued to Ray H. Muscott of Waters, MI on June 27, 1916 .Numerous people had ideas for a smaller personal snowmobile.Allen Hetteen and David Johnson of Roseau, Minnesota were among the first to build a practical snowmobile in 1955-1956, but the early machines were heavy (1000 lbs or 450 kg) and slow (20 mph or 30 km/h). Their company, Hetteen Hoist & Derrick Co., became Polaris Industries, a major snowmobile manufacturer.It was only in 1959, when engines became lighter and smaller than before, that Bombardier invented what we know as the modern snowmobile in its open-cockpit one- or two-person form, and started selling it as the "Ski-doo". Competitors sprang up and copied and improved his design.