Winter Wonderland just isn't complete without the scream of a 200-plus horsepower snowmobile engine. What people did for fun in the dead of winter before they could tear up the countryside in Artic Cats, Yamahas, Polarises (Polarisi?), and Ski-Doos remains a mystery.
We owe it all to Joseph-Armand Bombardier from Valcourt, Quebec. Historians claim Bombardier invented the first snowmobile in 1958 when he bolted a Ford Model T engine to a sleigh. He was 15 years old at the time, which explains everything. Bombardier eventually founded the Ski-Doo snowmobile company, and Canada rewarded him for it by pasting his face on a postage stamp.
Snowmobiling has come a long way since. The International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association says half of all adults in North America want to go snowmobiling and the other half are lying. There are more than 2 million snowmobiles on the continent, and conservative estimates peg its contribution to the continental economy at a snow dance worthy $20 billion. Also despite the recession and continued efforts by environmentalists to ban the machines from national parks, sales are expected to grow in 2009.
Snowmobile clubs and councils are all over the place, and snowmobile shows are gaining huge popularity. At these shows, like any other bike rally or car show, snowmobile enthusiasts gather to showoff their pimped out rides. These people will stop just short of slapping a tread and a pair of skis on a baby carriage.
After the jump you’ll get the idea.
The Nytro
The Custom Sled Shop, located in Sharon, Ontario, is the maker of this Yamaha Nytro and like the West Coast Choppers of snowmobiling. "Putting together a custom sled is not about who is fastest or who has spent the most money. It's about being different," says The Custom Sled Shop's John Bradley. The Nytro we think is more about kick ass seeing as how its equipped with a nitro turbo GT-25 good for 260 hp. Photo by The Custom Sled Shop.
Mr. T
It doesn't get much better than doing donuts on an snow covered parking lot in a Model T Ford. Bombardier would be proud. And apparently such a thing is an annual occurrence for The Model T Snowmobile Club. The club formed in 2000 and has members all over the world. All that's required for membership is a snowmobile (vintage 1908) and a hankering for hot dogging. Photo by The Model T Snowmobile Club
Ski-Doobie Doobie Doo
"You're either born with snowmobiling in your blood, or your not," says Allen Mangun of Timbersled of Sandpoint, Idaho. Mangun put this 260 hp Ski-Doo together a few years ago. Ski-Doos don't have a whole lot of "pimping out" potential (a stock Ski-Doo is already a good sled), but we consider this one a fine looking piece of machinery. Photo by Timbersled.
The Super Snova
This boat of a sled was originally put together by Scott Windle from Cedar City, Utah. The Nova's 400-cu.in. small-block V8 roles the three one-ton axles equipped with what looks like M1 Abrams tank treads. Windle told novaresource.com he put over 1000 hours into the fabrication of this snow beast on wheels. He also says it runs well and that it can handle a 10 foot snowdrift at 45 mph. You can't guess what we would do for ten minutes behind the wheel of this thing on the streets of New York City in February. Photo by novaresource.com
It's Electric
The McGill Electric Snowmobile won The Clean Snowmobile Challenge of Houghton, Michigan in 2001. The project according to Professor Peter Radziszewski has been up and running ever since. The electric sled only weighs 500 lbs and can reach speeds of up to 45mph. Students from McGill University located in Montreal designed the Electric Snowmobile in class as a group project. They used a standard chassis and manufactured whatever parts they could. Photo by McGill University Snowmobile Team
The Metro Sled
This classy sled is a so called "Saskatchewan-ized" Nash Metropolitan '57 rear mounted on a Yamaha '98 three cylinder 700 SRX snowmobile engine, twin Ski-doo suspensions and twin Polaris tracks. We're not sure why there is a spare tire tacked on to the back of this automosled and love the two tone red and white paint job --very Christmassy. We can totally see Santa giving Mrs. Clause the joyride of her life while on the North Pole and behind the wheel of this bad boy. Picture by joe-ks.com
The Lion of the North
Artic Enterprises built the King Kat with a four-cylinder 800cc Kawasaki two-stroke way back in 1971. These rare snow felines of monstrous proportions were not meant for trail riding by any stretch of the imagination. Cornering is hardly an option, but who cares. The front skis barely touch the ground at full throttle, and you used to have to have racing credentials to buy one. Photo by New Hampshire Snowmobile Association
Main photo by joe-ks.com
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