From Practical Transport To Fun In The Snow, The Incredible History Of Ski-Doo Snowmobiles

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Joseph-Armand Bombardier receives credit for inventing the world’s first snowmobile in 1935 with the B7, a model release in 1937 that could transport seven passengers. (Photo courtesy of Ski-Doo.)

When Joseph-Armand Bombardier built the world’s first snowmobile in his garage in Valcourt, Quebec, Canada, in 1935, his motivation reportedly was to create a vehicle that could “float on snow.” It wasn’t common then, after all, for municipalities to clear secondary roads of snow, which made winter travel difficult if not impossible at times. Bombardier himself was impacted by such conditions in 1934 when his toddler-aged son fell ill and died at home, as Bombardier was unable to transport him to a local hospital.

Bombardier received a patent for his all-terrain “B7 snowmobile” in 1937. The “B” reportedly represented “Bombardier,” while the “7” indicated the vehicle’s passenger capacity. Five years later, Bombardier would found the Valcourt-based company L'Auto-Neige Bombardier Limitée to mass produce the B7. Today, the company remains in Valcourt but is now known as “Ski-Doo,” the name Bombardier gave the company’s first enthusiast-centric snowmobile in 1959. The following looks at events and innovations that helped build Ski-Doo into what’s long been a globally recognized brand.

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The first Ski-Doo, launched in 1959, was Bombardier’s first enthusiast-centric snowmobile model. The model is credited with creating the sport of snowmobiling. (Photo courtesy of Ski-Doo.)

What’s In A Name?

Today, Ski-Doo is a subsidiary of Bombardier Recreation Products (BPR), a global-leading manufacturer of recreation vehicles formed in 2003. BPR’s other brands include Sea-Doo, Can-Am, Lynx, Evinrude, Rotax, Manitou, and Alumacraft. Despite the change in company structure, Ski-Doo remains a dominate force in the snowmobile sector. BPR, in fact, says “Ski-Doo” is synonymous with “snowmobile” and bills the brand as offering the industry’s most complete lineup, one that includes performance, touring, mountain, utility, and other snowmobile types.

If not for a typo in a brochure that L'Auto-Neige Bombardier Limitée created to advertise its first Ski-Doo model, snowmobile enthusiasts would now know the snowmobile and brand as “Ski-Dog,” the name Bombardier initially gave his 1959 machine, which many people credit with creating a new sport.

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Prior to launching L'Auto-Neige Bombardier Limitée in 1942, Joseph-Armand Bombardier introduced the B12 in 1941. The tank-like model included windows and rear tracks and could transport both freight and passengers. (Photo courtesy of Ski-Doo.)

The Early Years

While Bombardier is credited with inventing the snowmobile, he was one of many who worked to create vehicles for snow travel. Others included Igor Sikorsky, also instrumental in developing the helicopter, and Ray Muscott, a Michigan resident who received a patent in 1918 for a vehicle featuring rear tracks and front skis. Bombardier, however, designed the first machine that could tackle both dry and wet snow conditions.

In 1941, before launching L'Auto-Neige Bombardier Limitée in 1942, Bombardier introduced the B12, an enclosed tank-like model with rear tracks that transported people and freight. Following World War II, during which Bombardier manufactured armored transport vehicles able to traverse snow-covered battlefields, Bombardier began producing the B12 and C18. The success of those vehicles provided the financial stability to enable Bombardier to enter into mass production.

It wasn’t until the 1950s, though, that smaller engines could support powering a continuous track system without overheating. When that became reality, Bombardier’s Ski-Doo had a dramatic, long-lasting impact on personal winter travel and created an entirely new recreational pastime millions have since enjoyed.

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In 1971, Bombardier released the Elan, Skandic, Valmont, and Blizzard models, each aimed at a different type of rider. The Skidozer SV 200, meanwhile, was released the same year as part of a trail-grooming project called “Operation SnoPlan.” (Photo courtesy of Ski-Doo.)

1971: A Pivotal Year

Joseph-Armand Bombardier only got a brief glimpse of the future success his company would enjoy before he died in 1964 at just 56. While the first Ski-Doo reportedly sold 8,200-plus units in the first year after its release and proved popular with missionaries, hunters, miners, land surveyors, and others, Bombardier would produce its millionth Ski-Doo by just 1973.

In 1971, Bombardier released the Elan, Skandic, Valmont, and Blizzard models, all aimed at different rider types. Bombardier also launched the Skidozer SV 200 that year, a trail-grooming model that became part of an “Operation SnoPlan” program aimed at developing and maintaining groomed trails. Also in 1971, Bombardier acquired Moto-Ski, a competing snowmobile maker. Other key acquisitions would follow throughout the years.

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Bombardier-manufactured snow vehicles would factor heavily into the operations of various Olympic Winter Games, including the 1984 games in Sarajevo where Ski-Doo snowmobiles were used. (Photo courtesy of Ski-Doo.)

A Fresh Start

In addition to its snow vehicles being a regular fixture at Olympic Winter Games held in the 1980s, the decade would see Bombardier create an equal partnership with Finnish snowmobile maker Nordtrac Oy. Today, the division oversees the Lynx snowmobile brand aimed at the Scandinavian market.

By 1993, Bombardier would produce its two-millionth snowmobile and introduce the Summit, a model designed for powder snow and mountain terrain that BRP credits with creating a new market segment. In 2000, the company would create a distribution network in Japan, as well as release the award-winning Summit 7000 Highmark. In 2002, BRP unveiled semi-direct injection two-stroke engine technology with the Rotax 800 2-TEC SDI engine, which the company claimed provided an up to 50% cut in hydrocarbon emissions and 25% better fuel economy. The same year, Bombardier introduced the REV platform as snowmobiling’s “most radical innovation in 40 years.”

The next year would also be a pivotal one for Bombardier. In April 2003, BRP announced the sale of its Bombardier Recreational Products division, and in December, the sale was completed and BRP was officially launched. The following year, BRP sold its industrial division to focus solely on developing and producing recreation vehicles.

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In 2002, BRP introduced Ski-Doo models incorporating the REV 4 platform, billed as snowmobiling’s “most radical innovation in 40 years.” (Photo courtesy of Ski-Doo.)

Into The Present

During the 2000’s first decade, BRP expanded its reach in Europe by creating commercial operations in numerous countries. In 2008, it opened the Laurent Beaudoin Design & Innovation Centre to conduct design and concept work and later inaugurated a technology center in Quebec to develop new environmentally friendly technologies.

2010 would see BRP introduce the Rotax 800R E-TEC engine with the Ski-Doo MX Z X model. The two-stroke engine featured “sophisticated electronic injectors” and a central computer to “deliver stunning improvements in performance, efficiency, and ease of use.” In 2013, 54 years after the first Ski-Doo was launched, BRP output its three millionth Ski-Doo unit with the Ski-Doo Summit X E TEC 800R.

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Included in Ski-Doo’s 2020 model year snowmobile lineup is a completely redesigned Expedition sport-utility model (shown here) that uses the REV Gen4 platform and the Summit X model with Expert package. (Photo courtesy of Ski-Doo.)

Ski-Doo Today

Ski-Doo’s snowmobile lineup now includes the MXZ, Renegade, Backcountry, Grand Touring, Summit, Freeride, Expedition, Skandic, and Tundra models. For 2020, BRP has a completely redesigned Expedition sport-utility model planned that features 20-inch (51-centimeter) tracks and the REV Gen4 platform. A Summit X model with Expert package, meanwhile, promises to bring “deep snow riding to the next level,” while a Backcountry model includes a 154-inch (391-centimeter)-long track for deep snow riding.

If you’re in the market for new or used Ski-Doo snowmobiles, you’ll find dozens of models for sale ever day on MotorSportsUniverse.com.

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Roughly a decade after Joseph-Armand Bombardier died in 1964, the company he founded and helped build produced its 1 millionth Ski-Doo model in August 1973. (Photo courtesy of Ski-Doo.)

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Twenty years after producing its 1-millionth Ski-Doo model, Bombardier manufactured its two millionth Ski-Doo in September 1993: the Summit. Aimed at powder snow and mountain terrain riding, the Summit is credited with creating a new snowmobiling segment. (Photo courtesy of Ski-Doo.)

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In 2002, the Ski-Doo made the leap to Hollywood when the MX Z-REV model was featured in the James Bond feature film “Die Another Day.” (Photo courtesy of Ski-Doo.)