It's well known, the ski doo snowmobile was born out of necessity, sometimes in the 30's. The necessity to move about fast, and safely, in the dead of Quebec harsh winters. It takes only a visit to the J.A. Bombardier Museum, in Valcourt, Québec, to realize how far it has come.
I used to be an adept, back in the seventies, when the snowmobiles grew more powerful, and stopped being only a utilitarian mean of transport to become a sport. There were hardly any trail back then, and most farmers didn't mind if we crossed their field at night.
We figured we were riding monsters, and yet even the famous 72 TNT probably wouldn't compare to any model from the 2007 arctic cat snowmobiles collection... I wouldn't know, I've lost touch.
There was an ongoing competition at the time, between Skidoo and Polaris, and the joke was that polaris snowmobile parts were more easily found because the drivers needed them more often. It was a good time though. Any ski resort welcomed the snowmobile riders and the trails, although very few, were always spectacular.
Time flies... but the machines survived, and I heard that websites offering used snowmobiles for sale are very popular. The 2007 yamaha snowmobiles may be fast and beautiful, but it seems the good old Elan still has its fans. Some even rebuild them from scratch, seeking the pieces they miss on E-Bay or snowmobile parts canada .
The good old Elan... small, not very fast, but perfect for a ride in the moonlight... mostly in fluffy snow.
