Armand bombardier patented a tracked vehicle for traveling over snow. Unfollow bombardier snowmobile to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Oct 11, 2001 turning around these floundering assets, bombardier came out of nowhere to become, in a little more than a dozen years, the thirdlargest member of the civil aerospace manufacturing industry. The snowmobile changed how americans did winter smart. Skidoo is the number one brand of snowmobiles in the world, with industryleading technology and engines, including the rotax 850 etec turbo. This was to be the first of many snowmobiles designed by bombardier. In 1942, josepharmand bombardier invented the snowmobile and founded his company to manufacture them. A snowmobile, also known as a motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, snowscooter, skidoo. Jan 23, 2011 bombardier snowmobile b 12 1950 andre cloutier. The valcourt museum is a tribute to the career of josepharmand bombardier and a shrine for snowmobiling enthusiasts. Our proven ability to absorb, improve and generate new technologies, processes and management philosophies has fuelled our competitiveness and growth. The book traces the development of the snowmobiles, their engines, suspensions, and comfort features.
Bombardiers dream machine junior library guild selection. Mar 04, 2015 snowmobile a snowmobile is an automotive vehicle for travel on snow. Bestselling authors include alan dershowitz, robert spencer, melanie phillips. Its easy to forget that until very recently in history, families who lived in coldweather areas were snowbound on their land throughout the long winters.
Pierre pellerins snowmobile history volume 1, the first book of its kind covering snowmobile history from. As with most technical innovations, the development of the snowmobile is obscure. Located in rovaniemi, this division builds lynx snowmobiles designed for the. Armand bombardier designed a wind driven sleigh with a model t engine. Powered by the desire to preserve the history of snowmobiling. Bombardier establishes an equal partnership with finlands sole snowmobile manufacturer. Snowmobile history volume 1 the snowmobile hall of fame. Bombardier recreational products is a canadian company making various vehicles. Anyone going on snowmobile trips in the eastern townships should first visit the j. Skidoo is the number one brand of snowmobiles in the world, with models from high performance to utility, and with clean 2stroke and 4stroke engines. From its humble beginnings as an entrepreneurial company in rural quebec, led by an enterprising inventor, bombardier inc. Recreational snowmobile 1960 bombardier skidoo duration. Unfollow bombardier snowmobiles to stop getting updates on your ebay feed.
Throughout its history, bombardier has consistently responded to challenges and opportunities with tireless innovation, daring creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit. Recognized as a preeminent writer, photographer and historian of snowmobiling, c. He had always loved to tinker with motors and make things go snowmobile. Ramstad began his career in 1969 writing snowmobile ads.
The bombardier story describes how close to ruin the company came, and how it survived. We publish great books that engage with serious and controversial ideas. Only us giant boeing and european colossus, the airbus consortium, are larger. Josepharmand bombardier was the first person to successfully market snowmobiles. Armand bombardier, inventor of the snowmobile book.
The history of snowmobile development in north america is an exciting adventure in true pioneering spirit. Panther vip and pantera, polaris colt and txl, skidoo super olympique. Headquartered in montreal, the company was originally incorporated as lautoneige bombardier limitee in 1942. History of snowmobiling the history of the modern day recreational snowmobile is fairly recent, however, over the snow travel goes back many years. In 1937 the first snowmobile rolled out of his small repair shop in valcourt. Smart news keeping you current the snowmobile changed how americans did winter as the cold comes in, snowbound communities are tuning. Alpina manufactures one basic dualtrack snowmobile design. The introduction of the snowmobile made the countrys northern expanse. Armand bombardier showed his many talents at an early age, building toys and machines out of junk parts that were recognized by all who saw them as the work of a building genius. What is amazing though is that man actually flew before he could master snow travel. Armand bombardier museum, which houses the history of snowmobiling, is built on a site in valcourt, quebec, where one of the worlds first and most successful snowmobile manufacturers began. From that first bombardier snow machine to the newer formula series models, all skidoo snowmobiles to 1995 are covered in this collectors guide to skidoo snowmobiles.
A recently released book by international snowmobile hall of fame journalist david. Armand bombardier, inventor of the snowmobile by m. Always interested in snow travel, bombardier built his first snowmobile in 1922, a ford motorpowered sleigh. Even for nonsnowmobilers, it is a fascinating voyage through the history of allterrain winter vehicles. At night and on sundays, bombardier would retreat to his workshop to tinker with snowmobile. Winner of the national outdoor book award for literature when beth leonard and her partner, evans starzinger, returned from a threeyear, 35,000 mile circumnavigation, they thought they were done with offshore voyaging. I wanted to learn about the history of the snowmobile and i got that and a wonderful story too. Josepharmand bombardier was a shy, determined mechanic who dreamed of building a vehicle that could float on snow. Here are some notable dates in the history of the snowmobile.
Bombardiers invention changed the way people in snow country lived. Armand bombardier is a museum in valcourt, quebec dedicated to the life of josepharmand bombardier and the snowmobile industry. From its humble beginnings as an entrepreneurial company in rural quebec, led by an enterprising inventor. Bombardiers is history of inventions guide outdoors. In 1922, when josepharmand bombardier was fifteen years old he built his first snow vehicle. Bombardier is considered the father of snowmobiling who began commercial production and marketing of the skidoo snowmobile in 1959. Snowmobiles josepharmand bombardier and the history of. But the rest of the 1970s were stormy times for bombardier as rising energy prices, a maturing snowmobile market, and major economic forces sent the entire industry into a downward spiral. In 1958, josepharmand bombardier designed the modern snowmobile.
This book covers that amazing journey from the early 1900s to 1960 and beyond, where often amusing experiments in design and construction led the way to a blending of power and hitech engineering with comfort, safety and reliability. While i know little of the companys history beyond this book, i do believe that some of the less flattering portions of the. As he entered adulthood, the softspoken, bespectacled inventor steadily grew his business. An inventive kid fourteenyearold josepharmand bombardier was driving his father crazy by constantly tinkering with everything around the house.
As the snow flies a history of snowmobile development in. Snow goer vintage snowmobiles book is released snowgoer. Opened in 1971, with substantial renovations in 1990, the museum is professionally curated and features a wide array of skidoos, other industrial designs, and a selection of related books. The story of the company that was founded by the inventor of the snowmobile in 1942, josepharmand bombardier invented the snowmobile and founded his company to manufacture them. Mar 01, 2015 first sprocket and track system that was patented by bombardier. Carving a timeline of snowmobile history snoriders. The inventor, josepharmand bombardier, grew up in a small quebec town, which, as with many canadian villages in the early years of the last century, was cut off from the outside world each winter. Lacasse, who had access to bombardier family archives for his book. While i know little of the companys history beyond this book, i do believe that. Pierre pellerins third book on the history of snowmobiles. Vintage skidoo boots snowmobile 1967 bombardier mens size 7 excellent shape. He married yvonne labrecque and the two started a family. Skidoo vintage snowmobiling equipment for sale ebay. The snowmobile was invented not as a recreational vehicle but out of necessity.
The original bodywork of the bombardier b and the slightly wider c series was originally of wood, and the windows in the passenger compartment were porthole shaped for strength in the expected blizzard conditions in which these machines were expected to be able to reliably operate in. In the decades that followed, he moved on to create several sport and industry publications, manage successful snowmobile competitions, found the international snowmobile racing hall. Obviously the big four brands are covered in the book including but not limited to the arctic cat kitty cat, panther vip and pantera, polaris colt and txl, ski. Divided into exhibition areas, both display unique aspects of snowmobiling history as well as the common.