US Antarctic Program Snowmobile – 1960s

 https://dailytimewaster.blogspot.com/2026/03/us-antarctic-program-snowmobile-1960s.html

Nope nope, nope, it's too damn cold to drive a motorcycle when windchill gives you frost bite

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/341211-period-images-to-relieve-some-of-the-stress/page/475/

Bombardier R18 snow machine with a 350

this is the first I've heard of snowmobiles getting Wankel rotary engines

Some thought the Wankel rotary would re-revolutionize snowmobiling like the two-stroke engine had done in the 1960s. Light and compact with few moving parts, virtually vibration free, quiet for the day and capable of producing more horsepower and greater low-end torque than a heavier two-stroke of similar displacement, the Wankel was popping up in many sled brands.

Arctic Cat was its primary rotary engine customer, receiving literally thousands of the engines for snowmobiles and lawnmowers. But Alouette and Skiroule were also allocated significant quantities.

https://snowgoer.com/snowmobile-features/timeline-the-alouette-silver-cloud/2580/

https://progress-is-fine.blogspot.com/2024/12/alouette-silver-cloud-and-ax125.html

this Sno-Runner was left in the crate, as it was bought without spousal approval and then quickly hidden away to avoid an argument. It remained hidden for decades, and has only recently come to light. Thanks George!

 

https://silodrome.com/factory-crate-chrysler-sno-runner/

oh what a fantastic snowmachine made from a Messerschmitt

https://dailytimewaster.blogspot.com/2024/05/friday-open-road_10.html

a tractor collector is auctioning off an impressive collection, and in the mix, are three unusual items, rollers, and a very early Polaris

Above, a Buffalo Springfield

an ACME, so you know, it's unable to kill roadrunners. 

https://bids.aumannauctions.com/auctions/1492-jim-macfaddens-tractors-from-all-over-collection?page=2

obscure, but dead simple old snow mobile, reminds me of how easy the old machines were made

I love the chrome grill and headlights reminiscent of a car

https://bids.aumannauctions.com/auctions/994/lot/133440-wheel-horse-safari-309-snowmobile

Gary Grady's Snow Glide Harley snow machine.... thank you Marc!

the 1939 Nipawin Annual Derby was propeller driven snowplanes racing each other! What a hoot! Thank you Terry!

http://www.prairie-towns.com/nipawin-images.html

one of the above snowplanes is in the Nipawin & District Living Forestry Museum

https://twitter.com/tourismnipawin/status/1197526412833411072

"in 1939 the snowplane came into general use, and this was a godsend – something one could at least make time in either on the beaten track or across the fields."

[Dr Harry Fitton purchased a snowplane in 1939 in order to reach patients in the rural areas in wintertime. The snowplane had a cigar-shaped body on four skis, driven by a V-8 motor with a large propeller at the back.] 

"Their speed made up for the deafening roar of the propeller. When one came home from a call on a cold night your wife would hear you coming a good mile or more away, and have time to hot up something to eat – usually a good big dish of moose soup. 

These machines were good for the medical practice too as they always produced the odd finger amputation and hand repair. With the coming of grading and gravelling of many of the side roads, the community snowplow clubs, the improvement of the snowplows the snowplane gradually disappeared from the scene, to be replaced with the car as we have it now.”

Frank Wickens accompanied Dr Fitton on a trip with the snowplane and when they returned, the Dr went directly to the house, leaving Frank to park the plane in the garage. The Fittons, in the house, heard a crash. Frank accidently pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake and he rammed the skis of the plane through the back wall of the garage. You had to be there.

Excerpts from the Dr's 1975 speech

https://www.saskhistory.ca/fitton-family/

In 1929 Karl E. Lorch, at 19 years of age, built and patented the first propeller-driven snow plane. This invention made winter travel much easier for thousands of people, including doctors, patients, police, mail carriers, geologists and the Armed Forces at times when roads were often impassable.

A facility in Spy Hill, Saskatchewan (Canada) produced Lorch Snowplanes in the 1930’s & 1940’s and Mr. Lorch also built snowplanes in Wolford, North Dakota for about three years. The Wolford models were designed so they could be switched from skis to wheels in the summer. Some reports indicate that with a good tail wind, the later Lorch Snowplanes could reach speeds as high as 90 MPH on the snow.

In the 1940’s another manufacturer in Mossomin, Saskatchewan produced a similar machine named the Fudge Snowplane (shown below) which was powered by a Chrysler “L” head industrial engine, which was the same engine found on Massy Harris combines and stationary welders until the mid 1950’s.

Price Snoplanes were built in Durango, Colorado in the 1950’s. The Price Snoplanes are easily recognized by their cockpit design which resembled a light aircraft cockpit. They were later banned from operating in the National Parks for environmental reasons.

https://www.woodyboater.com/blog/2011/02/17/what-did-they-do-before-snow-plows-snowmobiles-to-get-around/

1935 Snow Plane  Willingdon Canada

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2015/01/09/blizzard-sno-matter-well-take-the-snow-plane

https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/valley/feature/flying-low-over-the-snow/article_6d826bf7-179b-5541-9a60-d18dc2fbec95.html

http://www.vintagesnowmobiles.50megs.com/MERRYMAKER_BROCHURE_1.html

Ice Boat PropDrive Snow Plane 1937 HowTo build PLANS from Ford Model T parts

1938 Monarch Sno-Motor

 

https://www.facebook.com/mecumgonefarmin/posts/3259994887611422

I don't think it's trick photography that makes these guys seem so small compared to the cars ( thank you Marc B! !)

Emperor Nicholas II inspecting the Packard with the Kegress unit

Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, owned by V. Lenin

https://es.carvisibility.com/9804640-jeeps-before-jeep-what-were-suvs-before-1941

I just learned why Bombardier created the B7 snow mobile machine, as a reaction to the tragedy of his son's death resulting from a blizzard blocking roads

 His son had peritonitis, and the roads were impassable becuse there wasn't yet a snowmachine that could get through the blizzard and snow drifts.

So he created the B7, seven seater Bombardier with caterpillar tracks in back and snow skis in front

Found in the new format of Road and Track magazine, the June July 2021 issue, which is a lot more like a blog format, fewer pages per article, very short attention span theater, with more interesting articles than they used to have

I guess on ice, one old motorcycle could move 5 people around pretty good with a studded tire

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/vintage-shots-from-days-gone-by-part-2.1154030/page-63#post-13153922

A recent news story in Canada has the Premier of the province of Quebec, posturing to ban the sale of internal combustion engine powered on-road vehicles by 2035.

So Mark Lester at Supertraxmag thought about the ramifications on snowmobiles, because if they switch to electric cars, gas stations will go out of business, and then they'll force snow mobiles to be electric, and snowmobiles don't have a way to get towed back to a charging station if they are miles out in the woods or mountains, and run out of electricity. 

So check out this thoughtful article on the future of atvs and snowmobiles if politicians ban gas powered internal combustion engines.

By the way, he makes a great point about how environmental fanatics are oblivious to the fact that many valleys were flooded without environmental concerns in order to make hydro electric dams

" the incredible amount of land mass flooded many decades ago to provide a reservoir for waterfall turbines to generate said power, created what would today be considered an environmental apocalypse."

http://www.supertraxmag.com/features/banning-gas-powered-sleds/n4073

in the winter of 1914, Springfield Massachusetts was hit with 30 inches of snow. This Knox, and a few snowplows, were the only things capable of moving on the streets

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/vintage-shots-from-days-gone-by.428585/page-6129#post-12950569

Columbia Icefields - Jasper National Park

https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5156036-Vintage-photos-Awesome!/page474

because the gas had to get delivered in the winter too.. .. remarkable collection someone out there has

https://www.facebook.com/groups/729293520543134/permalink/1518980161574462/

State Line Auto Auction Inc has on average 6,500 cars and started developing a mechanical way to blow off cars in 2010, this is the result of developing and evolving a way to clear snow off cars, perfected, and in use for the last 5 years

This, or another motorcycle like it, would handle winter pretty damn well... and then could get converted back to two wheels for summer. How's that not perfect?

Not saying that you would be warmer than a snowmobile, but, you can't convert a snowmobile to winter and summer use

https://www.thegentlemanracer.com/2019/02/the-one-moto-show.html