Editing Snowmobile (section)

== Brands ==
[[file:Motoneige img 5583.jpg|thumb|A snowmobile used by [[emergency services]] in ski areas in [[Vercors Plateau|Vercors]], French Alps. It carries emergency equipment and tows a [[stretcher]].]]
[[file:Eerste kennismaking snowmobielraces Weeknummer, 79-13 - Open Beelden - 51230.ogv|thumb|Snow mobile race in 1979, Dutch newsreel]]
[[file:TTM-1901-40 snowmobile during the "Armiya 2020" exhibition (front view).jpg|thumb|Arctic snowmobile with heated cabin]]
[[file:Snowmobiling (6817922334).jpg|thumb|A family with snowmobiles at the forest of [[Rukatunturi|Ruka]] in [[Kuusamo]], [[Finland]]]]
{{Update|section|reason=Data is 17 years old|date=August 2020}}

According to the research center RISE, approximately 135,000 snowmobiles will be sold worldwide yearly.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lindeberg |first=Rafaela |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-20/sweden-s-green-push-now-includes-electrifying-snowmobiles |title=Sweden's Green Push Now Includes Electrifying Snowmobiles |work=[[Bloomberg News]] |date=2023-05-20 |accessdate=2023-05-22 }}</ref>

Snowmobiles are widely used in [[arctic]] territories for travel. However, the tiny Arctic population means a correspondingly small market. Most snowmobiles are sold for recreational purposes in places where snow cover is stable during winter. The number of snowmobiles in Europe and other parts of the world is low.

Snowmobiles designed to perform various work tasks have been available for many years with dual tracks from such manufacturers as Aktiv (Sweden), who made [[Aktiv Grizzly|the Grizzly]], Ockelbo (Sweden), who made the 8000, and Bombardier who made the Alpine and later the Alpine II. Currently, there are two manufacturers of dual-track snowmobiles; Russia's Buran{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}} and the Italian Alpina snowmobiles (under the name ''Sherpa'' and ''Superclass'').

=== Polaris ===

Edgar and Allen Hetteen and David Johnson of [[Roseau, Minnesota|Roseau]], Minnesota, invented what we now know as the modern snowmobile in 1955–1956, but the early machines were heavy ({{convert|1000|lb|disp=or|abbr=on}}) and slow ({{convert|20|mph|disp=or|abbr=on}}). Their company, Hetteen Hoist & Derrick Co., became [[Polaris Industries]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.polarisindustries.com/en-us/ourcompany/aboutpolaris/historyandheritage.html| title= Polaris Company history| access-date=2007-08-11| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070718152621/http://www.polarisindustries.com/en-us/ourcompany/aboutpolaris/historyandheritage.html | archive-date = July 18, 2007}}</ref> which introduced their first commercial model, the Polaris Sno Traveler in 1957.

=== Ski-Doo ===

In 1960, [[Joseph-Armand Bombardier]] introduced his own snowmobile using an open-cockpit one- or two-person form, similar to the 1957 Polaris Sno Traveler, and started selling it under the brand name [[Ski-Doo]] through his company [[Bombardier Inc.]] (now manufactured by [[Bombardier Recreational Products]]). Competitors copied and improved his design; in the 1970s there were over a hundred snowmobile manufacturers.<ref name=" Musée-stat"/> From 1970 to 1973, two million machines were sold, peaking at 500,000 sold in 1971.<ref name="Musée-stat"/> Many of the snowmobile companies were small and the biggest manufacturers were often attempts by [[motorcycle]] makers and [[outboard motor]] makers to branch off in a new market. Most of these companies went [[bankruptcy|bankrupt]] or were acquired by larger companies during the [[1973 oil crisis]] and succeeding recessions. Sales rebounded to 260,000 in 1997 but gradually decreased afterward, influenced by warmer winters and the use during all four seasons of small one- or two-person [[all-terrain vehicle|ATV]]s.

=== Alpina ===
[[file:Dual-track snowmobile.jpg|thumb|right|Alpina Sherpa, a dual track snowmobile]]

Alpina Snowmobiles are manufactured in [[Vicenza]], [[Italy]], by Alpina s.r.l., a manufacturer of various on-snow implements that had been building dual-track snowmobiles since 1995.<ref>[http://www.alpina-snowmobiles.com Alpina s.r.l.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070513010805/http://www.alpina-snowmobiles.com/ |date=2007-05-13 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trailgroom.com|title=TRAILGROOM.COM...The Best in Trail Grooming Machinery|website=www.trailgroom.com|access-date=3 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017063041/http://www.trailgroom.com/|archive-date=17 October 2017}}</ref>

Alpina manufactures one basic dual-track snowmobile design. In 2002 the ''Sherpa'' was introduced and is the model name for the four-stroke machine. Prior to introducing the Sherpa, Alpina offered a two-stroke series designated the ''Superclass''. The four-stroke Sherpa is currently the top machine in production. A new version of the Superclass has been released in 2017, with a lot of innovations and a new four-stroke engine. The ''Sherpa'' and ''Superclass'' series shared the same basic dual-track platform, twin {{convert|20|x|156|in|mm|abbr=on}} tracks with dual skis up front. Power for the Sherpa is supplied by a 1.6L in-line four-cylinder gasoline automotive engine. The new Superclass power is provided by a 1.2L 3-cylinder four-stroke gasoline engine. The ''Sherpa'' and ''Superclass'' are designed as working snowmobiles for carrying supplies, pulling cargo sleds, pulling trail grooming implements, carrying several passengers, and negotiating deep snow. Engine and transmission combination are designed to deliver optimum power to pull or carry large loads while top-end speeds are kept below {{Convert|52|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}}, depending on the model. The large footprint of the dual tracks and dual skis allows the ''Sherpa'' and ''Superclass'' to "float" on top of deep snow and not sink in and get stuck.

=== Taiga Electric ===

[[Taiga Motors]] in Montreal created the first commercially produced electric snowmobile.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lindeman |first1=Tracy |title=These Canadians Are Building the First Commercial Electric Snowmobile |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/taiga-motors-is-making-the-first-electric-snowmobile-ts2/ |website=Motherboard |date=17 March 2018 |publisher=Vice Media |access-date=6 July 2018}}</ref> The Taiga TS2 can go from zero to {{Convert|100|km/h|mi/h|abbr=on}} in 3 seconds, with {{Convert|250|Nm|lb.ft|abbr=on}} of instant torque. The Taiga TS2 weighs {{Convert|470|lb|kg|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stone |first1=Emily |title=Electric snowmobile manufacturer Taiga Motors plans to electrify the sledding scene |url=https://www.revelstokemountaineer.com/electric-snowmobile-manufacturer-taiga-motors-plans-to-electrify-the-sledding-scene/ |website=Revelstoke Mountaineer |publisher=Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine |access-date=6 July 2018 |date=29 Mar 2018}}</ref>