![]() ![]() The Ski-Doo would have to wait!īombardier developed his rubber-covered drive sprocket design in 1935, leading to his development of many successful track drive systems and to his financial success. He redirected his efforts, setting aside the one- and two-passenger machine in favor of designs that could transport several passengers. The tragic loss of his son helped focus Armand on finding a solution to the winter isolation of the snow belt. An unfinished snowmobile sat in Armand’s garage as his young son passed away, unable to get to medical treatment and inaccessible to doctors who might have treated him. The nearest hospital was a little over 20 miles (mi) away and all roads were snowed in. In January of 1934, Armand and his wife Yvonne’s 2-year-old son developed acute appendicitis. Had he continued working on the smaller machines, the Ski-Doo as we came to know it may have evolved earlier. He made his living repairing tractors and automobiles but for nearly a decade he tinkered with various single and two-passenger snowmobile designs. As a talented, young mechanic, Bombardier opened a garage in Valcourt in 1926. In Valcourt, Quebec, Canada, that meant about five months of often incredibly deep snow. Joseph-Armand Bombardier devoted his entire life to looking for mechanical designs that would conquer the elements in his part of the world. Paul’s first visit to the original Bombardier factory, in Valcourt, Quebec, 1958-59. ![]()
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