Snowmobile

A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), ski-doo (Ontario and Quebec, dated proprietary eponym), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally drive a continuous track at the rear, while skis at the front provide directional control. The earliest snowmobiles were powered by readily available industrial four-stroke, air-cooled engines. They were replaced in part by lighter and more powerful two-stroke gasoline internal combustion engines. The challenges of cross-country transportation in the winter led to the invention of an all-terrain vehicle specifically designed for travel across deep snow in which other vehicles foundered. As of 2026, the snowmobile market was shared between three large North American makers (Bombardier Recreational Products (Ski-Doo and Lynx), Arctic Cat, and Polaris) and some specialized makers such as the Quebec-based AD Boivin, manufacturer of the Snow Hawk and the European Alpina snowmobile. Yamaha ended their snowmobile production in 2025. The second half of the 20th century saw the rise of recreational snowmobiling, whose riders are called snowmobilers, sledders, or slednecks. Recreational riding is known as snowcross/racing, trail riding, freestyle, boondocking, ditchbanging and grass drags. In the summertime snowmobilers can drag race on grass, asphalt strips, or even across water (as in snowmobile skipping). Snowmobiles are sometimes modified to compete in long-distance off-road races.