Snowmobile Adventures : The Incredible Canadian Success Story from Bombardier to the Villeneuves

by Aksomitis, Linda

• ISBN13: 9781551539546
• ISBN10: 1551539543
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-09-01
• Publisher: Altitude Pub Canada Ltd

Summary

"The Massey snowmobile shot forward, aimed directly at the wooden ramp. It only took a few seconds to cover the distance. He felt the sled start the climb up the ramp, listening to the noise of the rubber track thudding against the rough surface - the machine lifted and flew." This book will be especially fascinating for all readers interested in: sports or history. From Bombardier's first awkward invention to the sleek modern machines, snowmobiles have captured the hearts and imagination of winter enthusiasts across North America. This book traces the early development of this Canadian invention - and then takes you on an adventure to the North Pole, and behind the throttle of a championship snowmobile with Gilles and Jacques Villeneuve.

Table of Contents

Prologue

J.Armand Bombardier's Dream

Building the Dream

The New Era

Yvon DuHamel

Yvon DuHamel Sets More Records

Gilles and Jacques Villeneuve

Racing TriumphsEpilogue - The Legacy

Bibliography

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

PrologueIn 1960, when I was a little girl, we lived on the prairie, miles away from high roads. In the winter, my father's rickety old truck ploughed through ever-deepening snowbanks, but before long, blizzards dumped enough snow on the prairie that it caught in the trees along the trail that passed for a road, making it easier for the truck to drive through the field than go down the road. Then, the snow was too high for the truck to pass through field or road, and I couldn't get to school.My father contacted a neighbour and arranged to have me driven to school in something called a Bombardier.I heard it roar like father's tractor long before I saw it emerge from behind the snowbanks. The smell of exhaust was so strong it filled my nose and made my eyes burn. I walked towards the rumbling machine, avoiding the two big skis in front.The door fell open, and our neighbour, his heavy winter parka partly unzipped, sat in the big front seat with his hand on the floor gearshift. Behind him, children were perched on benches, snug in their coats and mittens.Father helped me into the Bombardier. I wanted to turn back, but the fearful machine was the only way to get to school.The other children moved over to make room on the wooden bench and warned me to hang onto my books. The Bombardier door closed, and my father waved through the big front windshield.Slowly, the Bombardier began to make its way over the snow, and loose things slid across the floor. I braced myself for disaster, but it went up and down snowdrifts without getting stuck or, worse, tumbling over. In fact, it was fun, I thought, watching the sky through the windshield and feeling the gentle roll of the machine cresting another drift.