For many Alaskans, getting around on snow means snowmachining

Alaskans depend on snow. Sure, there are a lot of city folks who whine about the coming of snow and cold, but what do they really care? Most of them wear slick shoes, a light jacket and driving gloves on a daily basis. The car is plugged in, it has snow tires and a parking slot at the downtown office.

The four-wheel drives and snowmachines used by many Alaskans as their daily drivers are recent developments. Skis came along well before the wheel, and snowshoes came before the ski. No one seems to be able to agree on the date of origin of the snowshoe, though it seems likely it came across the Bering land bridge into North America. All agree that American Indians perfected the snowshoe and Scandinavians figured out how to make skis work best.

Funny how we can go back thousands of years and trace where snowshoes and skis came from, but when it comes to something as recent as four-wheel drives we aren’t so sure.

As far as we can tell, Porsche has the distinction of making the first all-wheel drive -- in 1900, Ferdinand Porsche built a vehicle with electric hub motors on each wheel. Jacobus Spyker built a mechanical 4WD a couple of years later and is credited as the father of the big Dodges we have today.

As for snowmobiles -- known in Alaska as snowmachines -- Joseph Bombardier is generally given credit for the development of the modern machine. There were numerous tracked vehicles designed before Bombardier’s invention, but his endless track and sprocket system proved to work –- and is still in use today.

For those of you with endless curiosity, take a look at the March 1954 issue of Popular Mechanics. An article details a “snowmobile” designed to haul freight in the Alaska arctic. It was powered by a six horsepower engine that could be detached in three minutes and brought inside to keep warm. This machine never gained much in popularity. Go figure.

Today’s snowmachines are designed primarily for recreation. By the 1970s, most winter travel in Alaska was by snowmachine. Sled dogs were left on the chain while Skiroules, Caribous and Scorpions crawled across the tundra.

I was fortunate enough to be supplied with a test machine in 1970. The Motoski had a 20-inch wide track with almost no suspension. It was slow, and with only a few inches of clearance under the foot boards it was often stuck.

I also had the opportunity to ride a modified French machine on the ski slopes in France 10 years ago. It had hydraulic drag brakes that came down from the foot boards to aid in stopping on very steep slopes.

Snowmachining has grown into a billion-dollar business, and the industry continues to react quickly to changing needs. The snow toys of today are basically an engine and a track with someplace to stand.

Alaskans lean heavily on the snowmachine. People who pay little attention to what the weather does in August keep the weather report bookmarked as winter approaches, and weekends will find parking areas in locations known for early snow packed with sleds and riders eager to hit the trails.

There is already decent early snow in the higher elevations along the highway system. Use care when riding, stay off the ponds and all will be well.

John Schandelmeier is a lifelong Alaskan who lives in Paxson with his family. He is a Bristol Bay commercial fisherman and a two-time winner of the Yukon Quest.