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A snowmobile (known as a snowmachine in Alaska and parts of New England) is a land vehicle commonly propelled by track(s) at the rear and ski(s) up front for steering, even if the first motor vehicule made to operate on snow, the Aerosan invented in Russia by Igor Sikorsky, was propeller-powered and running on skis.

Early snowmobiles used rubber tracks, however a modern snowmobile will have a track made of a kevlar composite. They are designed to be operated on snow and ice, and require no road or trail. Most snowmobiles are typically powered by two-stroke gasoline/petrol internal combustion engines. Four-stroke engines are becoming more and more popular in snowmobiles. Summertime occupations for snowmobile enthusiasts can also involve drag racing on grass, asphalt strips, or even across water. People who ride them commonly are known as snowmobilers. The three main types of riding are Snowcross/racing, trail riding and mountain climbing.

History

Multi-passenger snowmobiles

The origin of the snowmobile is not the work of any one inventor but more a process of advances in engines for the propulsion of vehicles and supporting devices over snow. It parallels the development of automobile and later aviation, often inventors using the same componants for a different use.

The Aerosan, propeller-powered and running on skis, was built in 1909-1910 by the Russian inventor Igor Sikorsky. Aerosans were used by the Soviet Red Army during the Winter War and the Second World War. It is not sure if they could be considered snowmobiles, as they are not propelled by tracks, but if they are, it would make them the earliest ones.

Adolphe Kégresse designed an original caterpillar tracks system, called the Kégresse track, while working for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia between 1906 and 1916. These used a flexible belt rather than interlocking metal segments and could be fitted to a conventional car or truck to turn it into a half-track, suitable for use over soft ground, including snow. Conventional front wheels and steering were used but the wheel could be fitted with skis as seen in the upper right image. He applied it to several cars in the Royal garage including Rolls-Royce cars and Packard trucks. Although this was not a snowmobile, it could be thought as one of the ancestor of the modern concept.

Read more at Wikipedia.org