I live in a place with a winter climate for many months of the year. I like to get out into the wilderness and do things away from people. The intersect between those two sentences sadly arrives at the point on the graph labeled snowmobile. Despite my years of education, judgment and experience I have had three of the infernal contraptions in my life. I thought maybe with all I’d learned maybe this time I was going to do it right and purchase something conventional and not quirky. As can be seen in the picture above the plan to do it right went off the rails in a big way.
Last year in my COAL series I introduced the old 1970 399R Ski Doo Alpine (link HERE). A machine that has caused me much anguish over the years and I’m sure has been broken more times than it has run. However, last winter I decided to get the old girl out on an adventure or two. The chance of this plan working out were slightly doubtful, which all things considered was a lot better than the usual chances of unlikely to highly improbable that I face when I get the inkling of getting out on that cantankerous old piece of scrap.
I had reason for my optimism. I had rebuilt the carb and changed the fuel lines and was about to Amazon a case of BR8 ES spark plugs to ensure I had some chance of getting home from any ride with two functioning cylinders. I put a drop of fuel into the cylinders, and it fired right up as it occasionally does. I had seat material ready to recover the thrashed current seat cushion and was about to make a replacement windshield. And that’s when everything fell apart; I looked under the hood and saw something had cracked the original plastic fuel tank. I started on the process of scrounging plastic overflow tanks from the dump so I could start the rebuild process on the tank; but the way this thing vibrates I feared a plastic weld would not last long. I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do.
The winter of 2024 came and went and came and went three or four times. I decided that I wanted to be able to set an x-country track as my dog would love to come along skiing but would definitely not be allowed on any formal trails in the company of gentle men and women. So, I was on the hunt for a snowmobile. I briefly entertained the idea of buying a brand-new Ski Doo Expedition or Scandic utility machine. I am not in a hurry when snowmobiling as it is more of a means to get somewhere to do something rather than the ride itself. However, once all the critical options were added, particularly the cooling fan, the price was way out of my comfort zone.
Good used utility snowmobiles are in short supply in Western Canada. Fast mountain sleds are the preferred choice and none of those met my requirements for a good trail groomer. Yamaha is my preferred make, but with them stopping sled production, used Bravos and VK540s were carrying a ridiculous price premium. I would snowshoe before I rode an Arctic Cat though as it happens an Arctic Cat would also get me snowshoeing plenty, albeit inadvertently. That took me back to Ski Doo. I never liked the older Scandics and started looking at Tundra 2s. A very good little work sled other than a $500 ignition box that goes out. Not made for a lot of years. And the excellent in its day Elan was even more out of date.
I think that it may be really hard to comprehend for anyone who hasn’t been exposed to snow machines just what a miserable conveyance they are. The old 399 Alpine was built in 1970. Only 10 years before Joseph Bombardier built the first modern snowmobile with a front engine and relative lightweight chassis, though the rear-engined 1000 lb Autoboggan from Eliason preceded it. By 1968 the first successful verified overland trip had been made to the North Pole by the Ralph Plaisted expedition on Ski Doo Olympiques. A bit forgotten by history but an interesting footnote in that there is considerable evidence that neither of the Arctic explorers Peary or Cook got there despite being credited for it. On a sidenote, I once had a 1969 Olympique. I got it 10 miles from the truck once. I thought I deserved a National Geographic medal for that.
And then my plans went off the rails. I started to see Alpines on Kijiji. The old twin tracks are very much unloved due to their many quirks. I found an Alpine 2 with the much preferred 503 and 2 speed transmission but the seller was hard to get in touch with. Then I found a 640 which at least had the Mikuni Carb which is a bit more civilized than the finicky Tillotson. This one was being retired from its duties grooming x-country trails. Price seemed right, so I arranged to make the 7-hour trip out to see it.
I certainly picked a less-than-ideal day to head out to Alberta. I had taken all the weight and tools out of the pickup which made it a bit squirrely on ice. The freezing rain and whatever was on the road started to encrust the truck with stalactites. Even after a lifetime of winter driving this was a challenge.
I took some interesting pictures along the way. Some interesting Mopars at Nanton.
I got there and was pleasantly surprised with the condition of the old sled. It had been used for sure but it had also been maintained. It fired right up. There was an automotive battery under the seat which easily spun the 640 up to life. I counted out some of the $50s I had in a stack. Loading it onto the truck was quite the struggle.
These are not lightweight machines. They are more like a piece of industrial equipment than a recreational conveyance. Once we got it up there with some creative rigging I turned around and set off for home. The roads had improved somewhat and the addition of that much weight over the rear axle balanced the F150 nicely.
I got home initially pleased with the fullness of my wallet. Then got a message from the seller. Turns out we were both so distracted by the massive snowstorm and wrestling the sled on the truck we had both managed to miscount the money. I promptly sent an e-transfer. I haven’t made fun of any kid for counting change since, as I think I have lost the moral authority.
I set about building a ramp strong enough to get it into the truck. Of course, the design of the Alpine meant the ramp was totally unsuitable for loading and I had to resort to a come-along to get it into place. And despite having picked up a perfectly functioning machine several days before, now the carb was flooding at idle and on any slope. So, back off the truck it came. If I hadn’t mentioned it before but I will say that these things were built sturdy and weigh nearly 700 lbs. Once it was back on the ground, I took apart the carburetor and cleaned every seat and adjusted the floats. Back onto the truck with the come a long and I was off for a test drive. As soon as it was on the ground it flooded again. Would run fine at full throttle. So back on the truck. I changed the fuel pump, and the next weekend took it out again. Where it promptly flooded. At this point I realized that this Alpine was going to be just as “endearing” as the old one.
I did find out that if I crimped the fuel line a bit the flooding wasn’t too bad. And I changed a pilot jet and then a plug lead as all the fiddling around has made the spark inconsistent. And then one day it just clicked that the primer was leaking internally causing all sorts of havoc. One part order later all was functioning as it should.
So it is more or less sorted out. I took it out for a test run and I was surprised a bit how it felt. Even a modest 2 stroke snowmobile takes off not unlike a top fuel dragster or at least feels like it. The Alpine has a different feel altogether, more like a 980 Cat Loader, like it can move anything. Just not quickly. But once it is moving it is almost pleasant to ride Plus there is room for a dog.
I even consider setting trails to be my real job sometimes and that this is my office. As annoying as the old Alpine can be it is way less annoying than interpreting Power BI dashboards or whatever other trivial tasks fill up my day at my career job.
Like my Honda Trail 125 this gets a lot of attention. Unlike my Honda Trail 125 much of this attention is negative. Anyone old enough to ride one back in the day remembers the weight and steering difficulty. And premixing the gas and the bad ride. And the single ski digging in when using reverse. And the lack of speed. So when men come over, they inevitably say that they remember using Alpines and do not really want to revisit the experience. Personally, I think they are intimidated by the sheer magnificence of this mighty old snow machine, but that is maybe just me.
Ah well. This is for grooming cross country trails not casual days out. The 30-inch-wide path I make can’t be replicated by a normal snowmobile.
Very few snowmobiles even today, can float on snow as easily at low speed as this. I plan on having many adventures hopefully mixed with only a moderate amount of frustration.
The trails I put in turned out to be solid enough to ride a fat bike on. That’s a bonus. Family members are having their first experience driving a snowmobile on it. Dog and I go out and smooth out the trails and have a thermos of coffee.
And for me this is my classic. With the price of old iron now being so high, this 45-year-old anachronism might be the only classic I ever own. The old 1970 399R Alpine is hopefully only temporarily out of commission, of course. I have got a line on a new fuel tank that may work and so with that, a bit of seat repair, changing out some cables, fixing the windshield and then maybe a minor exorcism it may once again give me the opportunity to practice my trail side mechanic skills. At least the 640 will be around to rescue it.
JOGRAD, Excellent article and photos; however, I’m curious as to your dog’s breed. Is it a Chesapeake Bay retriever?
Father is a 200 lb Newfoundland. Her mother is a 100 lb lab. I have had this mix before. Lovely non aggressive temperament and can stand the cold.
I am having trouble coming to terms with 1980 being 45 years ago. I guess this isn’t the “middle aged” machine that I reflexively thought it was. Good for you keeping this old plus-sized girl on the trails!
Wow, your persistence is admirable, or perhaps your stubbornness which I suspect you will need in spades. Snowmobiles are not my favourite conveyance, combining several items I dislike: Two stroke engines, belt conveyors and slide carburetors to name a few.
That said I find vintage snowmobiles handsome in an industrial design sort of way, and the ability to make your own ski/bike trails would be pretty cool too.
Not much snow around in southern Ontario lately, so my cross country skis and snowshoes go unused but Miss Erin D is having a whale of a time with 155cm of snow at Red Mountain
Your essay is informative and funny. Your candid style could lure me to try one of these machines. Thanks for a great article and the entertainment of your flair for writing. Pardon the pun, but in the words of Roy Rogers, “Happy Trails to You!”
Snowmobile culture circa 1980, in Canada and the Northeast US, seemed to effectively bridge the gap between disco music, beer commercials, outdoor living, and off-roading.
CBC Television could have launched a Dukes of Hazzard-like series, where the actors rode snow machines, rather than drove a ’69 Charger. It would have been a hit.
Still remember, classmates in grade school, coming to class. Wearing snowmobile manufacturer-branded satin-like coats, and ‘Polaris’ polyester toques. lol
This culture helped lead to the success of hosers Bob and Doug McKenzie. I recall ‘hoser’ being used casually to describe someone uncool, well before it became commercialized. lol
Ace Frehley from the band Kiss, released the song ‘Eugene’, during the winter of 1981. A cult hit with teens in the Northeast US and Central Canada. The song dovetailed well, with the post-snowmobiling bar culture, at the time. “Uh, uh…Eu-gene.” was a popular catch phrase, for a brief time.
Great vid and memory. Also I don’t know why this is not our national anthem.
https://youtu.be/SeBCmDQTavU?si=rrmcPCW_QM7X1oR_
Haha An icon for many decades. Old school, like Tommy Hunter and Hank Snow.
You will have me on eBay looking for vintage toques. Doo vs Cat vs Polaris.vs Yammy vs John Deere was an important topic of discussion back then.
I am so fascinated how quickly the snowmobile boom came and went. All of the manufacturers of the late 60s that sprung up and were then gone. It seems to be somewhat like van and mini truck culture but those fads were replaced with something else.
In this part of Southeastern Ontario, it was definitely a recreational culture about socializing, killing the boredom of rural living, and consuming alcohol and beer. I would suggest in many parts of the US and Canada, the snow machine boom, was quickly replaced by ATVing. Especially as snow volume everywhere, has dropped dramatically.
My parents had just moved from a large city, and I was gobsmacked as a little kid, by the scale of the recreational hunting and snowmobiling culture in rural Ontario and Northern New York State. Existing from the 1960s through the early 80’s. I was raised on team sports, and going to the mall, as teen pastimes. An eye opener for sure.
Many of these interests and trends, revolved around sheer boredom with the remote, disconnected lifestyle. Sad while strangely entertaining, looking back. More people today can/will make choices where they want to live. I’d say less people back then lived in the country because they loved nature. Rather, coping out of necessity.
Seeing some of these bizarre helmets, snowmobile suits, and sleds zooming by as I walked with friends, was a vivid part of my childhood.
After midnight in frigid weather, you’d hear sometimes dozens of sleds zoom by my parents house. Alcohol consumption was associated with the culture then. It was part of fitting in, and surviving the boredom, to some in the small communities.
Great read, JOGRAD!
Even though I’ve never ridden a Ski-Doo, I agree with your thesis that the worst day on a snowmobile is probably better than the best day in an office.
Best of luck on the trails.
Sadly I’ve never been on a snowmobile. But an old slow bog one like this appeals, a genuine CC, or Snowside Classic. I do like cross country skiing, so making my own tracks would be a boon.
I feel much the same about snowmobiles as JOGRAD does, to me they are a work tool and not a recreational device. Many years ago I worked for a small contractor who was engaged in thinning beatle kill pine and building log fencing around a park in the winter. We used a machine very like your 1980. It wasn’t much fun to operate but it beat the hell out of snowshoes and a sled. We also used it to create trails for cross country skiing in the area. It did the job, but the trails were hard packed and weren’t that good until it had snowed over them.
I particularly enjoyed its propensity to break down miles from camp as sundown approached….
My feelings about snowmobiles were not improved when the son of one of my employees was killed on one in an avalanche about 15 years ago, along with 7 other people. The back country can be very unforgiving.
I feel no desire at all to get anywhere near an avalanche. I feel safe enough puttering along at 10 miles an hour making trails. Right now it starts with a very small tug on the cord. Pretty sure it’s lulling me into a false sense of security.
I have two friends who (prior to me meeting them) went to a local snowmobile show, as teenagers. Let’s say 1974-ish. One had some money, so he bought two raffle tickets, gave one to the other guy.
Of course the other guy won the 340cc Arctic Cat. Yet, they remained friends for decades thereafter (up until Trump.)
Seems like most of my friends had sleds as teens and early-twenty-somethings. Everything from a ’66 Ski-Doo with a heavily-modified 440 that–first time out of the shop, blew the old, worn track right out the back. Replaced the old track with a new one. Very fast for the time–in a straight line. Turning was something else. Another had a …250???…Sno-Twister semi-pro race sled that he tried to use as an all-purpose ride. Teenagers! I never owned a sled, but I spent a few hours riding and sometimes driving. This in the era when every hour spent riding would guarantee two hours of “fixing and maintenance”.
I should probably buy one now–something in good used condition. Arctic Cat is dead, Yamaha is dead. There used to be dozens of manufacturers, just like there used to be hundreds of car brands. Attrition and lack of snow has weeded-out the weak–and the formerly-strong.
We rented one for a day in the Rockies at Vail after a couple of days of skiing and needing a break. It was a lot of fun after you got the hang of it, not dissimilar in some ways to the Sea-Doos we’d been on a number of times before. Pretty fast if you really “got on it”. I can see how people can get into trouble with the speedy ones.
As to 2-strokes, aren’t all the new snow machines 4-strokes? Jet-skis are now, as far as i know…EPA rules?
Nice Rocky Mountain Blizzard 10 fatbike . BTW If you don’t already have this , it will be useful to you: //www.manualslib.com/manual/1805932/Bombardier-Ski-Doo-Alpine-640-Er-1982.html#product-ski-doo%20Alpine%20640%20ER%201982