Ski-Doo Snowmobile History: Alpine Utility Sleds

Ask anyone and they’ll probably tell you a snowmobile consists of a track and two skis. It hasn’t always been that way. Twin track snowmobiles were a popular sight on trails, race tracks, and in the bush in the 1970s and even into the ’80s. Few designs, however, teamed twin tracks with single ski like the Ski-Doo Alpine did. Even fewer can claim to have survived more than two decades of production.

Few sleds ever built in the industry can claim to have bared witness to as much as the Ski-Doo Alpine model name has. The Alpine’s utility use can be traced back to the 1964 Winter Olympic Games held in Innsbruck, Austria. That’s awfully fitting given the Austrian-based Rotax engines that powered the Alpine sleds.

Ski-Doo Alpines were built to do just about any job on snow you can think of. Its ability to haul heavy loads, sturdy steel-frame construction, and an abundance of towable accessories made Alpine snowmobiles the ideal workhorse sled. 

“Alpine is no ordinary snowmobile. We designed it to do a job. Almost any job you can think of. And because it has to work for a living, we built it tough.”

From linemen, to lumberjacks, to law enforcement, the Alpine met their needs to transport both man and equipment from A to B, and then some. Towable accessories included groomer drags, Nordic ski trail drags, and rescue sleighs.

Perhaps what made the Alpine the ultimate utility sled of its day was its versatility. With an optional wheel kit to replace the ski, you could turn your Alpine into a year-round workhorse. New for 1975, the wheel kit was the perfect way to build and maintain the emerging network of snowmobile trail systems.

Key Features of the Alpine Model Line
(Note: these are a few noteworthy features on some Alpine models. Not all features appeared on every Alpine model)

-          15-inch wide twin rubber tracks reinforced with fiberglass rods
- Bogie wheel rear suspension (4-in. travel)
- Cigarette lighter standard (1970)
- All-steel chassis construction
- 1564 cubic inches of under seat storage (1975 – battery moved from under seat to front)
- Torque-sensing variable speed transmission with forward and reverse
- Single ski with carbide runner
- Front double-action ski shock
- 23.5x31-inch heavy gauge steel cargo deck (250-Lb. capacity)
-          Low maintenance Instant Torque clutch

(source:https://www.ski-doo.com/ca/community/ontrack/Ski-Doo-history-Alpine-utility-sleds.html)