Carl Eliason was like many people born with a disability; dedicated to not letting it interfere with his fun. Born with a club foot, Eliason's medical issue essentially made it impossible for him to follow his friends and family out into the Wisconsin woods during the winter to hunt, fish, and trap. He was stuck indoors, then. Stuck to see everyone go out and not be able to follow along.
But that wasn't the life he wanted to lead.
So after purchasing a hardware store in Sayner, Wisconsin, Eliason got to tinkering. His concept was simple; stick an engine atop some skis to help him get from point A to point B when the trails, roads, and lakes were covered in snow and ice. His concept was the very first snowmobile. And he made that first snowmobile all the way back in 1924.
We wouldn't be out shredding deep backcountry powder had it not been for Eliason just wanting to hunt, fish, and trap with his friends.
The above documentary is about Eliason and the advent of the snowmobile, and it's a history I wasn't aware of until I came across the video last week. It's also a video about the determination of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Eliason saw a problem and solved it and, in turn, built up a segment of an industry that's still around 100 years later. Albeit, the snowmobiles of yore are very different machines than that of today.
Those first snowmobiles look more like medieval torture devices or industrial machinery you'd lose a limb to compared with the sleek, turbocharged two-strokes of today. The thumbnail alone of four dudes on the back of what appears to be a park bench, carrying a rifle, and a V-twin from either a Harley-Davidson or Indian looks insane.
But that's how these things came about, and the documentary is a fascinating look into the history of snowmobiling that I just wasn't aware of. In it, Eliason's granddaughter is interviewed, telling the story of her grandfather's business, how the Finish military got involved, and his lasting legacy that stretches out to this very day.
I highly recommend watching the short film, as it's truly worth your time.
