On a recent foggy weekend morning, I stopped by the residence of Grant Laird who lives along Highway #3 in B.C.'s southern interior. I had spotted several Ski-Doo's sitting in Grant's backyard and I wanted to ask him if I could snap a picture or two of the bright yellow machines for this column.
Grant readily donned his rubber boots and lead me out into his back field. He happily showed off a couple of 1970's Nordic Ski-Doos sitting out in the open. I took a few pictures and shot a short video of one of old units. Though not fully restored, both machines were in excellent condition and obviously had been well-maintained over the years.
Here's what a brochure from that era stated about the 1972 lineup of Ski-Doo's:
“When you look at all the facts Ski-Doo '72 has more going for you," was the tag line that Bombardier used for their snowmobiles in 1972. “On top. That's where you are with a Ski-Doo '72,” the copy continued, “It's a fact. We put you on top of the snow, not in it. Fact is, our balanced weight distribution even takes the driver's position into account for responsive handling. First there's the compact, lightweight Elan. It gives full-size excitement for only $595. Then there's the lively, dependable Olympique, the perfect machine for the whole family. There's the luxury laden Nordic, the trail machine with power for two...These are just some of the series that have made Ski-Doo the world leader in snowmobiling.”
Here's the video I took of the 1972 Ski-Doo Nordic – and as their brochure stated, “'Ski-Doo '72 is what snowmobiling is all about.”
Thanks to Grant Laird for letting me show off his Ski-Doo Nordic.
