The World Championship Snowmobile Derby first took place in 1964.
The inaugural race was organized near Eagle River, Wisconsin, by innkeeper John Alward, his wife Betty, and their friend Walter Goldsworthy. It began as a cross-country rally around Dollar Lake, before becoming the major oval-track snowmobile event associated with Eagle River.
The first marquee-race winner was eighth-grader Stan Hayes, riding a 9-horsepower Polaris snowmobile. The event continued in 1965 at the Alwards’ inn, then passed to the Eagle River Lions Club, which trademarked the name “World Championship Snowmobile Derby.”
A common mix-up is confusing the derby’s founding year with later milestones. The 1968 race gained national attention when ABC broadcast it on Wide World of Sports, but the championship itself dates to 1964. Its winners have represented brands including Polaris, Ski-Doo, Arctic Cat, Yamaha, and Evinrude.