Ski-Doo is the snowmobile brand manufactured by Bombardier Recreational Products.
The brand traces its origins to Joseph-Armand Bombardier’s lightweight snowmobile, which entered production in 1959. Bombardier wanted a compact machine that could carry one or two people through snowy terrain, especially for hunters, trappers, missionaries, prospectors, and rural residents.
The name was supposed to be Ski-Dog, reflecting the vehicle’s intended role as a substitute for a dog sled. A typographical error changed “Dog” to “Doo” in early promotional material. Bombardier decided to keep the altered name, and Ski-Doo became one of the best-known snowmobile brands in North America.
Bombardier Recreational Products, commonly known as BRP, became a separate company in 2003 when Bombardier Inc. sold its recreational-products division. BRP now manufactures Ski-Doo snowmobiles along with Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo watercraft, Can-Am vehicles, and Rotax engines. Yamaha, Polaris, and Arctic Cat are separate competing snowmobile brands, not Bombardier products.