TAS’ reputation for dependability was greatly enhanced when David “Pappy” Burns, their distributor for the state of Alaska, conceived of an unprecedented endurance test to travel from
Crosby, Minnesota to Anchorage, Alaska – a total of 3,800 miles. With much fanfare and sporting three brand-new stock 1967 Scorpions (and TAS signature bright red snowsuits), Pappy and two young employees set-off from Crosby in early February of 1967 in a race toward the wilds of Alaska. Outfitted with only a single sleigh of extra supplies, these brave men set-off with no support staff of any kind. No trailing vehicle with back-up men, mechanics or machines was to be found. These adventurers were absolutely and completely alone.
Braving extreme conditions including blizzards, Chinook winds and –70° temperatures, the trio pressed onward. With hundreds of well wishers and dignitaries greeting them along the route, the tired adventurers pressed on. In many instances the group was forced to travel several hundred miles in a single day. Amazingly, they arrived at their goal after only 28 elapsed days (several of which were spent gaining clearance from British Columbia authorities – it seems that local authorities were reluctant to grant the men clearance given the severe weather conditions in the area). Men and machine had performed amazingly well and the molded rubber track passed with flying colors!
The Alaskan adventure helped to put Minnesota’s Cuyuna Range on the map and was widely covered by the international media. Completely unprecedented for it’s time, the adventure was an absolute public relations coupe and became the cornerstone of the following year’s marketing campaign … Scorpion, The Proven Snowmobile. Sir Edmund Hillary (conqueror of Mount Everest) was so impressed that he chose Scorpion snowmobiles for his upcoming expedition to the Antarctic. [Related Photo]
Pictured above: A route map featured in 1968 marketing literature.
