Inventor: George Chappell
Invention: Tracker to lay cross country ski trails
Inventor’s Location: LeRoy, Minnesota

Many people go skiing near Lake Louise State Park at LeRoy, Minnesota. According to Charile Anderson, who is the chairman of the Friends of Lake Louise State Park, there is a tracker which is used by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. But it is too wide – at eight feet.

So, George Chappell, who lives at LeRoy, volunteered to construct a tracker for the three miles of ski trails in the park. He made the tracker three feet wide. What is so special about it? Well, first of all, he made the whole thing in two days. Secondly, it is a special tracker. The tracker has an oak bottom, and it digs through the snow, thus creating two parallel ski tracks. Chappell used an old snowmobile which was donated to Lake Louise State Park to pull the tracker. According to Chappell, his invention helps people to glide better and ski faster.