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INUVIK - Where's the best place to test snowblowers in April?

For a Wisconsin company called Kohler that's been in that business for 85 years, the answer is easy: Inuvik.

Patrick Stewart, left, and Howard Lucas have fun digging out of an iglu with their snowblowers on Friday while joined by Dean Nelson, centre, a development engineer with Kohler. The company has been in town for weeks near Samuel Hearne Secondary School, employing residents to test its new snowblower models. - Andrew Rankin/NNSL photo

The company, which is also in the business of making utility engines among other things, is testing its new and improved snowblower model that's due to hit the market next winter.

But there was only one problem, there was no snow in Wisconsin to finish up the testing.

So the company got in touch with the Town of Inuvik, and was able to use the fire department as home base and assemble an enthusiastic work crew.

"Basically we're putting hours on snowblowers and hours on engines trying to see if anything freezes up or if anything goes wrong you wouldn't see in a lab, such as can you start it? Does the throttle respond correctly? Can you pull all the levers out? Those are the main things we're looking for," said Dean Nelson, a development engineer with the company.

So for the past week or so a fleet of local workers have spent their days revving engines and blasting snow for 18 bucks an hour. With all that time on their hands, they've been getting creative at the testing site located by the Samuel Hearne Secondary School parking lot, where they've been carving snow forts, iglus and tunnels.

In the meantime, the machines have been holding up well, said Nelson.

The problems have been mostly minor, such as drive system shear pins breaking, which prevent rocks from seriously damaging the machines.

Nelson, who has since left and been replaced by one of his colleagues, said he figures testing will continue for another week or so, or until each machine has run for 100 hours.

He said the process of having to loosen up the hard-packed snow with shovels hasn't been fun, but added he's thankful for the town's support and all the workers who have shown up for a go.

He said he won't soon forget his Inuvik experience.

"There's blinding light here," he said. "You've got this sun going from really early to real late. I'm used to 10 hours of sunlight. It's truly an amazing place."