In late November on the week of Thanksgiving we got our first snow for the season. I was so excited I left for work Tuesday morning, in the beginning of the storm, on my fat bike, even though there was barely an inch on the ground. It was completely unnecessary, as the weather in the valley shifted to rain and then sleet and freezing rain. While the snow didn't look like much in the valley, up in the mountains of Bald Eagle State Forest it was piling up.
When we got out to R.B. Winter for our Wednesday night ride, there was 3 or 4 inches of snow on the ground when we started. There had also been some serious ice earlier and this made some of tight sections of trail through mountain laurel or young pine nearly impassible as it all folded under the weight of the ice and into the trail. Despite the difficulty making progress through the tight sections, when trail was clear enough to ride I got my first taste of what my first winter on a snow bike was going to be like. In a word, awesome!
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| Rylan on the fire road climb to No Name Trail (yes that's what it is called) |
Before I got into mountain biking and even cycling in general, I was an avid downhill skier. I enjoy being outside in the snow and the cold doesn't typically bother me. The thing I like the least about downhill skiing is that there is the down time of the lift ride, or the hike if you are back country skiing. Actually, I preferred back country skiing because the journey to the top was an enjoyable experience in an of itself. My favorite part of snow biking is that there is no down time once you start. You aren't reliant on gravity to supply your good times, though it sure does help! I often realize when mountain biking how similar it is to downhill skiing when I'm not pedaling, you weight your legs to carve through a turn the same way, and you pump and float your way down the trail in the exact same manner. On a snow bike in the snow, the ride is a lot smoother and softer than without the snow. It packs into the cracks and crevices in the rocks and smooths out what typically would be very bumpy technical sections. Trails that were once slow speed technical super gnar take on a new a playful character of flow and speed. Some of the feel of speed is a little exaggerated by the lack of traction and slightly out of control feeling, but you can get moving on the straighter downhill sections and it's a blast.
Thanksgiving morning Rylan, Johny, and I took the bikes out again for a short ride. We had a little more fun just messing about this time and we ended up with some great pictures. The ice on the trees had not melted off yet so there was still a lot of stuff block tight sections of trail. Overlook Trail and Old Tram were fairly difficult.
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| Old Tram at the intersection of Rocky Corner Trail |
Things got a little more fun and continuous once we headed down to R.B. Winter State Park. The trails down there are much more open and there was a lot less stuff smacking us in the face. First we bombed down Boiling Springs to the park.
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| Boiling Springs Trail |
Then we headed up Old Boundary Trail
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| I make the strangest faces when riding my bike and being photographed |
And bombed back down Sand Mountain Road to Boiling Springs again because it was that much fun.
Then it was time to head down to the beach to have some fun.
Finally we bushwhacked around a little bit before head back up to the Overlook and bombed back down McCall Dam road.
That's how our morning ride went. it was a good time with a lot of picture taking and goofing around.
My impressions of snow biking on singletrack are that it's pretty much the most fun you can have on two wheels in the winter. Going out in a group is essential. When the snow is fresh and nothing is packed down, breaking trail is hard work and it is good to have a few people to take turns with it. Don't believe any advertising claims you hear about how you are going to just float over deep snow on a fat bike. It's true they do a better job than a regular mountain bike, but anything more than 4 or 5 inches of snow is going to be difficult pedaling and going to require new riding skills that aren't needed for other types of riding. The extra effort is worth it as the scenery of a snowy forest is fantastic and all your familiar trails turn into a completely different experience. Give it a try! I bet you'll like it!
