Quick learning curve recycles interest in snowbiking

By Brian Metzler
Special to the Denver Rocky Mountain News

First you strap yourself to a contraption that has a frame and handlebars like a mountain bike but outriggers like a snowmobile. Then, from the top of some of Colorado's top ski areas, you gently ease forward in this chrome-plated apparatus - there are no wheels on this kind of bike - and away you go.

As you begin to zip down the mountain at the same speed you might ski or snowboard, the only question is, can I stop?

"It's not as hard as it looks," confesses Denver's Jerry Reese, who has been snowbiking at Vail and Silver Creek. "It's actually a lot of fun and pretty easy. I wouldn't necessarily say I'm a snowbiker, but I've had a lot of fun doing it. It takes some getting used to. The first couple of times I thought I was going to head straight down the mountain and they'd have to scrape me off the road."

Snowbiking is akin to mountain biking and to skiing, yet it differs from both. It is not merely mountain biking in the snow, though that, too, is an increasingly popular sport.

Although it's only been available in Colorado in recent years, snowbiking isn't a new sport. Snowbike is the trademarked name of Brenter GMB in Austria, which makes modern versions of old-fashioned ski bobs. Ski bobs, prevalent in Europe for decades, could be found on American slopes in the 1960s, but too many problems led to their banishment.

But Brenter has addressed performance problems (such as stopping and turning) with its Snowbike models and made them easier to transport on gondolas and chairlifts. As a result, Colorado resorts looking to expand their roster of activities, have embraced the sport. Just as snowshoeing, snow tubing, ice skating, sleigh rides and snowmobile tours are now being offered at many resorts, snowbiking is a way to attract new vacationing customers.

Silver Creek Ski & Golf Ranch near Granby was the first in Colorado to offer the sport when it began a night program four years ago. This winter, Silver Creek, Vail, Keystone, Purgatory and Telluride all offer snowbiking.

Snowbiking is a low-impact sport that requires minimal training and athletic skill. Unlike a conventional mountain bike steered by the handlebars, a snowbike is controlled more by shifting your body weight and applying pressure to the miniature skis that attach to conventional ski boots.

"Snowbiking is really aimed at those people who are not already skiing or snowboarding," says Roger Hollenbeck of Rocky Mountain Snowbike, which coordinates product and training for Colorado resorts. "Hopefully those people will try it and find a reason to want to be in the mountains. We're not trying to swap guests, we're trying to create new visitors for the resorts."

Different snowbiking options are available at Colorado resorts, although each requires a quick lesson from a certified instructor. Vail, which has offered snowbiking for three years, offers guided group runs 4-10 p.m. daily. Because Vail's slopes aren't lighted, participants must use headlamps.

Silver Creek, Keystone and Telluride allow snowbiking at limited times and on limited terrain apart from skiers and snowboarders. But Purgatory allows snowbiking in the regular mix of down-slope traffic for four hours each day.

Typical Snowbiking packages cost $35 to $45 and include a snowbike rental, boots and a brief lesson.

"It's definitely getting more popular," says Jennifer Schlegel, a Telluride spokeswoman who has been snowbiking twice. "It's unbelievable how quickly you can pick it up, and that's what's driving the growth. The learning curve is so short. It's great for skiers or snowboarders, but also a great way for people who haven't done those sports to get on the mountain. It's fun, easy to learn and you can be an expert right away."

Aside from Colorado, several New England resorts also offer snowbiking. The sport received TV exposure when Nike included snowbiking in one of its latest snowboarding commercials that debuted this month during the ESPN Winter X Games.

Barry Siff, who heads Mountain Quest Adventures in Fort Collins, is incorporating snowbiking into his Winter Adventure Race next week at Silver Creek Competitors in that event will also do some cross-country skiing, orienteering, rappelling and snowshoeing.

"Snowbiking is fun," Siff said, "but it's definitely a lot different."