LOCALadk Magazine
Issue link: https://localadkmagazine.uberflip.com/i/613740
Due West Photography the author riding "lumberyard" on the Lussi trails in Lake Placid. 26 Winter 2015 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk the Adirondack Park while providing diverse economic benefits for local communities. Collaboration among state agencies, municipalities and private landowners coupled with volunteerism allows BETA to continue working to develop, maintain and advocate for a diverse, sustainable and interconnected multi-use trail system suitable for mountain bikes in the Adirondack High Peaks Region. Visit http://www.barkeatertrails.org for more information. Be part of the growth, become a member. So, the good news is that all of the trails that are currently being main- tained by BETA for mountain biking are also fair game for fatbikes. The bad news? Since the sport is just finding its way to our mountains, fatbik- ing trail maintenance manpower is extremely limited. A couple of dedi- cated local riders would snowshoe a lap or two then drag up and down hills, a homemade wooden sled attached at the waist with a cinder block weighted on top. This process had to be done every single time we got a decent dumping of snow and/or when unknowing folks would post-hole. (Note: post-hol- ing is when you walk on a trail typically used for skiing, snowshoeing or biking resulting in deep boot prints that ruin an otherwise wonderful- ly groomed trail. I've heard it brings bad mountain karma! Warn your friends and loved ones!) There has been talk of adding a junky, old snowmobile to the mix this year, which would mean more miles of trails groomed in a considerably less amount of time. The hope is that more mileage will equal more inter- est and ultimately, more use. Why try? Fatbiking in the winter is all of the stupid, giggly, 9-year old fun of moun- tain biking minus the intimidation and real-life threat of leaving skin on the ground. I laughed for the entire warm up lap of my first ever ride on snow even after driving the front tire straight into a bank resulting in a face plant over the bars. Surprise! Snow is forgiving. Welcome to the world of crashing without consequence. Rip descents. Power slide through tight turns. Hit jumps. It's all good to go. Barring wet, slushy conditions, these bikes climb like no other. During Adirondack winters when temperatures often hover just below or above zero, we need options. When the conditions are too hard and icy for ski- ing, snow-biking is on and even when they aren't, biking is good for trails - yes, good for trails. The fat tires float on snow leaving little to no trace or impact. They're good for our outdoor community and for the biking family in general, and they're good for our hearts and heads during a season that begs us to stay inside. Try it if you love mountain biking. Try it if you don't. It is just another way to fall in love with our home, to take a shot at something new and to get to know the trees when they're dressed all in white. "It is by riding a bicy- cle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them." Ernest Hemingway