Be Prepared: Winter Mountain Biking
The white stuff has been blanketing the mountaintops these past few weeks and folks are putting away their wheels and pulling out their snowplanks. It’s a shame that people let seasons dictate what sports they partake in. Surfing, hiking, mountain biking, and climbing in the summer; skiing, snowboarding, and curling in the winter as if Mother Nature were in charge. Why can’t we broom it up in the dog days of August or ride the briny waves to celebrate Thanksgiving or mountain bike over snow-filled trails? With a little preparation and some killer gear, you can pedal through the white days of winter and be fit as a knobby fiddle come springtime. Read on to find out how.
Wool It Up
There are few things cooler than specialty winter gear. Once Turkey Day arrives, wool reigns supreme. Wool doesn’t get that stinky longevity that even your best, most logo-ed, most expensive polypropylene tends to adopt after a few seasons. Wool the under/over and any other place that will have it. Hence: wool gloves, wool socks, wool base layers, wool middle layers, and wool beanies so your auditory tunnels don’t frost over.
Break Wind
Anyone can ride in near-freezing temperatures when the sky is blue, the sun is high, and the West Wind is taking a nap. But a refreshing summer breeze becomes a hypothermia nightmare once is weaves its way through wool fibers. Known in some circles as a shell, these magical wonders of outerwear come in two flavors, just like ice cream: hard and soft shells. Hard shells are the shells we grew up with and are known for their hearty resistance to the windy and snowy and sleety and hail-y elements. Unfortunately they’re also known for their squeaking as arms rub against torsos. Enter the soft shell. Not only are they trendy and pretty and just the thing for a stroll down the aisles of Whole Paycheck, but the latest generation of soft shells provide the protection of the hard shell without all the extra noise, which is just what you need in case Old Man Winter is having a grumpy day and decides to throw iceballs at you.
Riding on Snow
Riding on snow is just like driving on snow. (Southern Californians and Texans, now is the time to grab a pen.) Find a line and commit to it. The more consistent contact your tires have with the snowy road or trail, the more predictable your vehicle will be. Stopping is tricky. Braking will likely result in a sideways or wobbly experience and is best avoided or done with extreme caution. Mountain biking on snow means more effort for lesser return, so pick a shorter trail with few or no uphills.
Bring the Camera
No one is crazy enough to accompany you on this winter riderland, so you’ve got to take pictures, or better yet, video on the trail. Slap the videocam onto your helmet or affix it to your handlebars. Then, roll through a tight corner, slowing down without hitting the brakes (wipeout!) and you’ll capture the entire, bragging- and adrenaline-filled experience in binary code. Post to YouTube. Become a hero.
Mountain biking in snow photo by Marc van der Chjis
Sheep photo by Rainer Ebert
