Fernie People talk about the joys of this relatively new way of enjoying the local mountain
It's no longer just skiers and snowboarders pounding the powder on the hill at Fernie Alpine Resort.
A sport called ski biking is becoming increasingly popular among the area's snow enthusiasts, and Ross Frazier is one of the few locals to have tried it. Frazier, who races around the slopes on a black and yellow SKIBYK, became interested in the sport after watching a group of people do it.
“I was skiing and I saw this big group skiing pretty slowly. Then I realized it must have been a family and some of them were on a ski bike trying it out for the first time. I had never seen it before,” he recalled.
He had already mastered skiing and snowboarding and was looking for a new challenge. It turned out that ski biking was exactly what he was looking for.
“I want to learn something new,” he added. “I've reached the point of skiing, so to speak, [where] To get that kind of excitement I have to go faster than I want and try to hit slopes, trees and everything. In my opinion it’s not worth the risk of injury.”
Ski bikes have the frame of a bicycle with skis underneath instead of wheels. They have stationary pedals for riders to rest their feet on, but no brakes, so riders stop in the same way as skiers.
It remains a fairly niche sport and there is not yet a large community of riders in Fernie. Frazier said that although he gave a few people rides and taught some of his friends, he really only saw a few bikers out and about. He is often the only biker leaving the hill and therefore attracts a lot of attention.
“You can put on a show for people in the elevator,” he said. “I want to make it more entertaining when the chairs go up. I like going under the lift because when I make it big, I want people to see it and have something to talk about.”
He said he was able to do most runs on hills, although he found particularly steep slopes difficult and the tow lift was too demanding. His favorite run is Arrow because of its mixed terrain.
“There are a lot of little escapades. You can go into the trees. It has a certain steepness to it, a good mix of everything,” he said.
Ski biking is not as difficult as it looks. Frazier said the bikes are easier to carry on the chairlift than a snowboard and there is less risk of injury because the rider is not attached to the bike if it falls. Bicycles also take pressure off the knees, making them a good option for people with limited mobility and knee and joint problems.
He enjoys it so much that he rides his bike more than he skis or boards, and he's looking forward to hitting the slopes with it this season.
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