Cycling on Ski trails

Just throwing something up for discussion here if anyone is
interested.

My boy has just got back from training in Obertilliach. He reported
seeing someone mountain-biking on the ski-trails. He thinks it was
one of the ski-racers doing a bit of cross-training. One interesting
thing he noticed, was that the bike was faster on the descents than
skis, even though the skiers were elite biathletes. That, I guess,
says something about the mechanical advantage of bearings over glide
waxes.

I am not sure what to think about this. Is it a good thing or not?
Do we want to share our tracks with bikers? Can I have a go? Would
any of the resorts try to stop me?


Alex

I can't possibly think of any benefit that would come to nordic skiers
from having mountain bikes on groomed ski trails. Or dogs. Or
snowboarders (ask anyone whose trail system abuts an alpine
area)..........

bt

Alex,
Very few trails allow mountain biking in the winter, at least in
Michigan. The only trails that would allow mountain bikes (that I know
of) are wilderness parks that are ungroomed. Those parks also are open
to snowshoeing and dogs.
If Obertilliach has groomed trails that charges for a trail pass, I
suspect the mountain biker was too ignorant to read signs. If the
biathletes are carrying rifles, I wouldn't push my luck! Grin.
Cheers,
Bruce Freeburger
USENET(at)BIKESonTV.com


Alex wrote:

Just throwing something up for discussion here if anyone is
interested.

My boy has just got back from training in Obertilliach. He reported
seeing someone mountain-biking on the ski-trails. He thinks it was
one of the ski-racers doing a bit of cross-training. One interesting
thing he noticed, was that the bike was faster on the descents than
skis, even though the skiers were elite biathletes. That, I guess,
says something about the mechanical advantage of bearings over glide
waxes.

I am not sure what to think about this. Is it a good thing or not?
Do we want to share our tracks with bikers? Can I have a go? Would
any of the resorts try to stop me?


Alex

In article ,
Alex wrote:

thing he noticed, was that the bike was faster on the descents than
skis, even though the skiers were elite biathletes. That, I guess,
says something about the mechanical advantage of bearings over glide
waxes.


At least when the snow is hard enough to support a wheel.

I am not sure what to think about this. Is it a good thing or not?
Do we want to share our tracks with bikers? Can I have a go? Would
any of the resorts try to stop me?

Not a good thing.

Speaking as someone who has been commuting by bicycle year round
for 25 years (IE, I've cycled through a LOT of snow), I wouuld not
want someone on a bicycle on a ski trail with me. Stopping and
turning are not great on a bike. On a descent, I could easily see
someone on a bike taking out a few skiers.

Not to mention what the wheels could do the the trails.


--

"It's a sad day for american capitalism when a man
can't fly a midget on a kite over Central Park."
J. Moran

In Anchorage mountain bikes are allowed on multi-use groomed trails,
along with walkers, runners and ski-jorers. Bikes are not allowed on
trails that our ski club grooms. Why is this? It's because bikers can
easily and very effectively trash ski trails. If the trail surface is
soft, like just after the trail is just groomed - bikes leave squirelly
deep ruts in the middle of the trail. When these ruts freeze it makes
trails very hazardous to ski on. Frozen bike tracks on ski trails are
even more dangerous than horse tracks. Bottom line - only thoughless
and clueless dufuses bike on groomed ski trails.

"Alex" wrote in message
m...
Just throwing something up for discussion here if anyone is
interested.

My boy has just got back from training in Obertilliach. He reported
seeing someone mountain-biking on the ski-trails. He thinks it was
one of the ski-racers doing a bit of cross-training. One interesting
thing he noticed, was that the bike was faster on the descents than
skis, even though the skiers were elite biathletes. That, I guess,
says something about the mechanical advantage of bearings over glide
waxes.

I am not sure what to think about this. Is it a good thing or not?
Do we want to share our tracks with bikers? Can I have a go? Would
any of the resorts try to stop me?


Alex

I would almost say that you must be making a tongue in cheek statement
because bikes are so horrible for ski trails and this is so obvious.
Multi-use trails, that's a different story, although they can mess them up
big time for all other users. I like to bike, so this isn't bike-bashing.
But as a skier, they are not welcome on any trail I ski on and shouldn't be.
From the other side, I don't like to bike on trails with skiers or
walker/runners either because I like to go fast and there are potential huge
dangerous conflicts, not to mention the effect of wheels on soft trails (be
they dirt/mud or snow). I'm very skeptical about the "multi-use" concept
and accept it only because it's so expedient.

As for speed of skis vs. bikes in winter - I think the ultra long
"Iditasport" in Alaska has been dominated by bikers since the first person
thought "hey, I can do it on a bike!". It started as a ski race then
allowed bikes, I think. There are now different divisions for bikes and
skis. I think that the only time bikes don't prevail is if the snow
conditions just make it impossible to ride at all. But, being mostly packed
snowmobile trails, I think the biking is usually pretty decent.

Me? for exercize, I don't know why anyone would bike on snow rather than
ski, but a lot of people like to do it in the winter. I just don't enjoy it
at all. Transportation is a different story. I love to use my bike for
transportation in any conditions I need to, but not just for recreational
purposes (in the winter, on snow).

Cam

I thought that the Birkie and Chequemegon(?) had comparable times,
making bikes and skis about the same speed.

Biking on ski trails is very bad unless there's some rare condition of
extreme hardpack where the tires don't leave any dents.

If the tires left any kind of dent and I was around as a skier, the
biker wouldn't be biking for long! (I'm diplomatic...but either way
they wouldn't be biking). I had a nice, very brief chat with a guy
running on set ski trails the other day. He was indeed leaving sad
marks. I was polite and got the job done: he walked to the side from
then on.

A biker is as bad on set tracks as a snowmobiler, basically.

When the tracks are pretty darn firm and beat in then walkers and dogs
are no sweat.

"Camilo" wrote:


Me? for exercize, I don't know why anyone would bike on snow rather than
ski, but a lot of people like to do it in the winter.

I'm an avid mt. biker and an equally avid skier.

One sport is for spring, summer and fall, the other is for winter, and
never the twain shall meet. CROSS TRAINING, that's the ticket.

Not that I have never gone mountain biking in the winter. I have when
the snow is not too deep or partially thawed, frozen crust or frozen
granular, and on trails that are not being, no longer being, or cannot
be used for skiing.

Put it this way: if the snow is of the depth and texture to be good
for skiing, only a really extremist wing nut would prefer to try to
ride a bike on it, and only a self centered yahoo would try it on
trails used by skiers.
--dt

Bikes on XC ski trails (snow) create a hazard for skiers when their
tires rut the trail. I encountered a bike track last year on the Banff
Goat Creek trail and it took a while to figure out that some nut biked
on the ski trail. The wheel track was just deep enough to catch a ski
causing a hazard on the downhill sections.

Edgar

Biking wouldn't leave ruts?

jw
milwaukee