Page 9 - Jan_14

EAST BURKE, VT. — Kingdom Trails is one
area that has embraced Fat Bikes, but there are
some rules to follow, and snow biking etiquette
to follow.
Here are their written guidelines:

The East Side of Darling Hill is entirely open to
fat bikes!
Summertime favorite trails that are well
packed and riding beautifully include: Heaven’s
Bench, Ridge, Rim, East Branch, Pines,
One of the most appealing aspects of fatbiking is the array of terrain it makes available to riders. The tires (some as wide as 4.8”)
Riverwood, Beat Bog.
create a wide footprint, allowing the rider to “float” over snow.
We are very encouraged by the growing
popularity of winter biking and are excited to
provide a selection of trails for folks to get out there which one of your buddies is out there on the trail.”
and pedal in the snow. We are packing corridor The interest exists along with available space.
Vermont is home to the statewide Vermont Associa-
trails and locals are snowshoe packing trails on tion of Ski Travelers trail network, one of the larg-
East Darling Hill. Our Nordic Trails MAY be open est interconnected groomed trail networks in North
for riding WHEN we deem it suitable. Conditions
have to be right not to damage our grooming or America, and as long as cyclists obtain permission
create issues with our ski trails.
from the landowners, they can use the network to ac-
cess even more terrain.
To reduce conflict and lower impact of snow As biking becomes a year-round activity, trail
biking on our existing populace of skiers as well as centers around Vermont are moving to include newer Riders at Kingdom Trails can now cruise a maintained single-track
protect our relationship with landowners, we ask network this season at the Darling Hill location in Lyndonville.
you to follow these guidelines. We cannot stress “fatbikes” on trail systems. Starting this winter, the
enough that it is up to YOU to keep this activity Catamount Outdoor Family Center in Williston and
Kingdom Trails in East Burke will officially open their “Fatbiking is a natural progression,” he says.
a positive factor for our community as well as our terrain to riders. Rental bikes from The Old Spokes
future investment in growing the sport.
“We already have a network of existing trails already
Home have arrived for rental at the Catamount Out- popular with bikers and cross country skiers and run-
Winter Fat Bike Riding Etiquette
door Family Center in Williston and in the Northeast ners. Winter as we know it is changing and biking is
• You must be a member or day pass holder Kingdom, Kingdom Trails now features a separate ful- going to be able to fill that void when the snow isn’t
ly maintained trail system for winter bikes and snow-
of Kingdom Trails.
shoeing at their Darling Hill center
what we’d like it to be.”
• Trail maps are available at our Darling Hill Tim Tierney, president of
Nordic Adventure Center across the street from in Lyndonville. Kingdom Trails in East Burke
the Wildflower Inn.
The Rikert Nordic Center in
says interest in Kingdom Trails
• Do not ride on groomed cross-country ski Ripton will be renting a small fleet Tour De Fatbike
as a fatbike destination began of fatbikes from bike manufac-
trails on the central and northwest side of Darling simply with a group of bike turer Origin8 for the 2014 winter
Hill. They are for skiing only. East Darling Hill is owners who used the trails in
always open for winter biking as is the southwest the wintertime when the snow season. Director Mike Hussey Jan 4: Überwintern at Trapp Family
portion, but please park only at the Children’s said before a major snowstorm Lodge Stowe, VT
Theater on Darling Hill or at our Darling Hill was too poor for skiing.
opened more terrain in early Jan- Jan 18: Le VéloNeige de Coaticook
“People want to pedal uary, the Nordic center had been Coaticook, Qc
Nordic Adventure Center. Fat Bike rentals are year round,” he says. “We have skiing on three to four kilometers Feb 2: Groundhog Fat Bike Event
available at our local shops, East Burke Sports and a hard enough time keeping
Village Sports Shop
of skiing since mid-November on Bromont, Qc
• Be a good trail citizen. If the conditions people off for the one month a loop served by snowmaking, but Feb 15: Montreal Fat Bike event w/
cause you to leave ruts that will impede skiing, we’re closed in November [due simultaneously they were able to Velo Quebec Montreal, Qc
to hunting season].” offer 50 kilometers for biking. March 1: Winterbike (Grand Fat
leave the trail – don’t just keep riding because the The goal, he says, is to provide Since this is their first season with
rules say you can. Spread the word about snow Finale) East Burke, VT
biking, make it fun, keep it safe.
both skiers and riders with the bikes, the staff hasn’t yet de-
• Be an ambassador for the sport – stay polite, their own areas that each can veloped an integration plan for
educate other bikers, discourage bad behavior, enjoy without impeding the
sharing trails between bikers and
other’s trail conditions. Tierney says the result so far skiers, but limits access to the type of bike, permitting
follow the rules, and we’ll all have a good time bikes with a minimum tire width of 3.5 inches and
this winter. When the Nordic Trails are open for has been positive.
snow biking and running, use purpose-built Snow “I think it’s a great way of keeping your trails asking riders not to ride if the snow is so soft the tires
Bikes only! Tires must be wider than 3.5′′ and tire alive in certain areas. If you’re expanding your mar- leaves more than a 1-inch deep track.
pressure must be less than 10 psi.
ket, people are going to preserve those ski trails.” The hardpacked snow, he says, makes for great
riding and the softer powder is easy as well.
• Bikes yield to all other users. Use the snow Growing the sport, he insists, is more important at “It’s pretty cool,” Hussey says. “It’s like riding a mon-
mobile trails as little as possible, be careful of this point than turning a profit.
crossings. You may encounter snowshoers so please “It’s obviously not a fringe thing this year,” says ster truck in relationship to regular mountain bikes.
respect their experience and yield appropriately. Carter of the Old Spokes Home. “The major players There’s no suspension but because you have about
Cross-country skiers don’t have brakes, so bikes four pounds of pressure in the tires, you float along
in bike manufacturing are fully involved and the more over the snow.”
are responsible for staying out of their way. Watch people we can bring into the sport at this point, the In Stowe, The Trapp Family Lodge will host
skiers’ poles. They can be fragile and expensive
better. It’s a way to build the sport rather than mak-
• Give skate skiers a wide berth. ing money off of rentals.”
Überwintern, one of a series of fatbike events in the
• Do not ride in the classic ski tracks. Northeast. While the Lodge currently does not rent
• Do not ride if the snow is too soft. As
Bowker agrees. At this point, both are focused any fatbikes, Briggs Pierce at the Nordic Center says
on growing interest in the sport, but Bowker says he the bikes are an opportunity for possible expansion of
a general rule, if you have to get off and push remains optimistic in the sport’s potential. In 1999, programs.
your bike, the snow is too soft and you absolutely he started and has since run a cyclocross series for
should not be on the Nordic trails. If you leave The Millstone Trails Association near Barre has
a rut, it’s too soft. If you are leaving a trough the past 14 years. Participation in the race has since also opened their trails to fatbikes this winter.
deeper than an inch or are having a hard time grown from 20 to over 100 and he thinks interest in Eric Bowker, executive director at the Cata-
fatbiking’s future could hold something similar.
mount Outdoor Family Center, says including fat-
riding in a straight line, it is probably too soft to “I don’t see this becoming popular on a racing bikes in the array of wintertime activities offered at
be on the Nordic trails.
level, but on a participation level,” he says. “You have the Center was a logical next step for winter recre-
to start somewhere.”
ation. He sold gift certificates for fatbike riding even
before the bikes arrived.

JANUARY 2014
VTSPORTS.COM 9