A man wearing goggles riding a snow bike down a snowy mountain

© MARIO BUEHNER/GEPA VIA ZUMA PRESS

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Biking on Snow?

A wild sport that combines mountain biking and skiing is gaining popularity in the United States

AS YOU READ, THINK ABOUT how ski biking differs from skiing and snowboarding.

Head to any ski slop in the U.S. and you’ll see skiers and snowboarders swooshing down the snow-covered mountainside. But don’t be surprised if you spot a few bikers as well! Only these bikers aren’t riding regular bicycles—their bikes have skis instead of wheels! They’re participating in a sport called ski biking. Ski biking is gaining fans in America because it’s both fun and accessible to people of all abilities.

Unlike skiers or snowboarders, ski bikers can rush down the slopes sitting down. Or they can ride standing up, which makes it easier to do tricks like jumps and flips. “It’s wide open what ski bikes are able to do,” says Devin Lenz, the founder of Lenz Sport, a ski bike manufacturer based in Colorado.

Two young men posing on their ski bikes

IMAGE SOURCE/GETTY IMAGES

SEATED RIDE: Many people find ski biking easier to learn than regular skiing.

Although most Americans have never heard of the sport, ski biking has been popular in Europe for decades. European national ski biking teams compete in events like downhill and slalom, which involves racing through a winding course marked by poles. The world’s fastest ski bikers have reached recordbreaking speeds of more than 200 kilometers (125 miles) per hour.

Ski biking didn’t start as a sport, though. It was originally invented about 150 years ago as a means of transportation in the Alps, a mountain range that stretches through seven countries in Europe. Back then, people rode wooden bikes fitted with long runners like those on a sleigh to deliver mail and other goods in heavy snow. Today’s ski bikes are more hightech, but they still work in the same way—by taking advantage of the physical forces at work around them to zip down the slopes.

A DIFFERENT RIDE

Skis, snowboards, and ski bikes are all propelled by the downward pull of gravity. At the top of a mountain, skiers, snowboarders, and ski bikers have potential energy because of their raised position. When they push off downhill, gravity transforms this stored energy into kinetic energy, or the energy of motion. That causes their snowboards, skis, or ski bikes to accelerate—or change speed—moving faster and faster down the mountain.

Ski bikers have some key advantages over skiers and snowboarders, though. Riding seated lowers a biker’s center of mass—the point around which an object’s mass is concentrated. This makes it easier to balance without tipping over. A ski bike is also easier to steer—a rider can just turn the handlebars and lean to the side, like on a regular bike. Also like a typical bike, a ski bike has a rigid metal frame with a suspension system, such as shockabsorbing springs. They help the bike absorb impacts as it goes over bumps.

Black and white photo of ski bikers on the snow in 1970

DUANE HOWELL/THE DENVER POST VIA GETTY IMAGES

POPULAR IN THE PAST: Ski bikers hit the slopes in Denver, Colorado, in 1970.

While the skis on ski bikes are shorter than traditional skis, they still have similar design features. For example, each ski has a slight hourglass shape. This helps carve a curved path into the snow when turning. The skis also have a subtle upward arch, called camber, in the center. When a person rides a ski bike, the arches flatten, distributing the rider’s weight so the skis make better contact with the snow.

Some people ride ski bikes with their feet balanced on pegs or pedals. They give riders something to push against as they jump snowbanks, twist in midair, or pop a wheelie. Other people strap their boots into small foot skis that glide over the snow as they cruise downhill. “With four points of contact rather than two, you have added balance and stability to go faster and maneuver,” says Katie Zakutansky. She’s a biomechanical engineer at Engineering Systems, Inc., an engineering and scientific investigation company. For an even steadier ride, there are ski trikes with three skis.

SLOPES FOR ALL

Since ski biking doesn’t require standing, the sport is a natural fit for many riders with disabilities. “It can be life changing for people with disabilities or people who never thought they could ski,” says Jim Weiland. He’s an adaptive ski instructor with the American SkiBike Association, based in Utah. In adaptive skiing, people use specialized equipment, like ski bikes, to participate in the same activities as people who ski in a traditional manner (see Adaptive Sports).

A female ski biker racing on the snow

ISIWAL/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/CC BY-SA 4.0

COOL MOVES: Austrian ski biker Sarah Gruber races in the 2018 Austrian National Championship.

Riders with disabilities have championed the ski bike and encouraged mountain resorts to embrace it too. Addy McCord is one of those riders. She’s the director of the ski patrol at the Beaver Creek Resort in Colorado. After serving in her job for more than 20 years, a surgical complication meant she couldn’t ski without pain. Ski biking has allowed her to continue doing the patrol job she loves. Initially, the resort worried that ski bikes could cause accidents with other people riding down the mountainside. (People had the same concern when snowboards were first introduced.) McCord showed them otherwise. She’s one of many people acting as ski biking “ambassadors” who are helping to open access to slopes across the country, says Chris Schuler. He’s the founder of the ski bike manufacturer SKIBYK in Washington State.

Today, at more and more ski resorts, ski bikers of all abilities cruise down the slopes alongside skiers and snowboarders. At the end of the day, the sport is all about having fun, says Schuler: “Just go out and ride.”

ARGUMENT FROM EVIDENCE: Provide evidence to support the claim that ski biking is well-suited to people with disabilities.

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