Fat bikes saved our winter

The winter of 2015-16 was arguably the best in history — for a small crew of fat-bikers headquartered out of a small bike shop in Stowe.

Low snowpack presented a unique opportunity. Mountain bike trails were exact replicas of their dirt-summer-selves, only smoother with shallow snow blanketing the rooty terrain. There was no need to shovel out the berms, no snowblown bench-cuts to recut. With the lack of arduous foot-grooming (snowshoeing) and hand tooling, we were left with a new option: ride daily.

Like a kids’ club in a tree fort, we made plans to meet for our adventures at iRide each evening. Andrew, Max Shredly and I would assemble at the bike shop as Jarrod closed out the till. Post-work meetings brought excited discussions of pedal-powered adventures into the nighttime woods. Lights were mounted to bikes, tire pressures adjusted, frame bags and flasks were filled and into the deep we would ride.

“Where should we head tonight? Sterling Valley? Loops? Adams Camp?” For the first time. all options were open.

On the balmy January day of the Überwintern Fatbike Fest, over 23 miles of trail were running! This was a record for Stowe. That day, we rode all the available mileage with over 150 guest riders from all over the Northeast. While Ol’ Man Winter had dealt a bad hand to the ski hill, he had dolled out a straight flush to us. The trails rolled like a well-organized fatbike touring center had engineered and maintained them.

Mid and late winter brought more favorable conditions. On occasion, temps would spike, and rain ensued followed by deep freeze, turning low-lying trails into formidable icy luge runs. On these occasions, we sought refuge high up on the valley walls, where the snowpack was three times deeper and the rain line started hundreds of feet below. These were my favorite rides.

While we received reports from around the region of abominable no-snow conditions, our stash of trails looked like a snow globe paradise.

Like surfers discovering a hidden break, we knew we were lucky. Blessed in our bubble, we reveled in the unexpectedly prime conditions. Winter 2015-16 was all-time!

Ryan Thibault is co-founder of Mountain Bike Vermont — mbvt.com — and co-author of a comprehensive guide to mountain biking in the Green Mountain State.