Coming off a long weekend with beautiful weather, it’s fun to reflect on taking an adventure at a different pace. Wrapping up the ski season from the East, Brian Mohr sent us a great story on spring biking and skiing in the Green Mountains:
Pedal Powered Skiing
by Brian Mohr
Earlier this spring, with our options for skiing out the back door melting away, we loaded our skis, poles, day packs and boots into our bike trailers. About an hour later, we’d be stashing our bikes in the woods and skinning toward the base of our local Mad River Glen ski area. We’d spend several hours skiing a mix of lift-served and sidecountry terrain, catch up with a few friends, and when the shadows chased us off the mountain, we’d enjoy a bonus off-piste ski descent to our bikes in the woods. Back on the bikes, our soon-to-be-cycling-season legs appreciated the early spring warm up. We’d spot crocuses in the valley blooming along the edge of snow patches, hear our first peepers of the season and watch the sun dip behind the Green Mountain Divide along the final uphill approach to our home. More than anything, it just felt good to spend the afternoon out skiing in the big mountains, without having to drive.
On the bikes, the trip (60-70 minutes) takes approx. 45 minutes longer than it does by car (20 minutes)… no big deal. We once pulled off a 3-day pedal-powered ski trip in the Rockies, biking a little, skiing a lot. Now, with gas prices climbing (finally!), glaciers melting (not cool) and fossil fuel combustion causing all sorts of global problems (oil spills, air/water pollution, war), it’s time for something different…
Imagine… 2 weeks, countless peaks and a great variety of ski descents, pedalling bikes primarily to move to new trailheads and terrain every so often, or to roll into town for some supplies or a lil’ culture. A SKI trip, not a bike trip… starting and ending right here at our home in Vermont. It would be an epic, human-powered skiing adventure.
For now, here are a few images that might inspire you to get out on your own pedal powered skiing adventures…
Think snow!
Brian and Emily
EmberPhoto.com
Moretown, VT
Emily Johnson and Peter Wadsworth cycle through Vermont's Mad River Valley, en route to Mad River Glen.