Last month saw the second annual Fatbike Summit where land managers and bike advocates talked about banding together in an effort to promote the sport of winter cycling. In recent years mountain bikers have been increasingly hitting the trails and unfortunately this has resulted in some concerns over trail usage. But the recent summit ensured that the trails can be shared by skiers, bikers and even those on snowmobiles.
“We hit one out of the park,” said Gary Sjoquist, advocacy director for distributor QBP, a major supporter of the event. “Our Friday session was attended by about 40 land managers and included folks from Yellowstone (National Park) and various U.S. Forest units. They all got to ride fat bikes and learned how minimal their impacts are to groomed Nordic ski and snowmobile trails.”
Even the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) has gotten in on act, as Anna Laxague, IMBA regional director for the Pacific Northwest took part. IMBA will reportedly support advocacy efforts to build industry and grass-roots support, to unite diverse trails through common goals, and most importantly help communities use fat biking to boost local recreational economies.
While this winter will come to an end, this could be only the beginning for fat bike riding in the snow.