The tame winter has kept the winter sport opportunities down a bit. I have been out on the regular MTB much more though, (though not much) so there is the good with the not so good.
The snow we received around the new year, and then this past week finally have a good base for some winter activities. If I had the gumption to wax my skis for frigid weather I would probably ski... but I don't ... so get out the fat bike.
Step 1:
Check the weather. Realize that it isn't really even that bad (for me).
Step 2:
Dress for success. What does that mean? Thick wool socks. Wind front briefs, XC ski pants, running tights over that. Long underwear top, Old Nike Waffle hoodie cycling undershirt, fleece sweatshirt, and old Nike jacket to stop the wind. I slapped my light PI beanie under the hood of the Nike Waffle, and then had a facemask thing too. Because of the Bar mitts I just used some thinly insulated gloves that would not be enough for anything under about 32 degrees by themselves. Footwear was the 45Nrth Wolvhammers of course.
Step 3:
Help try to get a 3 year old back in bed for his nap. Start to get a bit warm...
Step 4:
Bike to the trail. Try to decide... which will be better... Cowpath or Skyline Drive... I chose Cowpath. About this time I also ditched my sunglasses... I like the windblocking... but they just fog up and are pointless. If I really get into this snow biking thing a more "skiing"-centric helmet/google set-up would be preferable.
Step 5:
Commence walking up the whole Cowpath. It actually may have been slightly rideable, but the gearing required to keep moving forward would have been slower anyways... start to peel off layers or at least un-zip
Step 6:
Get to the top of the cowpath and realize that no one has been up here at least where I want to get going towards... fresh tracks! Which eventually turns into more trudging. Even the darn road was tough to traverse... I guess less people use the bluff than I thought...
Step 7:
Finally get to where I can just coast/pedal/etc. Realize I have no idea where folks have been trying to bike. I decide to ride Lay Down Sally backwards as there is a track.
Do most of Lay Down and just turn around as the single fat bike tire and irregular walker that had beaten the path down just wasn't doing it for me (and I realized how late it was since it took forever to actually get up to the top of the bluff.
Nice views though...
The trip down the Cowpath was actually pretty quick/enjoyable. 1.25 hours of hard work for 10 minutes of singletrack fun... not the worst way to spend a bit of an afternoon (while avoiding watching the Vikings - good choice there! yikes)
