ItB次元官网网址檚 no longer just skiers and snowboarders shredding powder on the hill at Fernie Alpine Resort.
A sport known as ski biking has started to gain popularity among the areaB次元官网网址檚 snow enthusiasts, and Ross Frazier is one of a few locals who has tried it. Frazier, who can be seen cruising the slopes on a black and yellow SKIBYK, became interested in the sport after he saw a group of people doing it.
B次元官网网址淚 was just skiing down and I saw this large group skiing kind of slow, then I realized it must have been a family and some of them were on a ski bike testing it out for the first time. IB次元官网网址檇 never seen it before,B次元官网网址� he recalled.
He had already mastered skiing and snowboarding, and was seeking a new challenge. Ski biking turned out to be exactly what he was looking for.
B次元官网网址淚 want to learn something new,B次元官网网址� he added. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e kind of reached the point of skiing, [where] getting that sort of excitement means going faster than I want to and trying to hit drops and trees and everything. ItB次元官网网址檚 not worth the risk of injury in my mind.B次元官网网址�
Ski bikes have the frame of a bicycle with skis underneath rather than wheels. They have stationary peddles that riders can rest their feet on, but no brakes, so riders stop the same way as skiers would.
It remains a fairly niche sport and there isnB次元官网网址檛 a huge community of riders in Fernie yet. Frazier said that although heB次元官网网址檚 taken a few people out with him and heB次元官网网址檚 taught some of his friends, heB次元官网网址檚 really only seen a few bikers out and about. HeB次元官网网址檚 often the only biker out of the hill, so he tends to attract a lot of attention.
B次元官网网址淵ou can give the people on the lift a show,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 like to make peopleB次元官网网址檚 chair ride up more entertaining. I like to go underneath the lift because if I wipe out big, I want people to see it and have something to talk about.B次元官网网址�
He said he can do most runs at the hill, although particularly steep slopes give him difficulty and the t-bar is too challenging to ride. His favourite run is Arrow because of its mixed terrain.
B次元官网网址淚t has a lot of little side jumps. You can go into the trees. It has some steepness, a good mixture of everything,B次元官网网址� he said.
Ski biking is not as hard as it looks. Frazier said the bikes are easier to take on the chairlift than a snowboard, and thereB次元官网网址檚 less risk of injury because the rider isnB次元官网网址檛 attached to the bike when they fall off. Bikes also take stress off the knees, which makes it a good option for people with mobility issues, and knee and joint problems.
He enjoys it so much that he bikes more than he skis or boards and heB次元官网网址檚 looking forward to taking it out on the slopes this season.
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