Bad knees keeping you off the slopes? Ski biking could be the answer
Ski biking offers a new way to shred the slopes for those who want to bike all winter or those looking for a low-impact winter sport.
Are sore, tired, or injured knees keeping you off the mountain slopes you so adore?
If so, the growing winter sport of ski biking could be the solution that makes a full day on the hill a reality again.
Stettler’s Shawn Lee is among those helping push and evolve the sport. Lee is a former competitive superpipe snowboarder, but two torn MCLs meant spending a full day strapped into the bindings was too painful to complete.
Shawn Lee sends snow flying at Lake Louise Ski Resort. (Connor O’Donovan/The Weather Network)
SEE ALSO: Après-ski at a full size ice bar this winter at this Alberta resort
But once he started ski biking a few years ago, that changed.
“I just didn’t feel comfortable on the snowboard anymore, so I looked into it, and ski biking popped up for people who have knee problems,” said Lee. “So I bought my first bike, and I was gone from there. I’m loving the hill again.”
Make no mistake, Lee still shreds. He can be found hitting big jumps, sliding down rails and other park features, and popping snow wheelies at high speeds down the mountain.
But, in between, he’s able to sit back and coast, and he says that makes all the difference.
“That just relieves everything and just kind of revives everything, and I’m good to go again,” Lee explained. He encourages others whose time on the slopes has been limited to give it a shot. “There are so many opportunities to expand your horizons; all you have to do is look for them.”
According to Lee and fellow rider Dustin Cyganik, the sport has dramatically evolved over the past thirty years or so.
The ski bikes that first emerged in the garages of BMX enthusiasts in the 1980s have evolved to become professionally made products made with the highest quality components.
Some companies make BMX bike conversion kits that riders can use to swap out their tires. Others offer fully-assembled mountain ski bikes complete with suspension that leave no terrain out of reach.
Cyganik and Lee say they’ve watched more resorts open to ski biking over the past decade too. They say that while some still only allow the bikes on certain lifts, it’s now harder to find a resort that doesn’t allow them than that does.
And, in a bid to increase the accessibility of the sport, Cyganik has launched his own ski bike rental service near Revelstoke, BC.
Cyganik stands at the top of Revelstoke mountain with a pair of newly minted ski bikers. (Facebook/Revelstoke Skibikes)
SEE ALSO: Conquer winter biking effortlessly with simple modifications
“I’ve had so many people come up to me, and they’re so interested in ski biking, but there’s nowhere to rent them, nowhere to try it, and most people aren’t just going to go out and spend the money to buy it,” Cyganik said.
“So I finally went out and got a few extra ski bikes. I can take up to three people out, and I’ll drive out to resorts like Lake Louise if there’s a group of people who want to try it.
Most resorts will do a “bike check” to ensure the ski bike is structurally sound before allowing it on the mountain and will require riders to wear a leash attached to the bike as well.
“It’s kind of like snowboarding when it first started out. People aren’t quite sure about us yet. Once they start to see what we’re really capable of and that we really belong here, it’s really started changing things in the last few years.”
Want to maximize your winter experience? The Weather Network offers a myriad of ideas to keep you and your family engaged throughout the entire season!"
WATCH | Bar carved from ice goes 'next level' at major ski resort in Alberta:
Have a story idea impacting Alberta? Reach out to Connor O'Donovan on X to share your idea!
