| An unconventional European trend is hitting Alberta’s ski hills this season. No, it’s not eating strudel while shooshing – it’s snowbiking the slopes. A cross between mountain biking and skiing, snowbiking can best be described as something old that’s new again.
First introduced in the Alps in the 1800s, the bike frame-on-skis combination is back with a vengeance thanks to a European company with Calgary connections.
Brenter Snowbikes from Austria has invaded Alberta and other parts of Canada, making its products available for rent at resorts and ski hills and for sale online. Brenter traces its roots back to 1923, when Engelbert Brenter founded a family business manufacturing skis and sleighs. However, it wasn’t long before the industrious Brenter began to attach skis to modified bike frames and introduce what was first described as a "sit-ski." What followed were the ski-bob and eventually the snowbike.
Still a family-run business, Brenter today is marketing snowbikes across the world to a population seeking a new – or at least revitalized – recreational activity. "The demographic appeal of the snowbike is bigger than anything on the hill," says Brian Stolle, Canadian distributor of Brenter Snowbikes.
Brenter’s Canadian operations are based out of New Denver, B.C., with an office in Calgary. Stolle says the company isn’t interested in "cannibalizing" the ski industry, but complementing it by offering people of almost any age an alternative to boarding and skiing. After being introduced to snowbikes by a friend who had a first-hand look at them in Austria, Stolle was convinced to found Brenter Snowbike Canada Inc. "We realized the potential of the business and the sport," he says.
For approximately $40 per day, a snowbike can be rented at such ski hills as Sunshine Village, Panorama and Marmot Basin. "That typically includes boots and helmet," adds Stolle.
At Jasper’s Marmot Basin, Brenter Snowbikes have been available for rent since 2003. "They’re getting more and more popular," says Peter Scott, manager of the rental shop at Marmot. "Skiing is from the Dark Ages and snowboarding has been around for more than 20 years. Snowbiking is something new."
Scott, who has snowbiked at Marmot, including on expert runs, says the sport is easy to learn and even beginners feel comfortable snowbiking within minutes.
"All you have to do to control the thing is lean," he says. "With the rental, we offer a one-hour training program and you get a certificate. Even going up the lift is pretty easy."
The most recent incarnations of snowbikes are lighter, easier to manoeuvre and more comfortable than ever before. With a cushioned seat and front/rear suspension system, they allow a snowbiker to take a quick trip down the run without feeling bruised and battered.
Appealing to curiosity-seekers and baby boomers, snowbiking could become the next big thing in winter recreation. Already there’s competition for those who would prefer to sit while sliding down the slopes. An American company has entered the snowbike business with K2 Snowcycles, what Scott at Marmot describes as "BMX on skis."
For more information about Brenter Snowbikes, go to www.snowbike.ca. |
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