First, a little background...my name is Vince, and I've been a skier all my life.  However, as a college student, life has been busy the last couple of years, and I haven't been up on a mountain in two years.  Two weeks ago, I was able to try the Koski Snow Bikes for the first time at Sierra at Tahoe...in what was also my first trip to the snow in two years.  Needless to say, it was with a little trepidation that I approached snow biking.  I needn't have worried; before the end of my first run down the mountain my fears were allayed.  "It's like riding a bike..."  From the get go, everything was amazingly simple.  Even the ski lift, which I had thought would be the most difficult aspect of the day, turned out to be a piece of cake.  The seat of the bike fits easily over the armrest of the chairlift, and a simple arm rested on top of the seat of the Snow Bike keeps it from tipping and falling off the lift.  Then it came to actually using the Bike...and that's when the fun began.

Less than halfway down the first run, I felt much more comfortable than I thought I would have felt by the end of the day.  The suspension on the Snow Bikes make for a really smooth ride, and the bike itself absorbs most of the shock; because of this, I was able to go all-out on nearly every run, and I was never breathing hard, nor did I threaten to break a sweat.  It was simple, and I was able to give it my all run after run...something I'm sure I would never have been able to pull off on skis.  After the first run, we turned from Beginner to Intermediate runs, and by the third run, I was confident enough to go down the Face of the Mountain.  By the end of the day, I was actively seeking out rises so that I could try to 'jump' the Snow Bike.  It was tremendous fun, and to make matters even better, I was not sore at all the following day!  Another benefit of the Snow Bikes was evident in my dad's condition following the ride.  My father has bad knees, and though a mere half-day of skiing would have him laid up for days with sore legs, the Koski Snow Bikes left him pain-free after more than a half day of Snow Biking.  They really are amazingly easy on the body.

I can't thank Jeff Butcher enough for taking us up on the Koski Snow Bikes for the first time. My dad had such a great time he bought two of  them. I can't wait to get back on the slopes to ride the Koski Snow Bikes!

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Vince Cressio

 

23 year old History Major at the University of California, Santa Barbara