In winter the alps are taken over by the skiers, but we fight back! Armed with woollen socks we bombed down the icy slopes!

It’s a cold Friday morning at the end of January as I load my bike in the back of the van. The parking lot is covered in black ice, and the mountains have a fresh white coat of snow on them. Normally, I would head down to the lower valleys for my winter bike riding, or even sneak down south to Italy but today we have a different plan… 

Between early December and the end of April the mountain bike trails of Verbier are covered under a thick layer of snow, and the streets of the village are filled with Gore Tex clad tourists trying to keep their balance in their ski boots. Winter tourism is a big part of the income for most alpine regions, and unless you’re particularly hardcore, most locals put their bikes in storage for the winter months. 

There are always a few that can’t wait until spring and do anything to get out on two wheels again. Each year, the people from the Verbier Bikepark get together and organise a ‘Bikes on Snow’ day. Nothing serious, no competition but just pure fun slipping and sliding around. Even though I have been getting plenty of days on the bike, I was eager to sign up. Normally the ski pistes are off limits for bikers, so I was eager to give it a go. 

After signing a waiver, we jump in the queue for the Savoleyres gondola, an ancient piece of engineering that takes you up to the 2344m high peak with the same name. The ride up is slow, as this is one of the oldest lifts in the ski area built in 1970! But there are rumours it will be replaced in the near future… Either way the view is fantastic, who can complain on a bluebird day? Reaching the top station, we pass some bewildered skiers and roll towards the signposted track for the bike day. The air is crisp and the snowpack nice and firm too.

When prepping for riding on snow, I gave it some thought on what adjustments would be necessary to survive a day of limited traction. Proper spikes were off limits for safety reasons, but making the switch to mud tires would make an improvement for sure. But, I don’t own a set of those, so I just did an extra round of morning prayers instead. I did manage to firm up the suspension a bit and grab some extra gloves, bandanas and those nice warm woollen PNW socks.

With limited prep, it was time to give it a go. The first section was straightforward, so great to get a feel for the terrain. It was surprisingly grippy! Slow was definitely not the way to go, as then the wheels would dig in the snow. Best take a deep breath, keep the fingers away from the brakes and pick up some speed! 

Whizzing down what is normally a luge run / blue ski piste, the organisers shaped in some jumps and rollers for added excitement. Tempting, but I figured it’s best to leave that for the second run. 

The lower you got, the more corners and turns there were to negotiate. Confidence is key when riding on snow. Lean it like you really mean it, and your bike gets into a steady drift. Hesitate, and it might buck you over the handlebars. 

First run done, and I have to admit it was more fun than I expected. There is no place on a normal MTB trail where it’s that steep and that smooth, really giving you the opportunity to work on those drifting skills. 

Second and third run turned out to be a hoot. Confidence built and we started sending the jumps and really picking up speed now. Drifting our way down with the occasional highsider sending us tumbling down the hill. Turns out even if you dress well, the snow gets in your undies when you crash. 

As the day progressed, the sun started to hit some of the piste. Now that was bad news, as the slushy goo was a lot harder to control and predict than a nice firm snowpack. With quite a big amount of riders turning up, the amount of ruts grew by the hour. 

On run number 5 my fingers started to freeze up, and I had trouble feeling my legs. From all the drifting around, the snow splashed up onto my shins and ankles, covering them with ice. Thicker gloves weren’t an option, as with ski gloves you’d struggle getting a proper feel on the brake levers. 

With half my body frozen or covered in ice, and the track getting more cut up by the minute I decided to fight my way down and grab a hot chocolate to warm up. First I had to make it down in one piece though, which was harder than earlier that day. 

The deep ruts sent my bike in random directions with lightning speed causing me to eat snow multiple times. Now I have no problem with the occasional crash, but this surface really was unpredictable. One moment you’d be feeling in control and smooth like Bruni, and the next you’d be on your face with no clue what just happened. 

I tried to access my hidden superpowers, but I guess they were frozen in the process too. After taking a handful of highsiders, slams and bum-slides down the steep slopes I reached the gondola again in one piece. Kind of. 

On the way up I decided, this was more than enough for today. I chugged a hot chocolate at the restaurant on top and made my way back to the van. Bruised hip and ego, frozen shins and smile on my face. What a great day out! 

Riding in snow is definitely a challenge, but a great way to loosen up your riding style and getting used to the odd tumble. It really tells you how important shifting body weight around on the bike is and how you can use it to your advantage. A day of playing in the snow definitely will make you a better rider on normal trail conditions. Just make sure you pack plenty of layers and bring a thermos to warm up in between runs! 

Thanks to Bikepark Verbier for organising and Backside/Craig Paterson from JustBe Films for the images.

By Mike Sterling

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