Crested Butte Winter Fat Bike – Who would have thought I need one more bike? If you have not yet taken a spin on a Fat Bike on the snow then you are missing out. Maybe because I had never biked on snow before – but I actually found myself laughing out loud. A fun new mode of transportation and recreation in Crested Butte – FUN!
I recently hosted the annual Boys Ski Trip and for fun we decided to rent Fat Bikes on Sunday morning prior to the group’s departure. It was a beautiful day, and we rode out Gothic Road and took in the awesome morning views overlooking the East River valley floor. Everyone said “wow that was great!”, “…glad we did that”. One of our riders said he felt like he was sucking air through a straw on the ride from the base area to the Snodgrass parking lot and start of the flatter ride out Gothic Road.
Fat Bikes Catching on – Fat bikes seem to be polarizing the CB crowd – some LOVE them and can’t talk enough about the fat bike phenomenom, others roll their eyes and say “biking is for summer and fall”. There also is a bit of a controversy between the nordic crowd and the fat bike crowd over what roads, rec paths, trails, and easements should be shared and which should not. Crested Butte was host to the First Ever Annual Fat Bike World Championships thanks to the hard work by the ever progressive Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce headed by fat bike enthusiast Dave Ochs. This race literally brought in people from all over the world to compete and had a ton of sponsors, bike and component manufacturers.
Fat Bikes on the Groomed Ski Slopes – Kudos to CBMR for getting ahead of the curve and allowing fat bikes on the mountain (not when the lifts are spinning) to join the uphill climbing/skiing crowd in the mornings and afternoons.
Fat Bikes in Town – there have long been winter bikers in Crested Butte with studded tires and now the Fat Bikes are becoming more popular. If you deflate the tires a bit you can get even more tire surface area and “gripsion” (that is a great word combining grip and traction but spelled with an “s”).
Fat Bikes in the Summer too? – CB local John Norton said that during his last trip to Moab “…all the top riders were on fat bikes – they are great in sand and loose dirt, roll over everything and because you go slower are safer”, (he is currently on the mend from a recent fat bike crash). John is also the Executive Director of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association and given the 750 Miles of Trails in Crested Butte & Gunnison he is bullish on promoting the Gunnison Valley as a Mountain Biking Mecca! They have also been instrumental in creating a supercool interactive trail map website and mobile app – go to http://mtbhome.com. Yes you can ride a Fat Bike on all of the trails in the Summer!
People often ask me “what makes Crested Butte special?” It is hard to put into words, but the I think Fat Bikes are going to make it into the mix and will provide visitors one more cool experience. With endless open space and recreational opportunities your adventures in Crested Butte are limitless.
There are plenty of luxury homes and high-end ski-in / ski-out condos at the base area, but unlike some of the other ski resort towns in Colorado that have their glitsy roots in gold and silver mining – Crested Butte was as a coal mining town. In many ways the character and attitude of the early ranchers and miners has transcended time. In Crested Butte the skiing is great, the scenery is awesome, the recreational activities in the Gunnison Valley are endless, and the people are warm, friendly and real. Come to Crested Butte, ski, hike, drive a car on the ice, ride a fat bike…, then go find a restaurant, bar or shop in town or up on the mountain and sit for a while, relax and enjoy striking up a conversation with a new friend.
If you have an interest in Crested Butte Real Estate and would like to start a conversation about homes, condos or land in the Crested Butte area, call me.
Thanks!
Chris Kopf
Previews® Property Specialist
Coldwell Banker Bighorn Realty
970-209-5405
chriskopf@bighornrealty.com
ChrisKopf.com
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