Bicycle Skiing

It all started when I wanted to go skiing in the Middlesex Fells after a particularly heavy snowfall two years ago. I couldn't get anyone to go with me and I didn't want to have to push my car out of an unplowed parking area alone, so I got out my bike and tried to figure out how to attach skis so they wouldn't interfere too much with steering or pedaling. It was really quite easy; I just placed them along the top tube, one ski on either side, after fastening the tips to each other. Ski tails and poles were then bungee-corded to the rear rack and the headset. My skis are long enough that the bindings end up just behind the seat. If yours aren't that long, you may not be able to fasten the tips in front of the headset; just fasten them over the top tube and tie them down securely.

Cross-country ski boots make pretty good winter riding shoes, though you might need larger toe clips. They're warm and have stiff soles; some people ride with them even when they're not going skiing. Bike helmets protect your head from low branches, and a rear-view helmet mirror is very useful on a trail\(emyou can make sure the rest of the group is still there without turning around just before the unexpected precipice or rock. A daypack comes in handy to carry spare wax, bike pump, toolkit, and excess clothing while skiing; a lone bike in a fairly deserted area is fair game for vandals.

I only take my skis on my bike a couple of times in a winter, so this apparatus-less technique has served me well. Other BABC members have ridden as many as 15 miles with skis on their bikes. Next time it snows, I'll see you at the Fells.

published in the January 1986 Boston Cyclist
by Doug Mink, who is now more likely to be seen skiing in the Arnold Arboretum or Stony Brook Reservation