Lenz Sport Skibikes at SIA On-Snow Show at Winter Park Resort

by G. Kunkel

Lenz Sport Skibikes are an integral part of Winter Park Resort's Ski & Ride School. During the SIA On-Snow Show (Snowsports Industry of America) the largest snowsport trade show in the USA, free demo's and lessons were offered on Lenz Brawlers and Launches.

The booth generated a great deal of interest from skiers and snowboarders from registered SIA industry participants and the general public. About 75% of participants were SIA and another 25% were general public. It was an even split between skiers and snowboarders. About 75% of skibike demo participants were men and 25% were women.

Skibike demo participants received a free 1.5 - 2 hour lesson from Winter Park Resort skibike instructors. People came from a variety of states. While most were from 'ski states', a number were from the midwest and overseas. New skibike converts came from Ohio and Slovakia.

Feedback from demo participants was 99% positive. Most came back from the lessons with ear to ear grins. A few begged to be able to take the bikes out by themselves afterwards. After leaving driver's licenses and a credit card, they were accomodated.

Two people found that peg skibikes weren't for them. One opted for the more traditional foot-ski skibike and another just decided skibikes weren't for them. A few skeptics stopped by the booth and didn't demo at all. They were all skiers. Snowboarders and downhill mountain bikers seemed to be the most enthusiastic about skibikes.

A number of ski vacationers who couldn't work in a free demo on Monday or Tuesday elected to sign up and pay for lessons later in the week. They were given Preferred Customer Gold Cards to receive $20 off their lesson.

The 2012 skibike demo booth at Winter Park Resort was a great success at SIA. It increased the visibility of skibikes at Winter Park and nationwide.

© 2012 G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Eldora Mountain Resort is now allowing skibikes for the 2011-12 ski season

G. Kunkel

It took a loose band of skibike enthusiasts in Colorado, Texas, California, and a Colorado Ski Country USA media event to return skibiking to Eldora Mountain Resort just west of Boulder, Colorado. Great job everyone - it worked.

Eldora Mountain Resort used to have guided ski-bob lessons, rentals, and tours on their hill awhile back. Due to lack of demand or the lack of skibike innovation by manufacturers - Eldora dropped their program, sold their rental fleet, and banned skibikes.

Due to the surge in popularity of skibiking in the USA from recent innovations like full-suspension peg skibikes, there's now a demand for ski resorts permitting peg skibikes and the older style traditional ski-bobs.

Ski resorts with a downhill mountain bike trail system, communities with active mountain bikers, and bike parks are going to reap the benefits. Boulder, Colorado is a hub of mountain bikers and has the new and very popular Valmont Bike Park.

At a chance meeting with Rob Linde, the Chief Marketing Officer at Eldora, at a media-event before the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Expo in Denver, I let him know that many of my skibike lessons at Winter Park Resort were filled with people from Boulder. Most were frustrated that they couldn't skibike at Eldora.

Rob explained the history of skibikes at Eldora and then issued a challenge. Show the demand and he'd open the joint up. Get at least five skibikers to contact him and say they were coming to his resort this ski season.

The skibike troops responded and called Rob or sent professional emails. Got the green light yesterday.

Eldora Mountain Resort is now open to full-suspension peg skibikes and to traditional ski-bobs. I don't have all the details yet but I'll get them as soon as I can. I'm not sure if homemade bikes are allowed, leash requirements, license requirements, or terrain park access.

In the meantime, show some respect on the hill. Follow the Responsibility Code. People are also going to ask questions about your ride - lots of questions. You may get jealous looks or comments or hateful glances. The haters have mostly stopped at Winter Park Resort and don't exist at Arapahoe Basin. I expect most people at Eldora will want to hijack your ride.

Challenge to all skibikers out there - let's show this local ski hill some skibiker love. They opened the door - let's keep it open by giving them the business. Buy passes, buy lift tickets, buy food, patronize that awesome bar they have.

© 2011 G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Where to find lift-served skibiking in Colorado in June

Lift-served skibiking goes into June in Colorado. Earning your turns doesn't have to be the only option.

Arapahoe Basin Ski Area (or A-Basin to locals) is open until June 5, 2011 this ski season. The new Black Mountain Express chairlift makes unloading so much easier too. Head over to the Lenawee lift after unloading to access the upper mountain, East Wall, and Montezuma Bowl.

A-Basin is an extremely skibike-friendly ski area. Ski bikes are allowed in the terrain parks and homemade skibikes are also welcome. A-Basin does require that all skibikes be equipped with leashes and are used on the chairlift.

If getting off the fixed-grip chair lifts presents a problem, you can signal the liftie to slow the lift down. They'd rather slow it down than have you fall off while unloading. Be mindful of punching holes in their ramp when unloading though. Making extra work for lifties is not the way to win friends or access to other ski resorts.

A-Basin doesn't offer skibike rentals but there is a local guy who rents them. Make arrangements in advance if you need a bike. The Brenter reps were at A-Basin recently and did leave a Brenter C6 for demo's. I don't have any contact information for using those skibikes.

Just because the weather is warming up along the Front Range that doesn't mean the skibike season is over. The 2010-11 ski season isn't over yet. Lots of snow fell this ski season in Colorado. It's still falling too.

Photo by Devin Lenz



© 2011 G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.