Page 17 - 83998_NSAA_Journal_Fall2018

bike—which has three skis attached—providing yet another Jim Weiland, an American SkiBike Association board member,
option and greater stability for fans of these devices. There is a below-the-knee amputee who rides all three types of ski
are now several US ski bike manufacturers, and retail prices bikes and works as an adaptive ski bike instructor at Sunrise
range from about $800 to $3,500. Park Resort in Arizona. Weiland, who has helped lead ski
Among the most popular new additions in the Type 3 bike clinics for instructors around the country, says the ski
category is the SNO-GO, a seatless device with two rear skis bike’s proven utility for adaptive users has helped win general
that turn in parallel when the user stands on the rear skis and acceptance of these devices for all users.
leans on the handlebars (www.sno-go.us). This type of ski bike “I think the whole industry really turned a corner when
has a front ski with a mountain bike-style suspension fork, Vail Resorts first began welcoming ski bikes at all their resorts
and a chairlift hook for easier loading and unloading about five years ago after successfully experimenting with them
for uphill transport. at Breckenridge during the Disabled Sports USA Hartford Ski
Spectacular for several years prior,” Weiland says. “There are
different ways to ride a ski bike, and they can all be good for
“Nearly one in four ski areas in different adaptive riders. The bottom line is you can balance
them, you can steer them, you can have a comfortable seat on
the US now welcome ski bikes, them, and—as they say—it’s as easy as riding a bike.”

a number that is growing quickly.” The features that make ski bikes friendly to adaptive users
also make them appealing to many older riders, younger riders,
—JEFF BUTCHER, AMERICAN SKIBIKE ASSOCIATION and even hard-core mountain bikers looking for a natural
switchover for a winter downhill activity, adds Weiland.
Another, possibly more familiar, riff on conventional
The SNO-GO won the Utah Innovation Award for biking that is gaining momentum at ski areas is the FAT BIKE.
Outdoor Consumer Goods in 2017 shortly after it was Equipped with oversized tires, fat bikes enable the rider to plow
launched in 2016, using an innovative Kickstarter campaign. through or float over the snow, depending on conditions.
Co-founder Obed Marrder, based in Sandy, Utah, says 15 ski
areas in the US will be renting SNO-GOs for the 2018-19
season. The SNO-GO, which retails for $1,699, will also be
available for rent from Ski-N-See in Park City, Utah, and
from most on-mountain Christy Sports shops in Colorado.
SNO-GO put its prototypes through a lot of fine-tuning,
says Marrder. “We did a lot of our initial testing and demos
with the ski school here at Brighton Resort and consulted
with all the other Utah resorts to see what they needed,
what we needed to comply with, what the consumers
needed, and what would appeal to a broad audience,” he
says. “We worked hard to design something that felt and
handled like a mountain bike, while carving like skis, and
that was specifically designed for resorts with all the safety
features. A complete beginner can come up and not have
to worry about catching an edge or not being able to stop, OMEGA – Because we put
while somebody who is more advanced can carve in powder a lot of love into the detail
and steeps.”
Location
The work paid off when Vail Resorts gave the green light Highmount The OMEGA is based on a modular concept
and can be used for a wide range of applica-
this year for SNO-GOs to be used at its resorts, Marrder New York, USA tions. Fittings and functional design focus
says. “Patricia Reynolds, the senior manager of Health & Type on the needs and comfort requirements of
the passengers. During the trip, passengers
Safety for Breckenridge, conducted the testing, and after that OMEGA IV-8 LWI benefit from the panoramic views, great
it has really been snowballing,” he adds. He’s now working Number of Cabins sense of space and top seating comfort.
with some Vail resorts to add the SNO-GO to rental fleets. 60 cwa.ch
One factor that has been driving acceptance of ski bikes
across the country is the device’s appeal to adaptive users.

03.04.2018 13:39:32
180329_RZ_Inserat_omega_92x118_calibri.indd 1 FALL 2018 | NSAA JOURNAL | 15