SkiBike Tour 2011-12 - BullSkating Into The Sunset
Posted: Monday, 20 February 2012 by Mark Kinnon in Labels: 2011-12 Tour, D.I.Y., SkiBike, Switzerland
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I had a slightly later start today and wasn't on the slope till 10:30, I am feeling the fatigue setting in and yet there is still so much to cram in before the 2012 tour and my skibiking season ends. Last year I managed to schedule in a few rest days but this year it isn't an option, as Warren Zevon once said "I'll sleep when I'm dead".
Today I have made peace with the T-bar drag lifts, I even found myself messing about whilst riding them, as I casually rested a leg on top of the fork crowns on the ride up. It's an easy but novel stunt that Martin Schwaiger considered a first on the T-Bar. I wonder if he'll copy it, of course the crown of a BullSkate fork is a lot higher.
Whilst I was exploring some of the pleasant and gentle woodland runs, I got a call from Martin to meet him at BullSkate base camp. We shared coffee and McVities chocolate digestive biscuits, shot the breeze and in spite of pressing chores elsewhere, I persuaded him to come for one final ride. He ran me through his carving drills, at the end of which he declared I was 25% carving, in truth it was probably only 10% and he was being nice to me. I warned him that in future there may be an army of "fat, sweaty, middle aged Englishmen with a hatred of T-Bars" to follow in my wake, at least he knows what to expect now, I hope they don't destroy his hard earned street cred.
In the afternoon I cruised around Sorenberg some more, trying out every run imaginable, right down to a tiny nursery slope. There really is plenty of variety on offer, steep reds, gentle woodland blues and some very wide flatter "carving practice" pistes.
Yet again I lost myself and missed the corresponding lift up the hill and ended up walking back to the car park. I followed a "winter wonderweg" pisted footpath with my skibike at my side, gliding along the snow like a well trained dog. A far better option than trudging up the main road with it over my shoulder.
If you are tempted to follow in my skibike tracks, here is some salient information.
BullSkate skibikes can be rented by the day in Sorenberg and at a few other locations, expect to pay 40 CHF (Swiss Francs) per day, hire will include approximately a half hour of tuition.
By car Sorenberg is just over 2 and a half hours drive from Geneva airport.
You could also fly to Zurich cheaply by EasyJet from London Gatwick airport, then use the train and hourly post bus direct to the centre of Sorenberg.
There are a small number of hotels of varying types in Sorenberg, but if you want to try the "Nuclear Bunker Experience" and don't mind roughing it a bit, contact Frederic Hupka currently it costs just 15 CHF per night and is probably the best bargain in all of Switzerland.
The town has restaurants to suit varying budgets, but the prices will make you shudder, at the bottom of the range a plate of chips and ketchup was £10.
Self-catering may be the only option for cash strapped British skibikers, the town has a bakery and smaller super market. Prices for food is slightly higher than in the UK, but the quality is excellent, even convenience food is significantly more wholesome than the British equivalent.
Today I have made peace with the T-bar drag lifts, I even found myself messing about whilst riding them, as I casually rested a leg on top of the fork crowns on the ride up. It's an easy but novel stunt that Martin Schwaiger considered a first on the T-Bar. I wonder if he'll copy it, of course the crown of a BullSkate fork is a lot higher.
Whilst I was exploring some of the pleasant and gentle woodland runs, I got a call from Martin to meet him at BullSkate base camp. We shared coffee and McVities chocolate digestive biscuits, shot the breeze and in spite of pressing chores elsewhere, I persuaded him to come for one final ride. He ran me through his carving drills, at the end of which he declared I was 25% carving, in truth it was probably only 10% and he was being nice to me. I warned him that in future there may be an army of "fat, sweaty, middle aged Englishmen with a hatred of T-Bars" to follow in my wake, at least he knows what to expect now, I hope they don't destroy his hard earned street cred.
In the afternoon I cruised around Sorenberg some more, trying out every run imaginable, right down to a tiny nursery slope. There really is plenty of variety on offer, steep reds, gentle woodland blues and some very wide flatter "carving practice" pistes.
Yet again I lost myself and missed the corresponding lift up the hill and ended up walking back to the car park. I followed a "winter wonderweg" pisted footpath with my skibike at my side, gliding along the snow like a well trained dog. A far better option than trudging up the main road with it over my shoulder.
If you are tempted to follow in my skibike tracks, here is some salient information.
BullSkate skibikes can be rented by the day in Sorenberg and at a few other locations, expect to pay 40 CHF (Swiss Francs) per day, hire will include approximately a half hour of tuition.
By car Sorenberg is just over 2 and a half hours drive from Geneva airport.
You could also fly to Zurich cheaply by EasyJet from London Gatwick airport, then use the train and hourly post bus direct to the centre of Sorenberg.
There are a small number of hotels of varying types in Sorenberg, but if you want to try the "Nuclear Bunker Experience" and don't mind roughing it a bit, contact Frederic Hupka currently it costs just 15 CHF per night and is probably the best bargain in all of Switzerland.
The town has restaurants to suit varying budgets, but the prices will make you shudder, at the bottom of the range a plate of chips and ketchup was £10.
Self-catering may be the only option for cash strapped British skibikers, the town has a bakery and smaller super market. Prices for food is slightly higher than in the UK, but the quality is excellent, even convenience food is significantly more wholesome than the British equivalent.
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| Sorenberg - sublime woodland SkiBike riding |