Where to SkiBike - Vallnord, Andorra

Posted: Thursday, 1 December 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels: , , ,
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Andorra is divided into two domains; GrandValira and Vallnord. Luckily Vallnord is skibike friendly and includes the resorts of; Arinsal, Pal and nearby Arcalis. Brenter have an agent nearby and the lifties were generally unfussed about skibikes. In Arcalis, the head of operations had a fit about leashes and insisted they were worn at all times, he also had words with a local on a K-trax caterpillar type skibike conversion and told him to get off the mountain. His subordinates then apologised for his attitude once he had gone!

The snow was good mainly due to the altitude, there was a good mixed bag of runs, some tree lined and off-piste too. Prices were reasonable for lift passes and accommodation. The whole attitude was friendly, unpretencious and customer focussed, probably close to reports I've heard about Canada and the USA.

The Pyrenees can suffer due to their proximity to the warm Atlantic winds, so freeze/thaw cycles and wet snow are supposed to be common, but not in my experience.
It is a awkward area to reach, there is no airport in Andorra so you need to get up from Barcelona, Tarbes or Toulouse airports. I drove there from London, its a hell of a long drive on your own and not cheap on petrol or tolls, especially as a single traveller. At a push it can be done in a very long day.
Interestingly there are also some skibike friendly areas on the French side of the Pyrenees near Lourdes.

Where To SkiBike In Europe? - The Holy Grail

Posted: Wednesday, 30 November 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels: , , ,
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A novice pegger SkiBiker has been thrashing around recently trying to find somewhere in Europe to go skibiking on his diy pegger skibike and not an old school ski bob.
As he put it:
It can be really confusing who allows Skibiking and who don't, then if you find a resort that allows them then you've got to find out if they allow peggers!
Last thing I want to do is turn up at a resort then not be allowed to ride.
Wish there was a definitive list of resorts in Europe that allow peggers.. "would be like the Holy Grail"
Even in the States and Canada this can be a minefield with resorts switching policies from season to season and following the whims and prejudices of senior executives. Europe is much worse, many Grand Domains selling "Access All Areas" tickets for what in reality is a disparate collection of small villages and communes; each with their own Lift Company, Piste/Trail Police, Local Politics and Town Hall Officials.

There is a list of SkiBike Friendly Resorts at The SkiBiker SkiBike Blog's parent website SkiBiker.org
But to keep it fresh, there will be some "Where to SkiBike" posts over the forthcoming weeks giving first hand news about exactly where you can take your SkiBike and go SkiBiking.

A SkiBike Friendly Resort in Europe? - Like finding The Holy Grail

Yet Another London DIY SkiBiker Gets Started

Posted: Tuesday, 29 November 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels: , ,
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London, England is turning into a hotspot of DIY SkiBike building, where SkiBiker SkiBike blog follower Carl is getting busy this week with his new diy project. He has chosen to use a DaBomb Moab frame as the basis for his skibike. The Moab is a well respected item, ideally suited to riders who like big drops and fast downhill action. It receives great user reviews and some claim these frames will withstand a 20 foot drop. Hopefully any such drops will be planned and not unintentional.

This Moab frame is - DaBomb



Build a SkiBike - Scottish Ghetto Project

Posted: Tuesday, 15 November 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels: , ,
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Fellow RetroBike forum member David "The Ken" Keningdale, has started to build himself a DIY skibike for the winter. With stereotypical Scottish frugality he is determined to see the project through with the minimum of financial outlay.

Ghetto Skibike Scottish Style

Utilising scrap and salvaged parts, he is currently making ski mounts from skateboard trucks, a technique that has worked before. I noted that he is using a Marin Shoreline Trail for the frame, very similar to my Marin East Peak it should be a sturdy, yet light basis for a skibike.
He has already cut down a pair of skis, this always looks awful, but the technique works surprisingly well, although you do tend to skid out a lot, drifting a skibike is all part of the fun when you first start.

Salle de Fartage - Tognar Toolworks the DIY Ski Repairs Website

Posted: Monday, 14 November 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels: ,
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If there had been a Nordic god of skibiking his name should have been Tognar.....
Sadly there wasn't any such diety, so instead we have a fantastic website that sells a cornucopia of ski repair tools and materials.
There is also a very detailed "How To" repairs database covering topics ranging from simple waxing right through to complex problems like edge seperation and delaminations. Here's a quick example:

A CLEAN TOOL IS A HAPPY TOOL !

Ceramic Stones -scrub them gently with a brass Supertooth brush, using Ajax or Comet cleanser with water or vinegar and water to cut away grime.
Diamond Stones -scrub gently with a nylon Supertooth brush along with a little wax remover or Ronson lighter fluid.
Steel Files -clean frequently with a file brush and rub a little chalk into file teeth occasionally.
Plastic Scrapers -wipe away wax build-up frequently using a steel scraper, ski edge, etc. Resharpen with a pansar file, drywall sanding screen, or Tognar Burrsharp.
Steel Scrapers -keep sharp using a flat file and burnisher or Tognar Burrsharp.Base Repair Irons & Pistol-keep tips clean by wiping on an old scotchbrite pad while still warm.
Riller Bars/Structure Tools -clean out teeth and ridges on structure bars/blades with a bronze brush.
Wax Irons -wipe off wax and any dirt from the bottom of warm iron (not hot) with a soft, clean rag or old t-shirt (preferably not on someone's back at the moment!).
Scotchbrite, Fibertex, Omni-Prep Pads -Rinse pads under hot water (180 degrees F.) to melt away wax.
Tognar Toolworks

The 2011 Tony Marsh Trophy

Posted: Wednesday, 9 November 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels: , ,
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A week ago I found myself suprised to find out that I was the recipient of The Tony Marsh Trophy for 2011. It is a rather splendid silver object presented by the SkiBob Association of Great Britain for the "Best First Time Racer". All this was a result of my unexpected involvement in the FISB World Cup as featured on the SkiBiker SkiBike Blog here
Now there have been some cynics who have suggested that it is a hollow victory when you are the only first time racer in the UK in 2011; which is a moot point.

In any case it wasn't my intention to brag, more to bring to the attention of readers in Great Britain that the Trophy will be up for grabs in 2012.

You need to be a member of the SkiBob Association of Great Britain, you need to know how to skibike and you need to enter a race, it really is that simple. What other sport can you participate in recreationally and find yourself at the starting gate with the best in the World? It doesn't matter if you're a pegger, but you will have to don footskis as it is in the race regulations, you shouldn't find it that difficult to convert. You can even hire a skibob for the race from a local team.

You can find out more about racing at the British SkiBike Racing website and let's see some competition for the Trophy in 2012.

This could be you - British SkiBike Racing

Lastly, for those of you who haven't heard of Tony Marsh before here is a quick history:
Anthony Ernest "Tony" Marsh (20 July 1931 – 7 May 2009) was a British racing driver from England. His Formula One career was short and unsuccessful, but he enjoyed great success in hillclimbing, winning the British Hill Climb Championship on a record six occasions.
Tony Marsh raced against such people as Stirling Moss, Graham Hill and Jack Brabham in the late 50s and early 60s. He took part in the famous 1957 German Grand Prix (famous because it was Fangio’s last win and favourite race) and the 1960 Le Mans 24 Hour race where, with John Wagstaff, he won the Index of Energy award in a Lotus Elite
As a septuagenarian, he also remained highly active in numerous other sports – notably ocean sailing, windsurfing, hydroplane racing, shooting and ski-bobbing (or ski-biking). He was a driving force behind ski-bobbing in the UK, a European champion and world championship bronze medallist in the sport and a long-time chairman of the SkiBob Association of Great Britain. While winning the seniors' trophy at the ski-bob British nationals 13 times from 1975-91, he was often fastest on the course. He declined, however, to claim the title of overall British National Champion, preferring to encourage the younger competitors.
You can read more here


Tony Marsh

LenzSport SkiBike Cut Price Sale

Posted: Tuesday, 8 November 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels: ,
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I had an interesting mail from LenzSport last week, in reply to my enquiry. There had been an interesting post running on the FaceBook Snow Biking Group discussing the possibility of testing a Firem VS against a LenzSport SkiBike. What I had in mind was not too serious, just a chance for some riders to make a few runs on different machines with some sort of gentlemanly contest to finish. The sort of thing you see in classic car mags, etc. all the time. An opportunity for both brands to get a little extra publicity and everyone to have some fun together.
Unfortunately finding a LenzSport in Europe or a Firem VS in the USA would seem to be a futile task, at least for now.
However they did remind me that there are still some cracking deals to be had on the remaining stock of ex-demo and older models here; with prices ranging from $1300 - $1800 and a selection of styles, sizes and colours, there should be something to tempt every type of skibiker.

LenzSport - focussing on value

Bikermads SkiBikes For DIY Conversion Kits

Posted: Monday, 7 November 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels: , ,
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The SkiBiker SkiBike Blog loves to be able to share the latest wild and wacky exploits of SkiBike "Poster Boy"  Raymond Georgsson. But who makes the skibike that withstands his levels of abuse? Bikermads is Sweden's entry into the world of skibiking, with models that follow the new era of American pegger style skibike design. Bikermads have just revamped their on-line presence for the 2011-12 winter season and are champing at the bit to tell the world about it.

European DIY skibike builders will be delighted to learn that Bikermads are selling ski mounting kits to convert mountain bikes into skibikes. Up until now the only option was to import Alpine SkiBike kits from the USA, which being outside the European Economic Area meant the payment of import duties and a significant addition to the final cost. As Bikermads are based in Sweden and inside the European Economic Area no such charges are due.

Sweden has not adopted the Euro and has retained the Swedish Kroner a handy conversion tool can be found here the site can also price items in Dollars and Euros.

Bikermads - crazy about skibikes

"It's a good thing snow tastes better than gravel" Raymond Georgsson and Bikermads

Posted: Sunday, 6 November 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels: ,
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It's a good thing snow tastes better than gravel - source

Raymond Georgesson had a busy season in 2011; he has constantly surprised with the growing audacity of his skibike jumping stunts. His pièce de résistance, at least in my humble opinion, was the launch off a ski jump, the acceleration is terrifying. With typical modesty he comments:
This was my first time trying to jump a skijump, so keep that in mind :) But trust me, it sure won't be the last. Next time I'll bring a bigger jump and try to go even faster, ok?



Snowbike - First skijump attempt from Raymond Georgsson on Vimeo.

I asked him what plans he had for the 2011/12 winter season:
I have some updates for this winter. First, I now have my own new Vio Pov HD camera (won't need to borrow a cam to get some footage) so there will be a lot more videos this season. Plus, I have a friend who got a new semi-pro cam so hopefully he will follow me sometimes too. Second, I have a new bike to modify into a skibike. More of that in a while....I do have some crazy (great) ideas though.. but, yeah, we'll just leave it there right now.

SkiBike Review - Flaschmann Keeda Racer KR90 / Vintage MIFLA

Posted: Saturday, 5 November 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels: ,
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It's not everyday that you are invited to try out 2 of the skibobs used in a World Cup Final, so I had to say yes and get off down that hill for an all too brief evaluation.

The first was a brand new Flaschmann KR90 in High Gloss SkiBiker Black from Vincent Berod owner of Berod Sports in Crest Volland, the other a vintage MIFLA owned by Richard Platt chairman of the Skibob Association of Great Britain.

On first impressions, they look remarkably like a Yamaha FS1E sixteener moped without the engine. When you try to lift one or push it uphill you wonder if they are made from lead. Both weigh an absolute ton, as much as 20kg. This is a quite deliberate aspect of the design, heavier skibikes go faster, there is even a stipulation about the maximum allowed competition weight for a skibob to keep things fair.

These are not recreational models that you would want to carry up the chairlift on your lap. Trying to drag one up the T-bar lift was an ordeal I would rather not repeat. Petty gripes over with, you have to ask yourself why are they so popular with the racers?

The answer is simple, awesome steering, the best that I have ever experienced, I actually forgot it was a ski not a wheel at the front, so precise, stable and predictable was the ride.
The frame has a very low centre of gravity for the ultimate in stability. To ride them requires a whole new technique, hunched over like a demonic imp, your knees fit between your forearms touching your ribcage.
The cranked handlebars allowing just enough room for it all to work together.
The payback is a ride like no other, it doesn't feel like it wants to skid sideways at all, only carve graceful arcs downhill as fast as you dare.

Could I tell the difference between the modern and vintage models? Apart from the finish it was beyond my abilities to detect any obvious characteristics. They were both very, very, good.