Event promotes winter biking

IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - Technology is catching up to the outdoors lifestyles of the Upper Peninsula.

Youth and adults alike converged on the Wolverine Nordic Ski Trail on Sunday to take part in the fourth annual Fat Bike Try Out The Trails event to close out the Sisu Ski Fest weekend.

The event, organized by the Sisu Dirt Crew, 906 Adventure Team and Hobby Wheel, provided fat bikes to people who didn't have one yet and a chance to ride a portion of the eight miles of groomed single track mountain bike trails that are adjacent to Powderhorn Mountain Ski Resort.

"The whole goal is just to get people of all ages outside," said Todd Poquette, president of the 906 Adventure Team.

The Fat Bikes offer traction through the weather of four seasons and on any terrain, including sandy beaches and snow, he said.

"They'll go through anything," Poquette said. "They're like a truck but human powered."

Doug Hippe, a member of both 906 Adventure Team and Sisu Dirt Crew, said fat bikes have wide tires, around 4 inches, that can "float" on the snow in the wintertime, while offering the cushion of a shock absorber and suspension of an all-terrain bike in the summer. The bike is geared low to help riders get up hills without having to work too hard.

"I ride it on the road, off road, and on snow," he said. "It's a versatile bike."

Chuck Hamptson, a 906 Adventure Team member since the organization formed in 2014, rides the fat bikes with his sons, Quin, 7, and Lowell, 2. He said the event was in part to promote the Ironwood-Gogebic County Adventure Team's 10 week summer program for kids on Wednesday evenings.

People should know to sign up before the April 1 deadline, he said.

Last year the club hosted 50 kids based on the 20 adult coaches who volunteered.

The number of kids who can participate is based on the number of adults who sign up to create a ratio of kids to coaches, he said. The kids can then take part in the three annual events with the adults that the club organizes with at WinMan trails, the Copper Peak Trail Fest and Powderhorn.

"We had 40 kids and 100 adults in two races at Copper Peak last summer," he said.

The clubs do the grooming and trail maintenance. They teach trail etiquette.

"It's something different to do and you can bring the whole family out and try some different trails," Hampston said. "You can ride casually and socialize but there are also races where people really push themselves."

The next fat bike event will be the Moonlight Roll on Thursday at Powderhorn, he said. Riders put lights on their helmets and ride the snow covered trail at night, he said.

For more information visit 906adventureteam.

com or sisudirtcrew.com.