VIDEO. We tested an electric fatbike in the snow

BIKLU, EPISODE 40: Racing on the pistes at speeds over 50 km/h is still possible this winter, despite the closure of the ski lifts, thanks to an electric fat bike. Thanks to underinflated tires with a width of more than 10 cm, you can ride without slipping or falling on the well-groomed slopes of ski resorts. And thanks to the electric drive, there is no need for lifts: it’s almost easy to climb the slopes and then go down at full speed.

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Skiers take solace in an electric fat bike

The device appears to have been invented in Alaska in the 1990s by a famed outdoorsman who welded three bicycle rims together to enable him to ride on snow. Since then, this motorcycle has become popular until it reached the French Alps. “In 3 years we have reached more and more people,” says Fred, one of the fatbike instructors in Val d’Isere. “And because the lifts were stopped, we’ve never seen as many people as we have this year; all of our ride slots have been full for over a month,” he continues.

Very affordable activity

Typically, Fred, a ski instructor, takes his clients every day to ski the groomed slopes of the Val d’Isere area. “This activity is truly accessible to everyone: you just need to be able to pedal and brake on a bike.” This is confirmed by Karine, who first tested the machine during her annual holiday in Val d’Isere: “I have an electric city bike at home, but not a mountain bike, it’s not the same at all: it’s easy to handle. , you have much more sensations. »

With a smile on his face after an hour and a half ride, Stanislas shares his feelings: “If someone had told me two years ago that I would be riding a bike instead of skiing, I would never have believed it. ” He adds: “Next year, even with the lifts, I will have a small session.”

In Val d’Isere, supervised walks are mandatory.

Still completely unknown in France 10 years ago, today there are several dozen resorts offering fat bike rentals or escorts. “In Val d’Isere we preferred to offer supervised walks only,” explains Fred, the instructor. “It’s not like the summer when the area is completely open; in the winter there’s a risk of avalanches and you really have to know where to go.”

“The mountain has already been damaged enough.”

For several years, French ski resorts have been looking to diversify their offerings to attract more and more people, both in winter and summer. Offering bike rides in the winter is a way to tell winter campers and skiers that skiing is not the only activity possible in the mountains. “Promoting softer tourism over four seasons is a good thing,” says Bernard Marclay of Mountain Wilderness France, an association for the protection of mountain environments. “But we really should avoid creating new specialized infrastructure; the mountain is already damaged enough in places that it is not needed,” adds the community activist.

If you’re tempted by a fatbike ride, you’ll have to pay around €70 for two hours, depending on the resort you go to.

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