It’s been a while since we had a winter with a much uninterrupted cold than we have this year. While we haven’t had a big dumping of snow (yet), there has been some amount on the ground almost continuously since December. Until today, I hadn’t ridden anything other than a fat bike since New Years Eve, which is a stark contrast to the past few years of many winter gravel rides. The sense of urgency that often comes with snowy winter riding has been nearly nonexistent this season, instead replaced with the comforting but nowhere near mundane routine of gathering with friends almost every weekend to enjoy a varied tapestry of snowy conditions.
We’ve had cold weather powder, granular ice crust, and powder on top of ice crust. The fun thing about snow riding is that it is never the same, even from one day to the next on the same trails. The snow texture changes with shifting temperatures, trails become more packed in as people ride them, and small but frequent refreshes have dumped different types of precipitation throughout the season. We’ve had more memorable rides at Black Moshannon than I can count, as well as a few great exploratory days in Quehanna. Snow flow in Rothrock has been excellent as usual, as just enough snow to fill in the holes in between the rocks results in fast conditions.
We did the Prince Gallitzin to Black Moshannon ride again, this time with Evan and Jason along. When Shannon and I rode it a few years ago, it was a little later in the season and we had deeper snow, so the snowmobile trail was highly trafficked and nicely packed the entire way. This time, there was one section of trail near Prince Gallitzin that hadn’t seen any traffic, and the snow was just deep enough that it was nearly impossible to ride through. After what seemed like at least a mile of hike-a-bike and questioning whether we should just call it and head back, we reached a road that had seen some vehicular traffic and we could actually pedal again. Luckily, the trail the rest of the way had seen snowmobile use and was nicely packed, and I was glad we did not bail.
Weekdays have been for backyard rides with Moon Dog, which have been idyllic. To roll out the back door at sunrise or just before and be able to get a ride in while spending time in the woods with her, all before getting ready for work, is a dream come true. I love having her company, and while I’d be getting out there anyway, she provides some extra motivation when I don’t feel like getting out there in the dark and cold. She also helps me feel more okay with chill rides — because she is still so young, I don’t want to push her pace too hard, and we take breaks for treats and training. When I’m riding with her, I don’t feel like I should be moving faster, which has probably been helpful for me to get in some easy recovery rides to loosen up after bigger weekend rides and long runs.
Pogies have been an absolute game-changer for me this year. Nittany Mountain Works took over the manufacturing of Moose Mitts, and the simple design and durability are impressive. I had been using a pair of 45NRTH pogies for commuting and some extra cold fat bike rides last winter, but I didn’t like that you need an Allen key to take them on and off. The Nittany Mountain Works design simply slips over the ends of the bars, and uses an elastic band wrapped around the grip to hold them in place on the outer edges of the bars. A Velcro strap keeps them snug against the inner part of the bars, which can be tightened or loosened to allow more air in or not. Having consistently and reliably warm hands makes such a difference in the enjoyment of cold weather riding!
It’s warming up this week, and multiple days in a row in the mid-high 40’s will likely melt most of the snow. I finally broke out my commuter again and rode to work for the first time this year. This is the longest I’ve gone without bike commuting since we moved to this house over two years ago (holy crap, time flies!), but the backyard trails have just been so good and I haven’t wanted to spend any time on the road when I could be in the snow.
While warmth does feel good, I’m not entirely ready for winter to be over. It’s interesting — it’s been colder for longer than most recent winters, but that is making me less ready for spring than the temperature yo-yo and endless freeze-thaw cycles. Maybe because we haven’t had many warm days to tease us, I have acclimated better to the cold. Maybe it’s just that I love riding in snow so much, and we’ve had very few days of cold weather without snow on the ground, which is what can get old for me.
Whether we are turning the corner on spring or we still have snowy days ahead, this has been a winter to remember, one that has filled my cup with many days doing what I love most with my favorite people (and dog).
helena kotala 