Ear to the ground:

“A had to unshovel my shovel.”

– Local worker’s excuse for showing up late for work this week

Of skinny skis &fat bikes

Fat bikes may be all the rage, but when it comes to sharing trails with skinny skis, the San Juan National Forest is asking them to please go rage elsewhere.

Specifically, the Forest Service is referring to the Nordic trails at Chicken Creek, near Mancos; the Vallecito Nordic Trail System; and the West Fork Nordic Trails near Pagosa Springs. Nordic trails in these areas are groomed by local clubs under agreement with the Forest Service.

“The agency seeks to protect these carefully groomed trails for cross-country and skate skiing,” read a recent press release from the SJNF. “Bike use could cause damage to groomed surfaces, increase chances for conflicts and cause safety issues. The Forest Service hopes winter bikers will voluntarily avoid these Nordic ski areas, but if problems develop, formal closures may be necessary.”

The Forest Service noted other fat-biking opportunities abound on forest roads and the hundreds of miles of routes groomed for snowmobiles. In addition, some local bike clubs have expressed interest in entering into agreements with the Dolores and Columbine ranger districts to groom specific snow-bike trails in those areas. A separate snow-biking loop in the Turkey Springs area, near the Coyote Hill ski trail system west of Pagosa, is also reportedly in the works. “This will be done on a trial basis, dependent on adequate snow conditions and available staffing,” stated the release. 

The Nordic Center at Purgatory also allows fat bikes on all trails, provided they follow some basic rules of etiquette (don’t track mud all over the place, yield to skiers and no riding in the classic track, to name a few of the biggies.)

Vallecito Nordic member Brett “The Lung” Sublett said so far, fat bikes have not been a problem at the popular Vallecito Nordic area, north of Durango. However, he said the club’s board, along with the Forest Service, decided not to allow fat bikes on the nearly 15k of groomed trails based on feedback from skiers and trail users. “Since the Nordic Center does allow them, we thought that provided an adequate venue for the cyclists for now,” he said.

And, Sublett noted, the decision is not etched in stone, or snow, be that as it may. “It is something we will continue to re-visit in the future,” he said.

For information on local fat-bike options, call the San Juan Public Lands Center, 970-247-4874.