Arriving in Gstaad in January with fat takkies in hand is like entering wonderland – especially after the fall of picture perfect powder snow, which came just in time for this year’s 2017 Snow Bike Festival. An official UCI event, early on the calendar, the race attracts around 100 riders – some looking for points and some just after an adventure on a fatbike.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje.
A three-hour train ride from Geneva, Gstaad is 1,050 metres above sea level, and is the hideout for the rich and famous, with pristine ski slopes, quaint creperies and high-end outlets like Louis Vuitton lining the well-groomed snow-laden streets. The race village is set up next to a ski lift in this Swiss town, while the race start each day begins next to the iconic St Nicholas Church built in 1402!
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje.
The four-day event begins with a late-morning prologue – three loops of 2.5km around the race village. Sounds easy right? Wrong! Riding in churned up snow is no joke and this first day serves as a crash course in riding a fatbike in slush, powder and ice.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje.
Day two, stage one, is a bit of a shock to the body with riders making their way along a frozen riverbank past icicle-laden trees. It’s pretty shady here and mild frostbite is par for the course. Luckily, the route quickly ascends, with plenty of time in the sun to warm up those popsicle fingers. The climbs goes up to the top of a ski slope with spectacular mountain views. The fun begins – trying to dodge skiers and not fall off on the sheer descent, before heading back to the race village and finish after 30km and 786 metres of climbing.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje.
Lunch is served after each stage and every evening there is a dinner and prize giving in the sports hall, with gluhwein and award-winning Meerendal wine on offer to go with the hearty Swiss traditional mountain food – a great way to meet and interact with fellow enthusiasts.
Stage two starts at 10.30am – like every other day – just when it’s getting nice and warm with the sun shining. This is the toughest day over 33.5 kilometres with 945 metres of climbing. The route goes straight up to the top of yet another ski slope – no messing around here. And then the gnarliest downhill ever appears – a red slope. As skiers get lifted up – you have to try and get yourself down. The last part of day two sees riders going through a local barn – complete with cows and hay.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje.
As if that isn’t enough there is the Eliminator Night Race – where groups of participants race each other around a floodlit course. It’s thrilling to watch and even more nerve-racking to take part in.
The last day and final stage is a nice mixture of solid riding, uphill missioning (706m of it) and some technical bits that by this time riders have kind of got the hang of. The 34.5-kilometre course goes through some lovely surrounding towns and has close up views of mountains of the Saanenland Alps – ending a whirlwind tour of one of the most spectacular places on earth.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje.
Want to sign up for 2018? Early bird entries go on sale this next week for the event from January 18-21 next year. Visit www.snowbikefestival.com for more info.
Photo credit: Nick Muzik.
Photo credit: Nick Muzik.
Photo credit: Nick Muzik.
looks incredible!