Stellar conditions prevail for fat biking on Nordic trails at Bogus Basin! Trip report!

Beautiful spot in a grove of ponderosa pine trees on the Nordic Connector Trail.

Hi all, 

With all of these postcard blue days we've had, it's been getting cold at night into the single digits and teens (below-zero in Stanley) and that's been good to retain the snowpack we have in the mountains. 

The cold nights also have been good for maintaining good snow quality for grooming downhill ski runs and xc ski trails. A solid firm base lies underneath the soft surface, and that also creates perfect conditions for fat biking in the snow! 

I noticed that several people had been fat biking at Bogus Basin on the Fat Bike Boise Facebook page, and raving about it, so I thought I'd zip up there on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 2, and give it a whirl! 

Recent dusting of snow created sweet riding surface on an ungroomed trail.

They were right! The snow conditions were excellent for fat biking on Bogus' Nordic trails yesterday ... The firm foundation allowed me to spin along the trail quite easily while leaving almost zero impact on the trail itself ... this is an important factor that fat bikers should pay attention to retain good relations with xc skiers. If your tires are creating a big wedge or rut in the snow, then you will upset the xc skiers, who are expecting to glide on a smooth surface. If you leave light to no tracks, then the conditions are perfect for fat biking.

That's the situation we've got right now. Think about heading up to Bogus Basin to go fat biking on the Nordic trails, or head for a few other destinations that allow fat biking on Nordic trails - Jug Mountain Ranch, Tamarack Resort and the North Valley Trail near Donnelly and McCall, or the Idaho City Park and Ski Trails, northeast of Idaho City. Similar firm conditions prevail at all of those locations. 

At Bogus, it costs $45 to rent a fat bike for 2 hours, $65 for the day. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. midweek, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. So you could easily head up there after work if you have a daytime job. Nordic trail passes cost $15 for a half-day, $21 for a full day. 

I have a Bogus alpine season pass, so I paid $15 for a trail pass at the Nordic center, and then stopped in the Bogus Basin office back in town and paid another $10 for a Nordic season pass. They credited me for the day ticket and rolled that into the season pass. Alpine season pass holders get a discount on the Nordic pass FYI, so that's all good!  

I have owned my own fat bike for more than five years, so I didn't need to rent one. My fat bike has 4-inch-wide tires, disk brakes, and a nice range of gears for climbing and riding downhill.  

I covered about 10 kilometers on my ride, maybe a little longer. Starting at the Nordic Center, I took the Nordic highway for a few yards, and then went left on the Nordic Connector Trail to drop into that timbered bowl above Bogus' snow-making reservoir. It's really scenic and beautiful in that area, and the trail had a number of fun twists and corners, hills and downhills, for the most fun portion of my whole ride. 

Trail map courtesy Bogus Basin Nordic Center

I followed the Nordic Connector around to the Meadow trail, and began climbing out of the bowl, following Meadow and then The Flush back to the main Nordic Highway trail. The recent dusting of new snow this week made it fun to ride portions of the Meadow trail which had not been groomed as yet. The dusting made for a sweet and tacky climbing surface, and my fat bike is geared to handle moderately steep trails.  

Once back on the Nordic Highway, I rode slightly downhill over to the Bitterroot chairlift and then more downhill to Superior before the steep climb to the Shafer Butte picnic area turnoff. They don't allow bikes on the climb to the picnic area from that junction, so you can go another half-mile or so on the Nordic Highway, turn around, and head back. 

Shafer Butte picnic area junction.  

The whole ride took me about 1.25 hours because of the fast and firm conditions. You could easily add some more loops to the ride, if you'd like to go farther. 

Be aware that some of the Nordic trails are closed to fat biking. Be sure to check with the Nordic staff at the lodge to ensure you know which trails to ride. 

I highly recommend the Nordic Highway-Nordic Connector-Meadow-The Flush-Nordic Highway loop. 

Be aware that xc skiers and snowshoers may not have seen many fat bikers on the trail before. Please be courteous and try to be a good trail ambassador. One of the "rules of the road" is to ride off to the side of the xc ski trail so as to leave the middle skating lane open for the skate skiers. The classic skiers will be skiing in the grooves. Snowshoers also should stay off to the left or right sides of the groomed trail. 

The good news is that the Nordic Highway is so wide that there should be enough room for everybody, especially mid-week or in the evenings. 

Fat biking hasn't really taken off in SW Idaho compared to a number of other places in the U.S. I see more people on fat bikes in ski towns like McCall, Sun Valley or Driggs and Grand Targhee. 

Besides renting a fat bike at Bogus, you might be able to rent one in town. Check with your favorite bike shop to see if anything is available. I did a quick Google search and saw that McU Sports downtown rents fat bikes, $40 for a half day, and $60 for a full day. 

There you have it! It appears that high pressure aloft in the Pacific Northwest will bring us mostly sunny skies and no snow for the next 10 days. If you're getting bored with your existing routine, try fat biking for something different! You'll like it! And it's a great workout if you work in some hilly trails and climbing. The downhills are fun, too! 

- SS