Using Snowbikes in France

A snowHead

We have a real dilemma,
My wife and I have skied for many years but we have both just turned 70 and with dodgy knees. For the last 5 years we have been using Snowbikes https://www.snowbike.com We have used them for 10 years in Austria where they have always been allowed. The cost of hiring the bikes is expensive so we are considering buying our own. Our problem is that we would like to go back to the French resorts who until recently did not allow bikes on most of the lifts. Recently they have been allowed in most resorts but when we contacted the lift companies we were told that this could change in 2025 or any time in the future. They told us to write to Compagni des Alpes in La Plagne (the owners) to see if we could find out more but they haven't replied. The cost for 2 refurbished snowbikes is almost £2000 so we are unsure what to do. We understand that the rules for next season are not set until December.

I don't suppose anyone here knows more.

A snowHead

If you change the title to 'Snowbikes in France' or similar, you might get a better response.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@alan_1951, Maybe contact the owner of Berod Sports in Crest-Voland. They organize French competitions on snowbikes/skibobs as well as renting them out.

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Saw a bunch of them in Tignes / Val D'Isere this year. I can't see why they'd be stopping people using them unless they were causing a huge problem on either the lifts or the slopes (and that certainly wasn't my experience).

Reality is that the rules could change any time though (I was told "Step On" snowboard bindings were being banned by one liftie annoyed that I was using them....good luck with that).

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@telford_mike, I am new to this forum and I can't see where to edit the title but thanks for the advice.

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@rjs, Thank you so much, my OH is emailing them right now.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@paulhinch, I appreciate the information. I suppose it just takes one person to drop one off a chair lift. Mind you, dropping a snowboard could potentially cause also cause serious injury.

After all it is free

The snowbike website is showing rental locations in France, including La Plagne, so I guess that answers your question.

I'm bemused by the idea of 70-year olds on snowbikes, along with notion that someone would pay £2k for a pair of second hand ones.

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@alan_1951, a snowboard is generally attached to the snowboarders "front foot" so no more likely to drop off than a ski. Actually, less likely, given the way snowboard bindings work. How do you manage on drag lifts? I must say that they look like quite strenuous work to me. How do you go slowly (as you would, for example, as a skiing beginner, snowploughing down a blue run)? I've seen very few round the parts of France I frequent, and generally ridden by teenage nutters.

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@Origen, I could bore the pants off you but I won't so here is the short version. I have had 2 knee replacements and my wife has had one. We only skied with them once and because we were so apprehensive, it wasn't much fun. We were in Obertaurn in Austria having a beer on the second to last day having decided that after many years of skiing, this would be our last. We then saw 2 people on snowbikes and we enquired at our hotel and within 2 hours we were on the slope having a lesson. The rest is history, I think we have been about 12 times since. The only ball ache is carrying them about but they only weigh about 8kg and we carry the foot skis around the neck. The cost for hire is a bit steep so we are about to buy some refurbished ones. The lifts are no problem, you just sling them over your knee, we do avoid dragelifts but it is perfectly do able. If you are able to ski, the principal isn't all that different. But check out this vid on You Tube.
http://youtube.com/v/dv31-Ot3VRU I think you will be surprised.

@NickYoung, Life doesn't stop at 70 believe me,(We will be at Glastonbury in June with our sons and Grandson) We are certainly not ready for the bowling club or bridge evenings just yet. Very Happy

FYI, second hand snowbikes are always easy to re sell, renting is the best part of 400 euros for 2 for 6 days. Plus, there are very few if any to rent in France and not too many in Austria.

You know it makes sense.

@alan_1951, ah! I see from that last video that the foot skis are independent, so you use them for steering. That makes much more sense (I was probably very dim not to realise that before). I have no knee replacements but one very dodgy one, and my knees ache a bit just looking at the knee angle on the snowscoot in that video. Can you adjust the seat height to be a big higher, with a less acute angle at the knee?

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

And is the thing sprung? I have visions of a lot of vibration etc through the backside.

A snowHead

Not enormous help but I did see a guy using one in Les Contamines a couple of weeks ago, and I saw him a few times on various peaks so I imagine he could take them on the lift no problem rather than hiking up there

A snowHead

@Origen, the seats are sprung. You kind of use the foot skis as outriggers, you steer with weight transfer - shifting weight to the inside of the turn you want to make, well thats what we were told. @alan_1951 will probably be able to elaborate more on techniques - I only ever tried it for a couple of runs one morning.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@Origen, They come in different sizes, so yes, but to be fair I don't think the knee bend would be an issue and yes, they are sprung with a spongy ball. You also use the front ski to carve. Like I did, you should keep skiing as long as you can and when you can't any more, this is the perfect option for staying in the snow. I hope I don't annoy people if I keep adding videos on this but one demonstrates how to ride a snowbike.
http://youtube.com/v/wDnoEsd_y_U&t=7s

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@Origen, I have seen more showbikes in the Espace Diamant than anywhere else in France, you could try it.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Thanks I will take look

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@alan_1951, don't worry about annoying people! They don't have to read it. My feeling that (at 77) my skiing days are over is really based on cardio-vascular considerations and I'm not sure a snow scoot would be less effort than just standing on skis, given I know how to do them! In skiing you mostly shift your weight onto the outside ski - entirely onto the outside ski in many "exercises". So, on the snowscoot, if you are turning left, with your weight over on the left, the weight is on the outside edge of that ski? That sounds (and looks, on the video) like when you do a series of turns on one ski. If it's the left leg, you turn right on the inside of that ski (which feels normal) then have to shift your weight right over and turn left on the outside of that ski, which feels weird at the outset. I'm just "envisaging" doing that on a snow scoot. Envisaging is quite useful - I once used envisaging foot steering on a snowboard all the way through a particularly difficult root canal filling. And I didn't fall over once. I suspect that given my limitations, carrying the thing around might be a bit of a pain. Interesting to learn how they work, though.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=5250416&highlight=snowmoto#5250416

I posted a similar question, but the bikes without seats & they seem to be allowed at more places like espace diamant & val cenis.
Just add the resort name when searching!

La plagne allows bikes & scoots supposedly :- https://en.la-plagne.com/explore-the-multitude-of-activities-on-offer/plunge-into-the-heart-of-winter/alternatives-ways-of-riding-down-the-mountain-slopes
Only snag is they may only be allowed in bubbles & not chairs, etc. so may need more research. Certainly becoming more widely accepted.

After all it is free

They are not Snowcoots, they are literally a scooter with with 2 skis and you stand on a base like a traditional scooter! Snowbikes (Skibobs) you sit on, which is the reason why they are so good for people with less energy, shot knees and bad backs! Whilst everyone is standing in lift queues, we are sat down! You don't actually use the foots skis most of the time, they just run on the snow along side, as support for stopping and using when there is ice or on a very steep slope, then you have 4 points of contact with the snow, so nothing phases you. You don't need to think about edges. You can just travers across the slope, just like would do skiing. The more slush there is the better with these, as they then float! So late season is no problem. The ease of learning comes with the fact that you ride them like a bike, just turn the front ski using nothing more than your arms and leaning your body weight into that turn and they turn automatically. You can carve hard if you want to and whoosh on the straights! If you do fancy a go, they are more readily available in Austria. Good Luck!

@Gored, Had a look but its seems quite low and the way things are who knows?

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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Ski bobs are an old idea. I remember in the 1970s the lift guy on the Corrie Cas Tbar had one but there were others around Cairngorm at the time. They may even have been home made?
To ride the lift he simply hooked the Tbar under the handlebars. snowHead

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@alan_1951,
I know they are scoots. My limited research showed that scoots are allowed at a lot more places than bikes (unlike Austria!)
No idea why really. Why is having a seat any different, I have no idea, but maybe it is because snowscoot was invented by a French guy!
I guess they are where snowboards were 30-40 years ago.
Just back from Japan & Niseko allows scoots but not a bike. I guess it is easier to fall standing if going off the edge than sitting down.

@NickYoung, Reply to your answer: The snowbike website is showing rental locations in France, including La Plagne, so I guess that answers your question.

That would be Nick and Richard Platt , they don't do them any more.

Reply to your second comment: I'm bemused by the idea of 70-year olds on snowbikes. How sad that you should say that, what do you plan to do in your 70's?

Oh and you will be equally bemused at Henry Wuga, he was in his 90's when still leading snowbiking trips for BLESMA (British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association)

You know it makes sense.

saw a couple in les contamines and megeve last month and saw a group having a lesson at crest volland, I always tend to give them a wide berth as the riders do seem to love the speed and often look a bit out of control, but having looked at the two clips I think I might have a go next year especially as we are intending spemding a few days at crest, being mid sixties it might be a way of extending skiing years once knees fail in a few years.
Never too old to learn something new and has been said why give up things just because your passport shows your real age, my wife and I are still improving our ski abilities and love finding the moguls to play in, something that we would tend to avoid ten years ago, I do sometimes think that people on lifts watching me do (smallish) jumps etc are thinking look at that silly old sod, he should know better at his age. Youre a long time dead

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@robs1, They have certainly extended our skiing years, a hell of a lot of fun.

A snowHead

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@Blackblade, your friend's got a way to go yet. I'm told by others that I ski stylishly, I'm in control (in line with my overall control freakishness Embarassed

) and, whilst not particularly fast, I'm not unduly slow. Power and endurance - perhaps not so much, but I'm 77.

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Wow. People trigger easily.

Ok. I'm not puzzled or confused by it - maybe more amused. Maybe even sceptical.

My mind can't get past an image of Hotdog Hans, when trying to visualise this.

I am certainly bemused at people on here finding some kind of offense in my post. Defo bemused at people paying such daft money for them!

If that differs from your opinion, fine. That's ok. Why is it an issue for you?

Ski bikes are banned in many resorts because of their inherent dangers and the behaviours of those who tend to use them. They definitely appeal to a certain demographic, one in which 70 year-olds are outliers.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@NickYoung, FYI Snowbikes are not banned in many resorts. They are allowed in Italy, Austria, Turkey, France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, New Mexico, USA and Canada ( where they are heavily promoted) ie Copper Mountain, Keystone, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Utah, Sun Peaks, Telluride, Vail and Keystone to mention just a few. I think you are confusing commercially made and tried and tested Skibobs with home-made converted mountain bikes. These are a totally different animal. Often used by those youngsters, that years ago, started appearing on the slopes riding a "board", with soft boots...you know..those pesky snowboarders'. They were banned everywhere, until the ski resorts realised they were missing out an extra source of income! The type of Skibobs we use were first developed for lift workers, to get back down the mountain at the end of their shift. Didn't require any special skills and were safe in all snow conditions. They are also used by BLESMA for limbless veterans to regain confidence.( https://blesma.org/how-we-help/activities/winter-sports/ ) We had the pleasure of meeting up with these amazing people in Solden. They were better than us with all our limbs! I'm wondering, NickYoung, what "demographic" they fit into Puzzled

?? To be honest, if it meant missing out on seeing those amazing mountains, the camaraderie of those we meet and all the other wonderful times we have, I would have happily slid down the runs on a tin tray! Age is a state of mind, not a number; which is why we still go to music festivals and dance till we drop! Laughing

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

@Blackblade, thanks

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Using Snowbikes in France

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