The Fat Bike Riding this Winter Season was Fun, Exciting and Adventuresome – especially riding snowpacked singletrack trails on a Fat Bike- A Complete HOOT ! So as the Winter Riding Season came to an end in late March – and with visions of riding dirt singletrack trails on a regular mountain bike most of us Fat Bike Riders thought about putting our Fat Bikes in storage until late November.

Alas a Novel Thought – Riding a Fat Bike on Dirt Road and Trails – after one short ride on some singletrack trails in April  I was committed to riding a Fat Bike year around. So after some tire changes and minor adjustments the Fat Bike is an All Season Bike.

This Summer Season – TETON MOUNTAIN BIKE TOURS will be Renting FAT BIKES – so check out the local Jackson Hole Singletrack Trails and Dirt Roads on a  Surly Fat Bike – a NEW and FUN Riding Experience !

MORE INFORMATION on Fat Biking in Jackson Hole or Renting a Fat Bike - CONTACT TMBT @ 307-733-0712 or info@tetonmtbike.com .

Start of Fat Bike Ride

The Winter Season in Jackson Hole is a Great Time to Ride a Winterized Mountain Bike with Studded Snow Tire OR an Awesome SNOW BIKE with the Fat Tire with a Average Width of 3.7 to 4.0 Inches.  Note the Normal Mountain Bike Tire is 2.0 to 2.5 Inches – so with a Snow Bike there is greater traction and floatation in the most snow conditions.

Snow Packed Trails in Jackson Hole

There are several options in the Greater Jackson Hole area for riding a BIKE from the Trails in the Cache Creek Area to the Local Groomed Snowmobile Trails to the Snow Packed Roads on the National Elk Refuge and in Grand Teton National Park. So try a NEW Activity – Winter Biking in Jackson Hole – A Novel an Fun Experience!

Contact Teton Mountain Bike Tours @ 307-733-0712 or info@tetonmtbike.com for more details. 

NEW for the 2011 -12 Winter season – Teton Mountain Bike Tours will be offering Winter Bike Rentals. We have Kona Mountain Bikes with Studded Snow Tires plus Helmets for rent on a daily or multi day basis.

Winter Singletrack Riding

There are several Winter Bike Rides in the Jackson Hole area from the Teton County Pathways to the National Elk Refuge Road to Cache Creek Trails – check with TMBT for more details on these winter bike rides. Yes we even have some fun  Winter Singletrack Rides close to the Town of  Jackson.

So for a Fun & Exciting Winter Activity – get a Winter Bike Rentals from TMBT and Enjoy a Winter Bike Ride in the Jackson Hole area. Call us @ 800-733-0788 or 307-733-0712 !

NEW for the 2011-12 Winter Season – Teton Mountain Bike Tours will be offering COMBO TOURS - Wildlife/Bike Tours in Grand Teton National Park ! This is a Full Day Tour with a Winter Wildlife Van Tour in the morning – Lunch @ Local Eatery – a Winter Bike Tour in the afternoon.

Bald Eagle in GTNP

See and Learn about the Wildlife in Grand Teton National Park and on the National Elk Refuge in the morning and after a Great Lunch – Explore and Experience the Wonders of the Winter Season on a Guided Bike Ride!

A Larger Than Life Experience – Join us @ TMBT for a Fun and Incredible Winter Adventure in the Tetons !

 The Awesome View of the Tetons on a Winter Bike Tour !

Winter View of Teton Mountain Range

Once Again for the 2011 -12 Winter Season  - Teton Mountain Bike Tours will be offering GUIDED WINTER BIKE TOURS in Grand Teton National Park . Come experience the wonders and awesomeness of the Winter Season on a Fun an Exciting Adventure of a Guided Winter Bike Ride ! 

We include Mountain Bikes with Studded Snow Tires and “NEW for This Season” Heated Handlebar Grips, Helmets with Skull Caps, a FREE Polar Waterbottle, Transportation from Local Lodging and Local Winter Bike Guides. 

A Novel and Unique Experience – Tell your Friends and Family back home how you Rode a Winterized Bike in Grand Teton National Park this Winter Season !!

Explore Grand Teton National Park on a Winter Guided Bicycle Tour!

Biking Through Grand Teton National Park

So what exactly is the difference between a bison and a buffalo?
The answer . . .
Historians speculate that early European explorers used the term ‘buffalo’ as the name for the North American bison, as they were familiar with the species that existed in Africa (Cape Buffalo) and Asia (Water Buffalo). The terms buffalo and bison have been used interchangeably ever since that time.

Late summer is an important time for bison. It’s the season of rut, when the dominant bison bulls must re-establish their right to sire next year’s calves. There is much jousting between the bulls – and people going out on bikes with Teton Mountain Bike Tours are certainly getting an eye-ful!

Our Antelope Flats ride during this part of the year almost guarantees a buffalo sighting. The massive animal can be found in herds all over the area of Mormon Row where we bike, so guides and visitors need to be extra careful of their distance. In fact, we’ve had several occasions where the guide had to hitch a ride back to the van near trip-end so they could pick up TMBT guests and their bicycles. Only then could they safely drive through the bison lining the sides of the road!

Fighting among bulls during the rut can be fierce and their challenging roars echo across the grasslands. Buffalo are more aggressive and can be more dangerous during this time – and unfortunately, people are sometimes more concerned about getting the perfect picture! Just imagine how you would feel if someone in a compact car going about 30 miles an hour hit you. It is somewhat equivalent, however bison have horns!

In the late 1800s, buffalo were nearly exterminated by men. Today, they are no longer endangered and combined herds in the United States are estimated at approximately 80,000 animals.

Check out the “bashing bison” video put out by Animal Planet on YouTube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPuo_–B3TI&feature=fvw

Teton Mountain Bike Tours had a rather large group come bike with us recently! The Destiny Foundation, which was created by Rabbi Berel in 1996, is an organization that translates riveting accounts of Jewish history into audiotapes, books and a series of drama and documentary film projects.

The group had a large amount of people, all wearing traditional Hasidic dress. The men were wearing dark trousers, white shirts and black shoes. The women were wearing long, dark skirts and sleeves past the elbow. Since the group was so big, we split them into two separate tours. One went biking up historical Mormon Row for an hour, while the other group enjoyed 2 hours of riding our most popular tour: Antelope Flats.

After making sure everything was properly tucked in to avoid bike chain rings eating their clothing (!!), we set off into the sunshine. The longer bike ride had a Rabbi, several children and an 83 year old grandfather. The grandfather was used to biking all of his life and never tired out! The kids had lots of fun pointing out the plentiful wildlife – hawks, pronghorn and bison.

Everyone was in awe of the beauty of the Tetons surrounding them. We shared the history of the Hole and our knowledge of the animals we saw on Antelope Flats. Almost everyone had a camera, and we happily snapped picture after picture for them.

By the end of the ride, the people of the Destiny Foundation were raving about Teton Mountain Bike Tours. A tour guide for women’s specialty journeys pulled us aside to tell us she would highly recommend our trip for her future tours to Jackson. Everyone smiled and waved their goodbyes, as they loaded onto their bus to town.

It was certainly another grand day in the land of the Tetons!

Here are some pictures from the tour:

http://picasaweb.google.com/TMBT2008/TheDestinyFoundation#

Our adventure started out on Lost Creek Ranch Road. The bouncy van ride was quite charming with lots of sagebrush on either side and the foothills of the Gros Ventre Mountains in the distance. In addition to other geological features of the area, our guide informed us that the Gros Ventures are actually older than the Teton mountain range!

First things first! Our Teton Mountain Bike Guide, Dan, advised us about the importance of staying out of mud puddles, otherwise your brakes and gears will stop functioning due to the bentonite clay mixed in with the dirt here. Dan also spoke on the importance of yielding to horses, the wildlife in the vicinity and how to stay safe – especially from bears!

Then it was go time! We set off down Cobblestone Hill – a really nice downhill filled with glacial cobble (a more scientific name for this type of “rocky terrain”). After that, we had some uphill to do. The climb took place on a dirt road; however, most of it was shaded by the thick pine forest. At times there was no way to avoid hitting puddles though. When a tire became caked in mud and spun around . . . the dirt flew everywhere, including at you!

The bugs were out in full force – landing wherever they could on our bodies, even though we thoroughly sprayed ourselves with insect spray. This was actually a good thing though, because it forced everyone to keep moving! Not a cloud in the sky was to be seen, and all you could hear were the mosquitoes buzzing and the gears on the bike systematically changing as the ride continued.

Finally it was time to hit some sweet single track! The group weaved through the dense woodland brush and mountain biked into beautiful wildflower meadows. Up and down we went – stopping here and there to take pictures, maybe avoid a few logs on the trail and listen to Dan share a tidbit of knowledge about the terrain ahead of us.

It was quite a time, mountain biking around single track trails and enjoying plenty of downhill paths, bringing us closer to our original starting place. However, before we realized, the splendid July weather had taken a turn. The sky overhead turned dark and we were suddenly caught in a storm! First the freezing rain started, and then it changed to small hail – but it ended as quickly as it appeared (thankfully!). We raced back to our van, treasuring the majestic view of the Tetons in front of us and ended the tour by toasting a job well done with some ice-cold lemonade!

To check out pictures from this trip, see our photos on the web!
http://picasaweb.google.com/TMBT2008/SpreadCreekBlogEntry#

Wake up. Be glad for another day of playing in the Tetons!
Eat a hearty breakfast (because you need a ton of energy to do a mountain bike ride)!
Put on plenty of sunscreen, to keep out the sun’s harmful rays.
Get dressed and grab your gear!

Head out to the office and load up the right size bikes to bring for clients.
Meet up with guests and chat about the Jackson area on the way to the trail.
Ready everyone with helmets, sunscreen and bug spray!
Chat about personal safety with regard to the roads and wildlife in the area.
Get riding!

Point out all the amazing features of the landscape.
Marvel about the blue sky day, while watching a hawk soar in circles for its lunch.
Stop a few moments to watch the enormous bison make their way across the road.
Check out the baby buffalo calves that were born this past spring!
Spy a pronghorn in the sagebrush, making his way across the flatlands.
Remind everyone to take a slug of water!

See that everyone carefully takes note of the terrain change.
Pass by beautiful streams, enjoying the calm sound of rushing water.
Watch as a coyote appears for a brief second and then disappears into the landscape.
Stop and take pictures of guests with the Tetons as the perfect backdrop!
Listen to the calls of the curlew bird.

Discuss reaching the finish of our ride, reminding clients the best bike gears to use.
Have everyone ride until the end, anxiously awaiting the “surprise” we have for them.
Serve up lemonade and cookies!

Take a few more photos and say goodbye, watching guests leave with a great big smile on their faces!
Load up the bikes and gear (taking some time to take in the mountains) and head back to the office.
Chat with other guides about their adventurous day, while returning everything to its rightful place.

Sign out for the day and go play for the rest of the afternoon in the magnificent Tetons!!