Heading out - with friends

While our area is great for summer fun outdoors, for many who venture outside often when the sun is shining and the weather is perfect for short sleeves, more and more people are choosing to shun the indoors and remain active throughout the winter.

Dressing appropriately, it’s quite possible to enjoy the majestic views, smells and exercise opportunities that abound in our region.

“The best way to finish a day of playing in the snow at Schweitzer is to hop on the Fat Bike and pedal to Picnic Point to watch the changing colors of the sun setting over Lake Pend Oreille,” said Coeur d’Alene resident Molly Obetz, who shares outdoor time with friends Jennifer Fletcher of Dalton Gardens and Coeur d’Alene resident Andrea Youngblood, among others. “Having girlfriends to do this with enhances the experience by ensuring lots of smiles and laughter to go with the beauty of the outdoors,” Obetz added.

“Fat biking is a fun way to get outside during the cold winter months,” Coeur d’Alene resident Nicolette DeMoe said. “It’s great exercise.”

Erike Krumpelman used to take in the winters here in North Idaho, but she and husband, Doug, have relocated to Winthrop, Wash., and now take full advantage of winters in the Methow Valley. She said she takes every opportunity to get out on two wheels with good friends — no matter what the weather.

“It’s a chance to get out and play with my biking friends in the middle of winter when there is too much snow to mountain bike,” Krumpelman said. “Riding fat bikes on singletrack is great for balance — if you fall, you may sink down a foot into the snow, so I tried to avoid falling.”

Krumpelman added there are benefits to riding in snow, as far as safety is concerned. “Even if you fall, the landing is soft, and you will be laughing with your friends at the silliness of it all.”

Another revelation Krumpelman made involves temperature, since frigid cold doesn’t necessarily mean you have to stay indoors. “Super cold conditions may be too cold to nordic ski, but it makes for great fat biking. We all need as many activities as possible to get us out into the fresh air in the winter.”

Krumpelman added that hard-packed snow is the easiest surface to ride on, but other conditions can create a very hard workout, if that is what you’re going for.

While many fat biking options exist in North Idaho, Krumpelman said the Methow Valley has taken to it in a huge way. “Volunteers groom many miles of singletrack in the Winthrop area and some of our impeccably groomed Nordic ski trails are open to fat bikes,” she said.

For a schedule of Methow Valley events, visit www.facebook.com/events/806844649453816/?ti=ia

Vertical Earth co-owner and physical therapist Jennie Malloy Gaertner is looking forward to snow’s arrival and the potential to continue her own rehabilitation.

“I’ve been doing a ton of hiking, personally, because I broke my shoulder in mid-August and couldn’t mountain bike. I just got able to get back to road (on cross bike) riding without pain. And I’ve been training (cycling) for eight years straight, so the forced time off the bike has given me opportunities to hike that I wouldn’t have otherwise taken. There are some really cool hikes close to home that can be as hard or as easy of a workout as I want… just depends how quickly I move my feet.”

Geartner said if LaNina delivers, she hopes to get some snowshoeing in this winter. “I don’t alpine ski, so when the kids head to the resorts I’m hoping to do some fat biking, too.

“It all will depend on the conditions, of course. I’m lucky I have the choice to do either.”