The first question arises: What to ride on?
The answer: on snowbikes - a modern fashionable winter gadget.
Today, the ability to "glide" down the mountain has become as prestigious as, say, running your own business. One day, my wife and I were watching the weather at ski resorts in Ukraine on the "WEATHER TV" channel and saw how in Bukovel, vacationers were offered a new type of entertainment - a speedy descent down the mountain on a bicycle with skis instead of wheels. Later, we found out that this is a snowbike.
Snowbikes or winter bicycles
We enjoyed riding snowbikes so much that the desire to ride down the mountains completely took over us. My wife and I have "sedentary" jobs, so we decided that a snowbike was essential for us.
- "Can you convert our bicycles into snowbikes by yourself?" my wife asked me.
- "Yes! I can," I promised.
To make a snowbike, we used our old bicycle, which usually sits idle in the garage during winter. We removed the wheels from the bicycle. But what skis to install instead of the wheels? We decided that two children's Fischer RX Junior skis (100 cm long) with a Carving system would be suitable for us.
Carving skis are exactly those skis that easily initiate a turn and just as easily finish it. This suited us perfectly. We placed an order at the "Capricorn" store, and within three days, the skis were with us.
We also had to remove the pedals. Instead, we installed footrests.
That's it! The snowbike was ready! SUPER fun was guaranteed for us!
To learn how to ride it, it is enough to understand the basic principles of turning and braking on a slope. Believe me, this can be done independently, even without the help of an experienced instructor.
My wife and I tried our hand at descending on snowbikes on the ski slopes of Pilipets. It took us just a few hours to confidently control and easily descend down the snowy slopes. This was facilitated by the low center of gravity and four points of support: the front and rear skis, and the right and left legs. Yes, it was our legs that provided the necessary stability as we made our first tracks in the snow.
The light "bicycle" control, to which we were already accustomed, made our learning process quick, pleasant, and fun. In the first hour of riding, we had already learned to confidently descend the slope, make turns, brake, and stop.
Of course, at first glance, a snowbike may seem unstable, and the idea of riding one might even seem dangerous, as a snowbike combines two EXTREME sports: cycling (downhill) and skiing, and is intended only for descents on snowy slopes.
In reality, it's much simpler: the load is taken by the bicycle frame, not the skier's body, so the body tires significantly less than after skiing. By the end of the day, our legs didn't hurt at all. I can confirm this from personal experience.
Riding snowbikes turned out to be very interesting. The snowbike is fast, stable, reliable, and safe. So my wife and I happily rode all day long, and in the evening, we didn't feel tired at all.
Under such conditions, a crazy adrenaline rush is guaranteed. In our eyes, we instantly transformed into real daredevils who, having overcome the fear of heights and insane speed, made our first descents.
On snowbikes, you could descend from any slope. The main condition is the presence of snow. Having mastered the techniques of descending the slope, we boldly decided to go for speedy descents from Her Majesty "Polonyna Borzhava" and gained many new and vivid impressions.
A snowbike is SUPER fun! So it turns out that to fully enjoy our vacation in the Ukrainian Carpathians, my wife Victoria and I didn't need to become extreme skiers. We just needed to become snowbikers.
"Question number two"
The next question arose: where to ride?
The answer: in Pilipets - a modern ski resort in Ukraine.
The village of Pilipets is located at the foot of Mount Veliky Verkh, which is a jewel of Her Majesty "Polonyna Borzhava." Among all the mountain ranges of the Ukrainian Carpathians, the spine of "Polonyna Borzhava" is the most beautiful.
When planning our vacation, my wife and I wanted to fully enjoy the winter Carpathian landscapes, visit the "Shipot" waterfall, climb to the top of Mount "Himba," and see "Veliky Verkh" - a kind of "Ukrainian Elbrus."
These are exactly the components that played a decisive role in choosing our future vacation spot. Therefore, we decided to go to the village of Pilipets.
We began our acquaintance with the village of Pilipets with a walking tour to the magnificent 12-meter four-tiered waterfall "Shipot." The first steps in unfamiliar terrain have the pleasant taste of novelty. Therefore, the eyes, which are not yet accustomed to the Carpathian landscapes, joyfully capture every detail, every little thing of warm March. And the end of February in the Carpathians is probably the most beautiful time of the year. There is still snow in the mountains, but the sun is also appearing quite often and not only shines but also warms strongly.
The road to the waterfall is extremely simple, with no difficult ascents or descents. Our strength returned to our legs, and our lungs filled with fresh mountain air. The hustle, stress, and stuffiness of the big city disappeared - we were back in the mountains and rejoiced like children.
With our mouths agape at all this winter beauty, we leisurely made our way to the foot of the waterfall. And it, the beauty, eternal and unchanging - whispers and whispers its secrets: perhaps it laments, or hums, or maybe tells wise tales to travelers? We leaned in to listen... Each person listened in their own way, but no one admitted to hearing anything - after all, it remains a mystery!