Cycling with skis

A few weeks ago I read a discussion on how to carry skis on a bicycle. That got me triggered, and I started planning a bike trip with full camping gear and skiing equipment. The plan included cycling from Sweden to one of Norway's highest mountains, and then ascend and descend it on skis and return to Sweden by bike.

In the next few blog posts I will write about the preparations and the adventure itself, and include some photos.

The preparations: I start the planning process by checking snow conditions in the Norwegian mountains. The western mountains are known for good summer skiing so, there shouldn't be a problem to find snow. Senorge.no is great for detailed information on snow and weather in general. I found that large areas in Jotunheimen (and further west) had four meters of snow or more.

Next issue is about fixing the skis to the bike. I'm already used to carrying four panniers on my bike, but I never tried to put skis on the bike. I also needed a way to carry boots and ski poles. This is how it turned out in the end:


The trick is to fix the skis to the frame so that you can turn the handle bars. This may be difficult on a small frame. The skis are Nordic style touring skis with edges. They are not ideal for going down very steep slopes or at high speeds, but light and easy to ascend with (with skins or ski wax). Front panniers or break wires may get in the way. I keep boots and poles in the backpack on the rear rack. The rest is my normal equipment (camping and cooking gear, clothes, camera equipment, food, ...).

Next (Day 1)