Exploring Ylläs with E-Fatbikes
I’ve done loads of safaris when I was working as a guide myself in my first winter season in Lapland. But fatbiking was something new. I like mountain biking in the summer, but I couldn’t really imagine riding a bike in deep snow. We booked a tour from Hidden Trails Lapland with friends in Äkäslompolo and were ready to explore the trails around Ylläs.
Winter Biking preparation
We met Marko, our guide, at the parking space in front of the supermarket. First things first he made sure that we were all dressed properly. It was -20 degrees. Warm shoes, warm gloves and a balaclava were essential. We all got gloves, helmets and bikes according our size and Marko explained how they work.
Off we go- Frozen bike trails- Ylläs
Once everyone was ready, we followed Marko over the frozen lake to a trail, that’s officially a winter biking trail and off we went into the forest. I was very motivated and surprised how easily it was to drive on the snow. We all got E-Fatbikes and even going uphill was no problem at all. We were all able to follow our guide Marko through the snowy trees.
The trail was varied and sometimes quite narrow. Going downhill was challenging, especially the curves. Due to my braking friend in front of me I used my brakes also and had to stop. Unfortunately I stepped outside the path in the deep snow and fell off my bike – in slow motion! Luckily the snow was very powdery and soft; I didn’t hurt myself at all.
Winter Fatbike Ride is Fun
But I had difficulties to get out. I had to laugh about myself and my friends were also laughing; it must have looked very funny… Marko laughed, parked his bike and helped me to get up. “This is not going to be the only fall we see today”, he said. And he was right. One of my friends fell in the next curve and it went on with others falling too. As soon as anyone had to stop and stepped outside the path, they just sank into the soft snow. After an hour we arrived at a very cosy, small skiing café. We dried our gloves and hats at the open fireplace and enjoyed hot drinks. The hot chocolate was very well earned.
After the break we continued our adventure on another trail back to the village. Never had we thought that this would be so much fun. We had a great time and enjoyed being outdoors. The coldness didn’t bother us. We could have gone on for another hour, but the batteries of the E-Fatbikes needed to be charged because of the cold temperature.
The tour was great and I’m very happy to recommend this activity to everyone. You get to see lovely hidden places in the forests, the exercise is not too hard and it’s so much fun!
Written by Anja Degiampietro/ Finnomenal
