Bicycle touring in the winter
An interview with Alaskan Tony Torti

Love Rd. pipeline pad, -30F. Coming back from Chena River (which was probably -35F or colder) my cheeks got a little nippy due to hard packed surface which meant higher speeds. Mound is pipeline going underground, you can see the shadow of me holding the camera out for this shot.

Tony Torti has been a member of the Icebike Mailing List for several years. In addition to freely providing lots of good advice about winter icebiking Tony has tantalized the list from time to time with his accounts of touring interior Alaska.

Most cylists have little experience with planning and going on a bicycle touring adventure during the winter so I asked Tony if I could interview him and obtain some knowledge that would hopefully benefit other readers of the Bicycle Touring 101 website.

Tony answered in the affirmative. Without further introduction here's the interview.

Why would you do an "insane" thing like tour in the winter in Alaska of all times and places?

With regards to insanity other winter bikers and I in Fairbanks have worked hard with the media to stop portraying winter trail biking as some sort of crazy stunt by whackos instead of a fast, fun and efficient means of winter travel. No one looks at strapping long sticks to your feet and going sliding off on trails as insane so why biking?

The simple answer would be Alaska is where I live and winter is when so much of this state is open to travel, especially by bicycle. Almost all of the trails I bike in winter are known as "winter only" and would not be passable by bike (or other means) in summer due to swamps, ponds, lakes, creeks, rivers. Many are so rough that they are not usable until enough snow falls to cover everything. Those are practical reasons but anyone that loves winter knows how beautiful it can be. Snow, ice and our sun low in the sky collaborate to make for amazing scenes. No bugs, no mud, can't overstate how nice it is not cleaning your bike for 7-8 months of the year. In spring conditions just get better and better as trails pack harder, and temperatures climb with the sun. Then there's the special conditions like overflow ice so good that rivers can turn into wilderness highways, what's not to love?

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Do you have to take any special precautions/extra gear etc when you go on this type of bicycle touring adventure?

After 35 years of backcountry winter travel in Alaska you get to where preparations become pretty much standard procedure. Nothing different than any off road excursion would require, let someone know where you'll be, plenty of food and fuel and for winter travel we're talking lots of food. Extra butter is a favorite, it's one of the highest calories to weight foods and most things you put it on or in tastes better. For gear, light is right. I spent enough years lugging around pounds and pounds of felt, rubber, wool, the dreaded cotton thermal underwear and bulky down clothes. Obviously you want good quality gear top to bottom when out alone under sometimes trying conditions.

Don't you get cold especially at night? Where do you sleep?

For most of my multi-day trips I stay in cabins so keeping warm is not a problem. We're lucky to have lots of BLM and State Parks cabins on trail systems in the area that are available for rent. For the White Mtns week long trip I didn't even take a sleeping bag, just pads and a light blanket. All the cabins have bunks, woodstove, axe, saw and if anything knowing how to stoke a fire so it doesn't take off and cook you out is more of a problem than staying warm. As the years go by I sleep in a tent less often but a night or two is ok with a good bag. My comfort zone is shrinking but with good gear -10F to -20F is ok at night and anything above zero F is a piece of cake. With our long winter if you spend lots of time outside it's impressive how much acclimatization goes on which makes comfort in cold easier to attain. Considering the conditions getting cold once in a while is part of the experience. Cold body, exercise, more clothes, food and water, if none of that works seek shelter but I've only had to do that once when I got caught out in a blizzard my first winter in Alaska. Cold hands and feet respond to the previous strategies plus building a fire can warm extremities quickly. Being able to make a fire quickly is required for safe winter travel. Having said all that it must be pointed out that I'm almost freakishly warm blooded and that sure helps.

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Any special dangers that worry you (like meeting a polar bear, falling through the ice etc)?

Must admit that imagining falling thru ice is not an unfamiliar occurrence while out on some rivers, but that's just a moment or two out of hours and hours of pure joy. I'm always alone when on these trips so being extra careful has become second nature, something that would be an inconvenience elsewhere could become life threatening under some winter conditions. I often get off the bike and walk over stuff that I'd probably try if someone was with me. I'm pretty aware of moose, they're big, amazingly fast, there's lots of them and they can be ornery.

Have you ever been caught out in a storm? What did you do?

A couple of springs ago I had another week long trip in the White Mtns planned. Cabins rented, good game plan which included starting on a ridgetop and ending at a creekbottom so losing 1500 or so feet from start to finish. The first night I went 11 miles in dropping off the ridge to a trail shelter expecting a couple of inches at most from a storm I'd been tracking. Got settled in and watched the snow start falling, and falling. Looked out the door in the morning to about 4-5 inches on the bike and snow still falling hard. No brainer, loaded up and hauled the still full trailer up that stinking hill to the ridgetop and back to my truck. That surprise storm dumped 6-8 inches in the White Mtns, way too much to pull a trailer through. I do this for fun and am not into punishing myself.

I always carry a daypack so if walking out became necessary I could carry needed gear. The farthest off road I've been is about 35-40 miles but usually I'm no further than 20 miles in so walking out in case of major bike failure or heavy snowfall is no big deal.

Any advice for someone about to embark on their first winter bicycle touring adventure?

Take lots of food! Be sure and have some winter biking experience under your belt. A few day trips, maybe bringing a stove along and making a hot drink by melting snow or cooking something if you've never done it before. Did I mention bringing lots of food? If you're a complete newbie start with an overnighter. Know your gear! Don't take untested stuff and that includes everything, bike, bike gear, clothes, cooking and sleeping gear. Oh yeah and bring lots of food. Freeze dried meals for two have always been used for one by this winter camper. Good headlamp, plenty of reading material. Candles are good for so many things, warming a tent, light, emergency fire starter, heat source for thawing frozen bike or body parts. If you start to get cold deal with it immediately unless you are close to shelter and/or warmth. The importance of drinking lots of fluids can't be overstated. Cold can inhibit the desire to drink but the colder it is the more important hydration becomes. Know how to build a fire on the trail and how to use a woodstove if you're staying in cabins or shelters equipped with them. I've gone into a cabin and found green wood stacked up a few times. I toss it away from the cabin if possible as it's worse than no wood at all. Bring a camera, winter landscapes offer many memorable photo opportunities. About that food! Bring plenty of high caloric goodies for treats and desserts if you like that sort of thing.