1. Overhead You might not think of [overhead" as a concept applicable to recreational activities, but conceptually, it actually fits perfectly. Businessdictionary.com defines [overhead" as a [resource consumed or lost in completing a process, that does not contribute directly to the end-product." As applied here, the resource in question is our most precious resource of all: time. When skiing, I spend a lot of time not skiing. The bane of skiing is lift lines, which consume time not skiing. Even if you`re lucky enough to be able to ski at a time when lines are short or nonexistent (usually midweek and at a less desirable ski area), then there`s the time spent actually riding the lift–again, not skiing. A 10-minute lift ride up may deliver one-to-two minutes of actual skiing before you`re back in the lift line. On the other hand, when you`re riding, you`re riding; there`s no time spent waiting for your ride to the top of the mountain-your bike is your ride to the top. Sure, you may stop along the way to smell the roses, admire the view, or just commune with your biking brethren, but it`s entirely optional; downhill skiing overhead is much more mandatory. We`re supposed to get more patient as we get older, but I find I have far less tolerance for standing in line than I used to. I just want to go, and I can do that on the bike.
2. Geographic Diversity
Although it`s called [mountain biking," mountains, while awesome, aren`t mandatory. You can mountain bike in the desert, the jungle, or even on the prairie, as well as any mountains you can find. Downhill skiing, on the other hand, requires mountains. There is quality mountain biking to be found in every state in the union, but not so with skiing.
A number of states have no skiing at all, and the skiing in most of them is second-rate at best. I have skied at Bottineau Winter Park in North Dakota with its gentle slopes and 200ft vertical drop. Meanwhile, North Dakota has the IMBA Epic Maah Daah Hey Trail, one of the nation`s great singletrack routes. In the Mid-Atlantic, states like Pennsylvania draw a few skiers to minor ski hills who go there only because it`s the only skiing available, while the Allegrippis trail network gets raves from all who set their knobbies there.
As for states with no skiing at all, consider Texas and South Carolina whose Flat Rock Ranch and FATS Trail System, respectively, were recently named among the 20 most tantalizing trails in the country. Florida, who short of a major continental shift and a serious Ice Age will never see any kind of downhill skiing, placed two trails on that same list: Santos, which ranks all the way up at #8 in the Singletracks database, and Alafia, which is not far behind at #11. The bottom line is that few of us have easy access to skiing, and very few of us have easy access to high quality skiing, while almost all of us have easy access to mountain biking, and most of us have access to high quality mountain biking.
3. Seasonal Diversity
In addition to the concept of anywhere, there is the concept of [anywhen." Skiing is limited to the winter months, while much of the country can cycle year round, or close to it. That`s without a fat bike; with a fat bike, the activity truly becomes year-round for all of us. Each year, I really have to put in an effort to get in double-digit days on the slopes, but I have no problem whatsoever putting in triple-digit days on the bike.
