January 16-18: Three Day Hut-to-Hut Fat Bike Adventure Ride
Location: Carrabassett Valley, Maine, staying in huts
Ride Type: Multiple-day fat bike adventure ride
A catered weekend and opportunity for ultra endurance winter fat bike riders to test equipment
Ride Type: Fat bike hut trip
Date & Time: Friday, January 16-Sunday, January 18 (3 days, 2 nights)
Location: Carrabassett Valley, Maine, where the snow is the best and trails allow for incredible riding
Distance each day: Conditions dictate, options will be offered. Long ride option for Saturday of 40-50 miles.
Price: $450 per person. Open to NEER members due to insurance requirements. See what’s included, below.
Register now!
Details
This is a fun and potentially demanding fat bike 3-day adventure riding incredible trails in Carrabassett Valley, a winter wonderland, and staying in nice huts to go further and see more!
The huts are full service offering freshly prepared, hot breakfasts and dinners accommodating all dietary needs of participants. Lunch is either at the hut or they pack it so riders can enjoy lunch in the wild.
Included in the price is stuff-schelpping from parking lot to the first hut, then from one hut to the next, then getting your stuff back to your car at the end of the trip. This allows you to enjoy riding with only the things you need for the day, not sleeping bag, toiletries, and your change of clothes.
Read about what to expect at the huts!
We have 9 spaces reserved for attendees and 2 are already spoken for. We expect to sell out and have a waiting list. We have to have a firm commitment via full payment the first week in December since we have to pay in full to the huts the first week in December.
The first night, we’ll be at lovely Stratton Hut.
The second night, we’ll be at secluded, private Flagstaff Hut.
Distance and pace
Ride at your own pace. Fat bike riding in the snow is slow for the fittest riders. Everyone will start and end at the same places each day and night for camaraderie and we expect enough people of various fitness levels so that everyone will have company out there. There is one designated trip organizer/ride leader who will likely be riding a fully loaded bike allowing for slower riders to have company. Route options will be shared with participants for each day (a shorter and longer option), so everyone is welcome to take on the distances that are comfortable for each person. Saturday’s minimum distance requirement is 20 miles to travel from the first hut to the second hut. There will be a long option of 40-50 miles for those who want a big day of riding.
Schedule
Exact timing of activities and rides will be emailed to everyone a few days prior to the start of the trip. Snow conditions will be factored into route lengths and will be adjusted as appropriate.
Friday - Meet up at 9:30am, at parking lot where cars can spend the weekend, drop overnight stuff off
10am - Ride starts
Arrive Stratton Brook Hut, enjoy a hot shower!
Enjoy a hot, hearty Dinner prepared by hut staff
Saturday -
7:30am - Enjoy a hot, hearty Breakfast prepared by hut staff
Ride 8:30am - Long - 40-50 mile
10am - Shorter - 20 miles (this isn’t short!)
Enjoy sack lunch hut staff prepared on the trail!
Arrive Flagstaff Hut before dinner
6-6:30pm - Enjoy a hot Dinner prepared by hut staff
Sunday -
7:30am - Enjoy a hot, hearty breakfast prepared by hut staff
Ride - 9am - it’s ~15 miles to return to cars / longer option available
Enjoy the sack lunch hut staff prepared on the trail!
Monday is the Martin Luther King, Jr holiday so hopefully you don’t have to rush home Sunday night!
Are you training for an ultra winter cycling event?
If you’re an ultra winter cyclist preparing for future ultra events and want the challenge of sleeping outside in a bivvy and want to self-support (ie bringing and making most/all food on the trail), this is an option! You can still take advantage of the gear shuttle to get extra stuff to the huts and have stuff moved from one hut to the next to transport extra food and any extra gear you think you might want. This is an option at the bottom of the page where registration links appear.
Parking
Airport Trailhead. All attendees will receive driving directions to this parking lot. This is where you’ll bring your stuff so it can be transported to the first hut.
Routes
All routes will be emailed in advance of the weekend.
Complete Information
We will email all participants with full details at least 2 days prior to the trip, including routes of shorter and longer options. Please don’t hesitate to ask questions via email or txt.
If you need to arrive later on Friday and your stuff will miss the gear shuttle, we can arrange for you to get us your stuff prior to the trip (in the Boston area) and we’ll bring it up early so that it makes it to the hut.
Contact Information
Email - connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com with questions about this ride.
CALL US if you need us to know anything just before the ride start or during the ride at 413-461-7433.
Don’t txt if you need an immediate response, all txt msgs go to our email that we aren’t checking if we’re in front of people at the ride or on our bikes.
Our Super Domestique rides with a Garmin InReach in case of emergency that is out of cell phone range. We do this to facilitate rider safety. If you’re not riding with the Super Domestique, we ask that you follow the proposed route for the day and let us know if you’re planning on doing something different for safety. We always want to know where you are!
Preparation
This is unlike our other rides. It’s very important to come prepared with all necessary equipment and have a bike that is tuned and completely ready for what this ride entails. Clothing appropriate for the temperatures is important and remember that overheating on very cold days can happen so layers are important. Everyone who registers will receive a packing list and guidance on proper gear.
Waiver
NEER requires a signed waiver before your first ride. Please fill it out online prior to your first ride.
Proper bike & Equipment
Fat bike with tires 3.8” or wider.
A bike that’s in safe working order that is properly lubed and tuned. Have a plan in case your bike or legs stop working. Note there are a lot of dead cell phone areas in the areas where we’ll be riding.
All necessary equipment and supplies - we’ll email a comprehensive list so you know what is necessary well ahead of time. This list includes bringing a sleeping bag (summer weight is fine) for sleeping in the hut beds.
Lights - front and rear, back up lights and back-up batteries (cold batteries don’t work like warm ones do)
Optional and fun! Stove - ability to make water from snow in cold temps