- Climate change
has made snowfall

in some regions less consistent,

posing a major problem for
winter sports facilities.

But now a new winter game
is rolling onto the scene,

guaranteeing fun for visitors

with or without
snow on the ground.

(peaceful chimes music)

- [Narrator] It's winter,
perfect time to enjoy the snow

on a bicycle?

As long as it's
got very big tires.

They're called fat bikes.

And because of them,

a growing number of cyclists
are riding outdoors year round.

(gentle adventuring music)

- They're just novel.

I mean, who thinks that you
can ride a bike on snow, right?

You get a grownup on these

and they act like a little kid.

- [Narrator] The tires
are about twice as wide

as a regular mountain bike's.

They provide a stable platform

that can travel over
almost any surface.

Steve Mitchell
started biking in snow

in Alaska in the 1980s,

long before fat bikes
rolled onto the scene.

- Eventually I think
people figured out

that the bigger the
tire, the better.

- [Narrator] Once
an obscure novelty,

fat bikes are becoming
the hot new thing.

In fact, it's the fastest
accelerating portion

of mountain biking
sales nation wide.

Like human powered
monster trucks,

fat bikes bounce over
hard crusted snow.

With Mitchell's help, fat
bikes have gained traction

in the Methow Valley
of central Washington,

a recreation
destination made popular

by a different winter
sport, cross country skiing.

The region has
more than 120 miles

of Nordic ski trails,

the largest such trail
system in North America.

- [Woman] People come
here to experience

this beautiful mountain valley,

the old west town of Winthrop,

but they also come
here to recreate.

- [Narrator] And lately,

fat biking has become
so popular here

that Methow Cycle and Sport

had to double its
stock of fat bikes

to meet rising
demand for rentals.

Julie Melard is
co-owner of the shop

and has become a fat
bike enthusiast herself.

- Almost everyone knows
how to ride a bike.

They can easily get on a bike,

and go, "oh this
is familiar to me.

"I know how to do this."

- [Narrator] Recreation
on the Methow trails

infuses more than
$12 million a year

into the local economy.

And in the winter,
recreationalists keep Winthrop

from becoming a ghost town.

Instead, places like

Mitchell's Rocking
Horse Bakery are packed.

- Snow is basically
the dollar sign

behind the local
economy in the winter.

And without it,

I don't think you'd have
a thriving community.

- [Narrator] There's been
plenty of snow this year,

but snowfall in recent years

has been less and
less consistent,

and that trend is
likely to continue

as the climate changes.

Northwest winters are expected

to see warmer
average temperature

leading to more
rain and less snow.

Nationwide studies estimate
the impacts of climate change

will curtail spending
on snow based recreation

by billions of dollars
in the coming decades.

That's a big concern for
people like James DeSalvo.

He's the Executive Director

of the Methow
Trails Association.

- We think about the way

that the environment's
going to change here

a tremendous amount.

And specifically, that there
won't be any snow some winter.

We wanna be prepared
for that day

so that we've got still
something to offer

tourists who are coming here

and really active locals who
just love the trail network.

- [Narrator] That's
where fat bikes come in.

Because they work with or
without snow on the ground,

fat bikes could help
places like the Methow

survive lean snow years.

- And it's gonna be
like this all week long.

Fat bikes are really fun to ride

on dirt, in the
mud, on the snow.

And as we're transitioning
either into winter

or out of winter, we can
still ride fat bikes.

- [Narrator] So
James and his team

have begun making room on the
Nordic trails for fat bikes.

They use snowmobiles with
special grooming tools

to create single track
style fat bike trails.

- [James] The key is to create

something that
people wanna ride.

We're one of the first
areas in the nation

to allow fat bikes on
portions of our trail system.

And so we know that there's
other types of users

that would use our
trails year round

if we are just flexible
enough and inventive enough

to give it a try.

- [Narrator] If fat
bikes catch on here,

there's a chance that
cyclists will find themselves

in conflict with other
winter sport enthusiasts.

But so far, that hasn't been a
problem in the Methow Valley.

- Well, a little
slippery out there, huh?

- [Narrator] This
isn't the only place

that's giving fat bikes a try.

- Well here it's kinda
tricky on today it's--

- It is a little
tricky on today's snow.

- [Narrator] Alpine ski
resorts across the country

have begun embracing
fat bikes as well.

At Mount Hood Meadows in Oregon,

they're holding
periodic demonstrations

and offering free test rides.

- I was really kind of anxious,

I'm gonna ride on
that, but it's fun

and worth the try.

- All right, have fun.
- Thanks.

- So very easy to ride,
lots of surface area

for you to actually
have amazing traction.

So pretty much
anybody can ride it.

- [Man] Would it
increase the days

that I come up here and active?

Yeah, absolutely.

- [Narrator] It isn't
always a smooth ride,

but falling is part of the fun.

And not just for the newbies,

even for long time fat bikers.

- You never quite know
what the outcome's gonna be

and you're often tumbling

and hopefully
landing in soft snow.

- [Narrator] As the
climate changes,

the outcome for winter
sports is unclear as well.

But the enthusiasm
over fat bikes

holds promise for people
who want to keep places

like Mount Hood and
the Methow Valley

popular winter destinations,

regardless of how
much snow falls.

- Quest for more information,

visit fatbikes.com.