WEBVTT

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- Climate change
has made snowfall

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in some regions less consistent,

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posing a major problem for
winter sports facilities.

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

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guaranteeing fun for visitors

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with or without
snow on the ground.

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(peaceful chimes music)

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

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on a bicycle?

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As long as it's
got very big tires.

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They're called fat bikes.

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And because of them,

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a growing number of cyclists
are riding outdoors year round.

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(gentle adventuring music)

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- They're just novel.

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

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You get a grownup on these

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and they act like a little kid.

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- [Narrator] The tires
are about twice as wide

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as a regular mountain bike's.

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They provide a stable platform

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that can travel over
almost any surface.

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Steve Mitchell
started biking in snow

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in Alaska in the 1980s,

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long before fat bikes
rolled onto the scene.

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- Eventually I think
people figured out

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that the bigger the
tire, the better.

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- [Narrator] Once
an obscure novelty,

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fat bikes are becoming
the hot new thing.

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In fact, it's the fastest
accelerating portion

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of mountain biking
sales nation wide.

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Like human powered
monster trucks,

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fat bikes bounce over
hard crusted snow.

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With Mitchell's help, fat
bikes have gained traction

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in the Methow Valley
of central Washington,

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a recreation
destination made popular

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by a different winter
sport, cross country skiing.

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The region has
more than 120 miles

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of Nordic ski trails,

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the largest such trail
system in North America.

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- [Woman] People come
here to experience

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this beautiful mountain valley,

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the old west town of Winthrop,

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but they also come
here to recreate.

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- [Narrator] And lately,

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fat biking has become
so popular here

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that Methow Cycle and Sport

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had to double its
stock of fat bikes

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to meet rising
demand for rentals.

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Julie Melard is
co-owner of the shop

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and has become a fat
bike enthusiast herself.

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- Almost everyone knows
how to ride a bike.

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They can easily get on a bike,

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and go, "oh this
is familiar to me.

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"I know how to do this."

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- [Narrator] Recreation
on the Methow trails

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infuses more than
$12 million a year

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into the local economy.

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And in the winter,
recreationalists keep Winthrop

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from becoming a ghost town.

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Instead, places like

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Mitchell's Rocking
Horse Bakery are packed.

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- Snow is basically
the dollar sign

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behind the local
economy in the winter.

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And without it,

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

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

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but snowfall in recent years

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has been less and
less consistent,

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and that trend is
likely to continue

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as the climate changes.

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Northwest winters are expected

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to see warmer
average temperature

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leading to more
rain and less snow.

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Nationwide studies estimate
the impacts of climate change

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will curtail spending
on snow based recreation

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by billions of dollars
in the coming decades.

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

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He's the Executive Director

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of the Methow
Trails Association.

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- We think about the way

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that the environment's
going to change here

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a tremendous amount.

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

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We wanna be prepared
for that day

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so that we've got still
something to offer

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tourists who are coming here

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and really active locals who
just love the trail network.

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

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Because they work with or
without snow on the ground,

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fat bikes could help
places like the Methow

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survive lean snow years.

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

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Fat bikes are really fun to ride

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on dirt, in the
mud, on the snow.

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And as we're transitioning
either into winter

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

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- [Narrator] So
James and his team

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

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They use snowmobiles with
special grooming tools

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to create single track
style fat bike trails.

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- [James] The key is to create

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something that
people wanna ride.

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We're one of the first
areas in the nation

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to allow fat bikes on
portions of our trail system.

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

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that would use our
trails year round

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if we are just flexible
enough and inventive enough

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to give it a try.

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- [Narrator] If fat
bikes catch on here,

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there's a chance that
cyclists will find themselves

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in conflict with other
winter sport enthusiasts.

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

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- Well, a little
slippery out there, huh?

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- [Narrator] This
isn't the only place

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that's giving fat bikes a try.

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

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

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- [Narrator] Alpine ski
resorts across the country

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have begun embracing
fat bikes as well.

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At Mount Hood Meadows in Oregon,

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they're holding
periodic demonstrations

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and offering free test rides.

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- I was really kind of anxious,

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

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and worth the try.

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- All right, have fun.
- Thanks.

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- So very easy to ride,
lots of surface area

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for you to actually
have amazing traction.

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So pretty much
anybody can ride it.

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- [Man] Would it
increase the days

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that I come up here and active?

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Yeah, absolutely.

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

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but falling is part of the fun.

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And not just for the newbies,

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even for long time fat bikers.

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

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and you're often tumbling

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and hopefully
landing in soft snow.

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- [Narrator] As the
climate changes,

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the outcome for winter
sports is unclear as well.

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But the enthusiasm
over fat bikes

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holds promise for people
who want to keep places

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like Mount Hood and
the Methow Valley

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popular winter destinations,

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regardless of how
much snow falls.

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- Quest for more information,

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visit fatbikes.com.