On Wheels

SNOWMOBILING KEEPS CONVERTING 'EM

Story by Mike McKenna

Photos by Christian Pondella

OKAY. I’LL ADMIT IT. I WAS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE who thought snowmobiles were nothing but obnoxiously loud, gas-guzzling sleds on steroids, ridden almost exclusively by drunken rednecks.

And yes, it’s true, I was one of those people who’d mumble nasty things about the riders’ uncles, mothers and pets as the snowmobiles would pass while I was snowshoeing or cross-country skiing.

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Story by Kim Stravers

Photo by Peter Morning

LIVING SPITTING DISTANCE FROM A RANGE AS GRAND as the Sierra, we’re a bit spoiled when it comes to athletic celebrity. In fact, with so much talent packed into our modest eastern nook, there’s a good chance that one of the folks in line behind you at the post office last Tuesday has a medal or two hanging over the fireplace.

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IT’S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO BELIEVE THERE WAS A TIME BEFORE MOUNTAIN BIKING. A time when ski areas sat dormant during the warm summer months, hosting an occasional hiker and dreaming of snowy winter days when their slopes could once again be worshiped.
Now a summer’s day, the slopes of most American ski areas echo with the hoots, hollers and clunking shocks of merry mountain bikers. And it all changed thanks to a bunch of trailblazers at Mammoth Mountain.

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by Lara Kirkner

IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY WE think of hybrids in terms of cars like the Prius or the Insight, but hybrids come in many forms and have been around for many years. Take the centaur for example—half man, half horse—and don’t forget the Zedonk or Zonkey, a cross between a zebra and a donkey.

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SKIERS LOVE MOTOCROSS

IN THE PANTHEON of mountain sports there are some clearly defined divisions, or as some Eastsiders refer to them, “tribes.”

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