Fluffy Snow Report for the Rovaniemi 150

With the Rovaniemi 150 closing in rapidly, several participants have been in touch to ask about the snow conditions here. Rather than reply individually, I though I'd take a Fatbike and ride it in similar conditions out on the river, both to get an idea what you crazy fools will be experiencing, and as preparation for a bikepacking overnighter.

So... we have about 50cm of fluffy white powder – and by that I mean fluffy. It's the kind of stuff you just sink right down into, offering very little resistance. A week ago we had a warmer spell (around 0ºC / 32ºF) which compacted the initially super-fluffy stuff down a little, but not much.

This section of the river didn't freeze as uniformly as it usually does, and therefore the snowmobile routes only recently opened. They've certainly been in use, and are probably more compacted than the route for the 150 is likely to be. It was pretty hard going, albeit with an unloaded bike and without much attention paid to tyre pressure. My burly Nate rear tyre gripped the loosely compacted track very well once I got going – but when pushing off there was a lot of slipping and sliding out the tracks, and a lot of cursing going on.

I know last year a lot of the fatbikers ended up pushing their trusty steeds along the tracks, and I would say that'll likely be the case again this year.

At the moment temperatures seem to have leveled out around -12ºC, but February is often the coldest month, so anything could happen.

One thing's for sure, fatbiking on these types of tracks will keep you warm. You'll soon be doing the sweaty-venting dance, removing layers, and then deciding that maybe taking the gloves off wasn't the smartest idea after all.

As my rides thus far have been on more compacted trails, I was surprised to find how painful it became to breathe the cold air under exertion. Granted I'm not as fit as all of you people who have been training for months, but I began to wish for some kind of mask.

That's about it. If anyone has any questions, or wants an update, leave a comment and I'll be happy to help.

Both of my Pugsley's are rented out for the race, so I wish all the competitors best of luck, and hope to see a few familiar faces after you complete the 150 km! You're all much braver than me!!

Remember - you can rent a Fatbike in Lapland from Backpacking North, or buy one from REI and give me a big fat commission.