A clear sky. Low 57F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph..
A clear sky. Low 57F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.
Sky Yelinek is the COO of Sky Eco, a rental store out of Coram that rents outdoor gear such as e-bikes, rafts, kayaks and Tesla vehicles to Glacier National Park tourists. Yelinek said the store runs out of e-bike rentals almost every day.
Sky Eco's fleet of mountain e-bikes are among the popular selection for tourists. The bikes can charge from any wall mount. Charge duration varies depending on the user's weight, level of assist and the type of terrain. On average the bikes run on 740 watts for 50-60 miles per charge.
Each e-bike offers pedal assist and a fit tracking device attached to the handle bars. With pedal assist, users need to keep pedaling for the motor to stay running.
Sky Eco's Tesla units come with attachable bike racks that can transport e-bikes in and out of Glacier National Park.
Conner Bambule takes a breather aboard an e-bike at a rest stop as the rest of the Bambule family makes their way up Going-to-the-Sun Road on July 5. E-bike rental companies such as Sky Eco out of Coram have increased accessibility to all levels of riders in and around Glacier National Park. Sky Eco rents e-bikes starting at $119 per day.
Bikers pedal the old-fashioned way up Going-to-the-Sun Road on July 5. Traditional bikers and e-bikers flock to Glacier during the summer tourist season.
Sky Eco offers Tesla charging ports to customers who rent from its fleet of electric vehicles.
Bikers and e-bikers take a scenic pit stop as they make their way up Going-to-the-Sun Road on July 5.
A road biker pedals his way up the winding road to Logan Pass on July 5.
WEST GLACIER — Spotting an e-biker in Glacier National Park is certainly more common than seeing a bear, and now battery-assisted bikes appear to outnumber those dependent on human power.
With one of the latest openings for driving the Going-to-the-Sun Road, which opened to cars Wednesday, outfitters and park officials have seen a boom in those looking to reach Logan Pass through an easier, more accessible biking option — hundreds of people a day.
Increased demand has put a strain on bike providers in gateway communities. Park officials also expressed concern that more unprepared people are traveling farther for a day bike than ever before.
Conner Bambule takes a breather aboard an e-bike at a rest stop as the rest of the Bambule family makes their way up Going-to-the-Sun Road on July 5. E-bike rental companies such as Sky Eco out of Coram have increased accessibility to all levels of riders in and around Glacier National Park. Sky Eco rents e-bikes starting at $119 per day.
“It is definitely a hiker-biker year,” said Glacier spokesperson Brandy Burke, noting that the park started seeing e-bike use increase after new regulations allowed them in 2019. “E-bikes are growing in popularity. More people have it on their bucket list.”
E-bikes, which have a built-in motor and battery, let the rider travel farther using less physical energy. Unlike a scooter, most only assist the rider while pedaling; it is not like riding a dirt bike. They have many styles and designs, but the only ones allowed at Glacier require that you pedal rather than letting the machine do all the work.
Even with the pedal assistance, Conner Bambule and his family from Wheaton, Illinois, slowly meandered up the Loop on the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road on July 5.
The family had used e-bikes the previous year at Zion National Park, and thought going up via cycling would be a great way to enjoy the road.
“These things are awesome,” Bambule said. "It makes you feel more surrounded by nature. You can take breaks. In a car you'd have to drive right through."
Bambule's parents, both in their 50s, made it up the road with ease. Using the bike let the family save their energy for a hike up the Granite Park Trail.
The family of four each used fresh, big-wheel e-bikes from Sky Eco Rentals, which offers cabin, raft, kayak, bike and even Tesla car rentals for Glacier National Park.
"It was super easy," Bambule said of the ride itself. "Like riding a bike with none of the work."
Sky Yelinek is the COO of Sky Eco, a rental store out of Coram that rents outdoor gear such as e-bikes, rafts, kayaks and Tesla vehicles to Glacier National Park tourists. Yelinek said the store runs out of e-bike rentals almost every day.
Tom Moldovan, co-owner of Sky Eco, said his company started renting e-bikes in 2018 — before the park allowed them. He let people cycle around the entrance of West Glacier. When the park started allowing e-bikes, the business boomed.
“I understood how big of an advantage this would be for people who are not really bikers,” he said. “I think everyone is surprised by this.”
Sky Eco, which originally operated in a friend’s garage, now has a brick-and-mortar shop in Coram, and is one of several outfitters that rent e-bikes. Moldovan doubled his inventory, but still has to deal with a lack of supply.
He said he often works with other bike shops to send visitors to places with inventory.
Bikers pedal the old-fashioned way up Going-to-the-Sun Road on July 5. Traditional bikers and e-bikers flock to Glacier during the summer tourist season.
Shelby Hampton, who co-owns Go Glacier Outfitters with her husband, said e-bikes have been popular because of the novelty and the length of the biking season. This year was the first ever when people could bike during the second weekend of July. She said many people who visit in early summer are expecting to drive up to Logan Pass.
“People thought it would be open, and the Highline trail would be open, so they scramble to do something else,” Hampton said. “Ultimately, this is one of the coolest experiences in Glacier.”
While bikes can still go up to Logan Pass, cycling is restricted on the road from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. everyday now that the road is open to cars.
As the second weekend of July approached, Go Glacier Outfitters had all of their e-bikes reserved for two weeks. Normal bikes were available day-of, but Hampton said biking is up all around.
Sky Eco's fleet of mountain e-bikes are among the popular selection for tourists. The bikes can charge from any wall mount. Charge duration varies depending on the user's weight, level of assist and the type of terrain. On average the bikes run on 740 watts for 50-60 miles per charge.
One concern of the electronic bike is the increased distance a person can go, which Burke said can put riders into hazardous country where the chance of crashing is higher.
"While we have seen an increase in bikes, we have also seen an increase of crashes,” Burke said. “E-bikes are heavier, they crash harder and they make it easier to go farther than you would regularly be prepared for.”
Glacier added more restrictions this year for people going to Logan Pass. Rather than letting people travel as far as they want, weather scientists decide how far bikers can ride safely to avoid avalanches and construction crews.
Last spring, a party of three bikers got stuck on the road after an avalanche separated the group near Triple Arches. A ranger responded within the hour, but it took another two hours for rescuers to belay across the avalanche field to rescue the stuck bikers.
Each e-bike offers pedal assist and a fit tracking device attached to the handle bars. With pedal assist, users need to keep pedaling for the motor to stay running.
Burke said traveling into dangerous scenarios on bikes not only puts visitors in danger, but rescuers, too.
“The hazard closure puts everyone at risk,” Burke said. “We are seeing more people who are not prepared going farther than ever.”
Some parts of Going-to-the-Sun Road are construction zones, with crews installing heavy wooden guardrails and operating heavy machinery to clear and stabilize snow fields.
Glacier National Park roads supervisor Brian Paul said clearing the road of bikers during plowing went well, but some people still choose to bike in the restricted areas. Burke said going past the avalanche hazard signs is enough to warrant a citation. Several were issued in the spring.
Other risks come from biking the road, like developing hypothermia after over-exerting oneself on cold days. The National Park Service recommends staying dry while biking, and to avoid wearing cotton material that could hold moisture like sweat.
The road still has plenty of hazards year-round, like a pothole or falling rock. Burke said people have been easily knocked down while biking and needed medical attention. Bikers need to be aware of their surroundings when on the road, she said. Even a small crash could disable an electric bike, turning a quick pedal into a long walk down the mountain road.
Sky Eco's Tesla units come with attachable bike racks that can transport e-bikes in and out of Glacier National Park.
The new business of e-biking still has several drawbacks like insurance, buying new bikes and finding someone who can repair broken ones, according to Moldovan. The bikes can come from all over the world, have different designs and even different parts.
“Nobody knows how to service them properly,” Moldovan said. He originally imported his bikes from China, but supply chain delays and increasing costs of shipping made him redirect to local distributors. He said other businesses called him asking what to do with bikes broken by tourists.
Insurance on e-bikes is also limited, as many companies do not have an electric bike protection policy. The best option is to keep buying new gear to keep up with demand.
Hampton said she replaces her gear every two years. She also has taken safety in her own hands, refusing customers who do not have the proper clothing to get on the pass. Since she started nine years ago, she has also watched federal land agencies change bike policies.
Sky Eco offers Tesla charging ports to customers who rent from its fleet of electric vehicles.
Currently, e-biking is allowed by the National Park Service, the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. The big three, however, have different policies and guidelines.
For instance, the Forest Service allows e-bikes on all roads where motorized vehicles are allowed. Some trails have been opened to them. The agency also mentioned plans in its policy to create e-bike-only trails because of the popularity to use the bikes for mountain biking.
In national parks, e-bikes are allowed on all roads where motorized vehicles are allowed. They are not allowed on trails, unless they are multi-use paths like the one between West Glacier and Apgar Village.
Bikers and e-bikers take a scenic pit stop as they make their way up Going-to-the-Sun Road on July 5.
The rules at the National Park Service recently came under scrutiny when a federal judge ordered the agency to revisit its e-bike rules for the 423 parks it manages nationwide.
While Glacier does not have to change the rules yet, a federal judge ruled in May that the National Park Service needs to revisit its policies in each park to conduct environmental impact reviews, which the agency avoided when the NPS acting director ordered e-bikes to be treated “in a similar manner to” traditional bikes in 2019.
Burke said Glacier National Park will continue learning what works best as more people e-bike the road. She said there are no plans to stop allowing e-biking, as most people just bike Going-to-the-Sun Road.
It helps that much of the park is treated the same as federal wilderness, which doesn’t allow any wheeled transport. But for Hampton, who has biked the road several times, going up to Logan Pass is dangerous, and people need to be ready.
“Be ready to be in the backcountry on a bike with no cell service,” Hampton said. “We need to teach locals and visitors to not go farther than they should be going at their skill level.”
A road biker pedals his way up the winding road to Logan Pass on July 5.
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Originally published on missoulian.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
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