With two BMX wheels, front suspension and a grip-taped platform to stand on, the Digglers are a whole new way to get down Snowbowl's slopes after the snow is gone.
My assignment: to test-drive a Diggler down slopes I'd only ever seen in winter.
When I first started the downhill run, I babied my Diggler. I was reluctant to believe it could take the abuse that I wantonly hand out to my Rocky Mountain hardtail.
After a few minutes of squeaking brakes, however, I figured that since it wasn't mine, I might as well see what it could do.
So I released the brakes and off I flew.
As a snowboarder, I was amazed at how close the feel was to carving back and forth on freshly groomed snow.
As a mountain biker, I was amazed at how well it took the rocks and ditches I rolled smoothly over.
I was leaning into and out of each turn just like I do on my board and skidding out my rear wheel for sharp turns just like I do on my bike. It was a seamless synthesis of two of my favorite sports.
High up on Big Sky Mountain, I was above all the wildfire smoke filling the Missoula Valley. The steady breeze made the summit a solid 15 degrees cooler than the valley floor, and the hazy views of Blue Mountain and the Bitterroots were stunning.
When Missoula's in the triple digits, Snowbowl's a high-altitude oasis.
While Mount Sentinel and Mount Jumbo have turned a dry yellow, Snowbowl is still bright green. Recently bloomed beargrass dots the hillsides and hidden patches of huckleberries are ripe for harvesting.
Most of this was lost to me in a blur as I sped by, but for stop-and-smell-the-roses sorts of people, the Digglers still have something to offer.
And just because I chose not to really use the brakes doesn't mean they don't work. There are plenty of beautiful places to stop on the way down, or so I was told.
The trails open to bikes and Digglers range from the steep, windy and suicidal, a la Bear Grass Highway, to the nearly flat and meandering, like The Breeze. On Digglers, things can be as fast and dangerous, or as slow and pleasant, as the rider chooses.
If things do go wrong, a Diggler rider is in the fortunate position of being able to just step off. Mountain bikers are afforded no such luxury.
On several occasions, after severe overestimations of my Diggler ability, I simply stepped off and started running, letting my Diggler bear the brunt of my bad decisions. (Sorry about that, Snowbowl.)
“They're actually a lot easier and safer than a bike,” said Brad Morris, Snowbowl's owner. “There are no gears.”
Digglers thrive when gravity is working with them, but when it's working against them you'll probably end up walking. Things can get very slow when your path flattens or heads uphill.On a mountain bike, a climb means you drop into your granny gear and spin quickly and comfortably up most any angle. Not so on gearless Digglers.
Next time I'm up at Snowbowl, I'll make sure my run is downhill all the way.
Murphy Woodhouse is a University of Montana journalism student and a Missoulian intern. Reach him at (406) 523-5241. Mary Hayes is a UM photojournalism student and a Missoulian intern. She can be reached at (406) 523-5270.
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