For this week’s Readers’ Rides, we figured it’d be nice to celebrate snowfall as large swaths of the country we hit by their first big winter storm. Here’s Josh’s Arctic Monkey, shot atop a beautiful coat of snow. Read on for details and a write-up by Josh.

We live in a beautiful spot where no matter what the weather does, there is ALWAYS something to do and it’s ALWAYS prime conditions for something. This year we have a particularly rare blend of weather that created once a decade or so conditions. This year, the snow has held off and the cold has set in. Alpine skiing conditions suck, XC skiing conditions suck, Fat-Biking is “meh”, but the one thing that IS taking off is the ICE.

Up until last night, the lakes were SMOOTH like glass with “wild ice” that looks like it’s been smoothed out by a zamboni. Skaters flocked, pucks were dropped, and fun was had. These conditions are super rare and when it’s on… it’s on.

Last night a dusting fell and that dusting will likely shut down the skating for the season. However, that dusting provided another kind of fun. Prime conditions for exploring on a bike. I took out my Karate Monkey today, with studs, and was able to zip around the lake exploring nooks and crannies that are usually harder to get to in the winter.

Fat-Bikes can only go so far in the untracked, deep, and drifted snow and they move along pretty slowly. Being able to cruise around on the lake faster than with a fat-bike was a rare treat and that Karate Monkey was the perfect tool for the job.

We’d like to thank all of you who have submitted Readers Rides builds to be shared over here. The response has been incredible and we have so many to share over the next few months. Feel free to submit your bike, listing details, components, and other information. You can also include a portrait of yourself with your bike and your Instagram account! Please, shoot landscape-orientation photos, not portrait. Thanks!