Midwest Traveler: Northern Michigan offers other winter sports

DETROIT – It's cold. It's snowy. It's already been a hard winter.

Thank goodness for clever diversions to amuse us in northern Michigan, where snow is just another word for fun. Below are three ways you can take winter sports to another level.

Christopher Gibson spins upside down on his skis, then plop! He lands in the "Big Air" giant airbag on the side of a ski slope.

"You hit this jump. It has a lot of pop. And after you do your trick you just poof right into it," says Gibson, who is the snow sports specialist at Treetops Resort.

Measuring 30-by-30 feet square and standing a marshmallowy 8 feet high when inflated, the airbag aids beginners practicing their first straight-air jumps or more advanced skiers trying complex tricks.

At first, it may seem intimidating, especially when you see Gaylord snowboarder Abby Beachnau, 13, who soars and twists high above the bag before gracefully descending. But the bag, in its second year, also is a favorite of ski school students and, increasingly, curious guests who see it in action and want to try one of the few giant airbags in the Midwest (Buck Hill in Burnsville has one this winter). What do people practice? Everything.

"Corks [spins] are just getting crazy," says Gibson. "People are doing triples and quads."

But with the airbag, "the thrill is amazing. It's all adrenaline. No fear. It's a good time."

More info: Big Air bag users wear helmets and are given tutorials on how to gain speed and hit the bag properly. Open to skiers and snowboard riders, it's $30 for a two-hour session, and you can reserve a spot online. Call for current hours.

Treetops Resort in Gaylord is open seven days a week this winter due to excellent snow cover, says General Manager Barry Owens. Treetops has 23 slopes and also many $99-a-night lodging/ski deals. Go to www.treetops.com or call 1-866-348-5249.

Coming down the snowy trail, Cody Sovis isn't pushing skis. He's pushing pedals.

Sovis, 25, who sells, rides and races fat bikes for Einstein Cycles in Traverse City, has seen the new sport take off in the past year.

Invented within the past decade by Alaskans making their own fat bikes by welding bike frames together, manufacturers began producing them four or five years ago. The sport has only been in the Midwest for three years.

"Fat biking is a huge thing in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. It's mostly mountain-biking people who use it for cross-training, because up here you might get six months of decent weather," Sovis says.

But anyone can rent a fat bike and try it through the snow.

The fat tires — up to 4½ inches wide — are inflated only 2 to 4 pounds per square inch, like a beach bike. I tried it on a snowy trail and found it was more challenging than riding a bike on dry pavement but easier than cross-country skiing. There are no extra skills to master, except maybe figuring out how to squeeze the hand brakes while wearing mittens.

How hot are fat bikes? VASA, Traverse City's big series of cross-country races (this year Feb. 8-9) for the first time featured a "SkiFatalon" — a 27-kilometer ski race combined with a 27-kilometer fat bike race.

More info: Many bike shops and resorts now rent fat-tire bikes. The smallest bikes are about 14 to 15 inches high, suitable for teens or adults 5 feet 2 and up. At Einstein Cycles in Traverse City (www.einsteincycles.com, 1-231-421-8148), a two-hour rental is $25, all day is $60. No special tools needed, except maybe to carry a special pressure gauge that can accurately measure 2 to 6 psi, far lower pressure than most bike pumps register.

Send winter out with a roar.

Later this season, the Schuss Mountain Snow Challenge (April 5-6) will transform the snowy/muddy spring ski hills at Shanty Creek Resort into an uphill racetrack.

Modified trucks, Jeeps and other giant-wheeled vehicles will race side-by-side uphill while spectators watch the action from the sidelines. The event is a fund-raiser for Michigan's Disabled American Veterans.

And you don't have to just watch. If you happen to own a modified or monster truck, there are various classes for different size vehicles and modifications; entries are online in advance only.