High on the ski area, more than 1,000m above the Austrian resorts of Kitzbühel and Kirchberg, conditions were grim. Snow was falling, but it was wet and sticky; and visibility was so poor, anyone unfamiliar with the mountains was reduced to following other skiers in the hope that they knew where they were going. It was the sort of day when you just want to get off the mountain and do something else. So that’s what I did.
In the last few years, alpine resorts have started offering fat bikes to guests, either for use on guided “safaris”, or simply for rent. They look like mountain bikes on steroids, their frames bulging outwards at the front and back, their tyres so pumped up they can be five inches…