MoonBikes started with an idea in the French Alps in the village of Saint-Nicolasde-Véroce by Nicolas Muron. Muron’s goal was to build another option for winter travel other than cars and snowmobiles. With numerous options in the summer transportation category, he was thinking that there had to be another option with less impact on the environment in the winter season.

Muron used all of his free time and applied his skills as an aeronautical engineer to create the world’s first electric snowbike. After many prototypes, he concluded that the classic snowmobile design would hinder the battery range and would not allow for his ultimate goal: a snow machine that could climb steep slopes and shred through powder, all while being ultralight, powerful, nearly silent, travel effortlessly over snow, with the smallest environmental impact possible.

In 2017, Muron left his full-time job and put together a team to take his vision to reality, and MoonBikes Motors was born in 2018. By 2020, production began, and by 2021, key relationships and partnerships with brands like Bosch helped propel MoonBikes into the hands of resorts, tour operators and customers as far as America. In less than 18 months, MoonBikes went from five customers to more than 200 in 20-plus countries.

This all lead to the chance for me to put MoonBikes to the test on Vail Pass last winter. The day started off a blustery -4 degrees Fahnrenheit rising to around 4 degrees when the MoonBikes team and all the journalists arrived. Being the first of its kind, the excitement to ride was palpable amongst the testers, as well as the TV crew that showed up to film.

I grew up around motorized vehicles and have been a long-time motorcycle enthusiast and rider. Looking at MoonBikes and knowing they are electric, I had my reservations on how the machine would perform — especially since we had a fresh 6 inches of snow the night before. During the initial start down the road, we had been advised to stay seated for balance. By the time we made it to the powder field, I toyed with standing up, testing the balance of the snow bike. As soon as they let us open it up, I could feel the capability in what Muron and his team created.

The machine pulled effortlessly over snow, and with the correct lean and throttle, you can lean the bike into a turn much like a snowmobile or motorcycle. By the end, I was testing it over some mounds of snow to get a little air, which is when I landed in a snow well over 2 feet deep and fell over. It’s a super light machine, so digging out was much easier than expected.

The capability and terrain MoonBikes can handle far exceeded my expectations. Though the bike is not designed to replace a high-powered backcountry snowmobile, it will provide you with smiles from ear-to-ear in a very similar way. Muron absolutely achieved his goal of an ultralight, powerful and nearly silent way to travel effortlessly over snow with the smallest environmental impact.

moonbikes.com

Originally published in the Winter 2023-24 issue of Spoke+Blossom.

Gear Profile: MoonBikes — We Put This Electric Snowbike To The Test