Frozen Ride 2020: The Sound of Ice on a Himalayan

THREE WHEELS ARE BETTER THAN NONE

This new edition of Frozen Ride is going to be something special. In February 2020, our fearless riders will take to the ice aboard new motorcycles, and not any type of motorcycle. They will be the very first to ride in the far north of Mongolia on our new combinations made especially for the ice, designed by Jean Burdet, our partner from Alternative Sidecar. Today, the Frozen Ride no longer goes to Lake Khövsgöl: it runs in January in central Mongolia, across frozen Lake Ugii Nuur, up a frozen river and on to the snowy dunes of the little Gobi. In this post, we talk to the “great mamamouchi of sidecars,” as writer Sylvain Tesson nicknamed him on their first trip to the frozen lake in 2017.

Jean, could you please tell us a little about the new sidecars that will take to frozen Lake Khövsgöl next February?

The Himalayan and its tailor-made Yeti 2 sidecar will glide onto the ice for the first time this winter! This little Royal Enfield trail bike proved its worth in the steppes this summer when we tested the new sidecars with a small group during a sidecar tour in Mongolia last August. At Alternative Sidecar, we created the reinforced fibreglass body especially as we knew it would provide better protection from the cold than sheet steel.

Next year will be the fourth year that you do the Lake Khövsgöl trip, what is your best memory on the ice?

It’s the same amazing feeling every time. I don’t think I will ever get used to it and that’s why I can’t wait to go every year! I love getting to the lake, those first few minutes when the ice crunches and learning to glide with the engine turned off. It’s such an incredible experience! I also enjoy sharing the adventure with others, overcoming the adversities together, helping each other out, meeting the nomads, the stunning landscapes and the small moments, all beneath Mongolia’s blue skies.

Any tips for those thinking about joining us for this adventure?

The trip in itself is not too “difficult” but it’s still quite an adventure. I think you need a certain degree of determination to want to head to Mongolia in winter. Ideally, you should know how to ride a sidecar and also be well prepared for the trip, i.e., be in good physical shape, be fit before leaving and be well rested, as the journey to the lake itself is tiring. You must also consider if you can withstand the lack of creature comforts and the freezing cold weather. Last but not least, you definitely need suitable material and warm clothes, plus an added bonus are plenty of those little heat packs to slip in your shoes and gloves!

Prefer the Mongolian summer? Ride the steppe on The Wild Spirit of the Steppe, or browse all our motorcycle tours in Asia.