In all our years of taking bike rafters down the mountainside we have experienced very few days like this one. The photograph was taken on 6th January 2006.

Snow is common enough on Teide in colder weather but it is unusual for it to be laying like this on the roadside.  On the pictured day we gave the riders the choice to back out and cycle another day but all insisted on doing the trip – even one brave rafter who was wearing only open-toed sandals over his bare feet.

At Rafting Bike we like to think we are more or less prepared for anything. In the support van we carry jackets, leggings, gloves and even earmuffs but until this day – no socks!

On our first stop we shod our brave bare-foot rafter with a pair of gloves which might have looked funny but were enough to let him happily continue the trip and reach the end.

On those occasions where there is snow at 7,000 feet by the time you reach 4,000 feet the usual mild Canarian weather prevails and by the time you reach Los Cristianos you can even sunbathe or go for a swim in the sea.