Even though the State Land Master plan didn’t address them specifically, in the mid-1990s the Adirondack Park Agency acted early on the use of Mountain Bikes on state land. Gibb Technologies’ new 4 x 4 waverunner combination, dubbed the Quadski, is a motorized vehicle that Peter Bauer, Executive Director of the Fund for Lake George and former head of the Residents Committee to Protect the Adirondacks, believes needs to be addressed early as well. Check out the video.

“[Mountain Biking] was a case of the APA acting on an issue before there was resource degradation, widespread established use, and where the SLMP had not contemplated an issue,” Bauer recently told the Almanack by e-mail. “[This] is an issue where the APA and DEC should act quickly and proactively or the trails and waters of the Adirondack Park will be changed forever.” The Aquada, another amphibious sport vehicle, has also been gaining ground after Sir Richard Branson became the first to cross the English Channel in one in 2004.

The Quadski was first in August 2007 and is, according to the manufacturer, the
“first commercially viable high-speed personal sports amphibian.” The Quadski is powered by a 140 horse power gas engine, which drives the wheels on land and a marine jet pump on water. It’s capable of traveling up to 50 mph on land and water and makes the transition with the flick of a switch that retracts the wheels (in about about five seconds), according to the company. Gibbs has partnered with Saleen Inc. of Troy, Michigan to build to build both the the Aquada and Quadski, which has been undergoing tests in the Michigan woods. Gibbs Technologies intends to license the design and technology and internet rumors suggest that Yamaha has an interest.