Vaughn Penrod thinks he may have lucked into the next big thing in outdoor excursions.

The part founder and owner of Penco Power Products south of Kalispell is having trouble keeping snow-bike systems in stock.

Snow bikes are essentially dirt bikes converted into snowmobiles by removing the wheels and adding a track and ski.

This season alone, Penrod has sold more than 50 kits to convert the bikes from dirt to snow machines.

“This product has changed the face of our winter business,” he said. “We can’t keep them in stock.”

The brand Penco sells, Timbersled Mountain Horse Snow Bike System, is made in Sandpoint, Idaho, and is available for all major brands of bikes.

Timbersled isn’t a new product, since Penrod has sold it for several years, but he has seen sales jump this season.

“I think as more people hear about these, the more people want to try them out,” he said. “To our area, with our recreation? It is very exciting.”

To help promote the Mountain Horse, Penco employees are traveling with  three demonstration bikes to do demos around the Flathead Valley.

“We went and did a demo up in Olney,” Penrod said. “The next day there was a guy on Craigslist selling a snowmobile. He said he rode a snow bike the day before and wanted to get one.”

When Penco started a Facebook forum just for the fans of the Timbersled, it reached 400 fans in just a few weeks. That’s as many as the Penco page has, even though it is several years older.

The kit isn’t cheap, running $6,500 without any other accessories. But for snow geeks, Penrod said the cost is worth it.

“This goes places where snowmobiles won’t go,” he said. “It’s the ultimate boondocking machine and can go in some real rough terrain. You won’t believe what it can climb.”

Boondocking is a snowmobiling term for off-roading or picking an entirely new path off trails. The snow bikes’ powerful track can fly through deep powder or up the sides of hills and has the suspension to make jumping comfortable for skilled riders.

Penrod said he has already seen prototypes for the 2015 model that should address one major issue the Timbersled struggles with: riding smoothly on packed trails.

“We’ve already had orders for the 2015 model,” he said. “This is changing the way we do business. It allowed us to keep on some employees this winter we would have had to lay off otherwise.”

The biggest testimonial, perhaps, has come not from snow enthusiasts but from search-and-rescue outfits. Penrod said the versatile snow bikes have drawn interest from Swan Valley and North Valley search-and-rescue organizations and even the Sheriff’s Office.

They would be useful for traversing heavily wooded or steep terrain.

“It has made a difference in our business,” he said. “This is the evolution of snowmobiling.”

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.