The Colorado skijoring season opened last weekend in Ridgway with novice riders hanging on tight hoping for a piece of the purse. Not all of them finished upright.
Imagine yourself clicking into skis with the goal of going as fast as you can through freshly groomed snow — but instead of gravity drawing you down the mountain, a horse and rider pull you with a tow rope at about 30 to 35 mph along a closed course as you navigate obstacles while spectators record your every move with their phones.
Skijoring — pronounced skee-jor-ing — combines the Norwegian terms “ski” and “kjøre” (“to drive”) into a team activity that originated many hundreds of years ago as a form of winter transportation (think the Tang Dynasty in China) and depending on the country, skiers were pulled by reindeer, elk, dogs and eventually horses.
The once winter travel mode is now a popular winter sport with competitions held each winter in the snowiest towns in the American West. In Colorado, skijoring has a rich history that is celebrated in competitions all over the state.
In Ouray County, right near the base of the towering San Juan mountains, dozens of racers, horses and riders form teams to best each other in timed competition over three days each January at the Ouray County Fairgrounds. This year was San Juan Skijoring‘s 9th annual festival and it drew riders and spectators from around the region and beyond to race behind horses Jan. 10-12.
San Juan Skijoring organizer Richard Weber III said the Ridgway festival would have “the highest level of skijoring competition that has ever been held in skijoring.”
Other competitions held in Silverton and Leadville are much older than the one in Ridgway. But Weber said by offering large purses San Juan Skijoring has grown in popularity year after year.
From novice competitions to “big air” contests where racers jump over full-size trucks, San Juan Skjoring has become a favored destination for competitors and spectators alike.
If racers have good, fast runs that are free of mistakes and penalties, there is big money to be made from just a few minutes of competition.
The production side of the Ridgway event has grown too, with professional video and broadcasters brought in to turn the competition into a live-streamed event that was broadcast to the world and still can be watched by subscribers to The Cowboy Channel.
As Weber and organizers already look ahead to the 10th annual festival, he says there will be plenty of big money to go with the big air that has become a staple of San Juan Skijoring.
Where to watch skijoring next:
Skis and Saddles SkiJor Pagosa: Jan. 18 -19. Races start at 8:30 a.m. both days at the Archuleta County Fairgrounds in Pagosa Springs.
Estes Park Skijor: Jan. 24-26. Races start at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Estes Park Events Complex.
Coal Mountain Skijoring: Feb. 7-9. Races start at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Moffat County Fairgrounds in Craig.
Silverton Skijoring: Feb. 15 -16 on Blair Street in Silverton on both days.
Leadville Ski Joring 78th annual competition: March 1- 2. Starts at high noon on Harrison Avenue in Leadville each day.
Grand Lake Skijoring: March 8-9. Races start at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday on Grand Avenue.
Read more at The Colorado Sun
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