A new and unique sport has recently been created in Leadville, Colorado. Skijoring is a sport that combines the thrills of skiing and rodeo to create a heart-pounding, adrenaline-filled experience.
Skijoring is usually a sport played during the wintertime as it utilizes elements of skilling. Skiers will be typically tied to a moving object, most commonly a horse, dog, or snowmobile. From there, the skiers will be skiing at speeds of 40 mph (64 kph) as they avoid different obstacles and rope-specific hoops with a baton. The skiers may also be allowed to jump over hurdles as far as eight feet high if the moment calls for it.
The steepness of the Skijoring field can vary from event to event with Leadville’s competitions being held at the Rocky Mountains with elevations as high as 10,158 feet (3,096 meters) tall. With this, Skijoring is considered to be a highly dangerous sport. However, that danger is the very reason that most people partake in the sport because it inspires that pumping adrenaline rush.
Earlier this month, Nick Burri zips through the snow with the help of Sirius the horse towing him to the finish line.
Nick Burri exclaims to AP News the reason he partakes in the dangerous sport “It’s just the pure adrenaline that gets me to do it, I love skiing and I love skiing down a mountain and all that stuff, but this is truly something I look forward to. Just the adrenaline and getting these two groups of people together.”
Burri however, then goes on to comment on the inherent risk the sport entails “Wrong turn, taking a jump wrong, go down wrong. You could end your season.”
Skijoring competitions are held in the U.S. too just earlier this month. Many of these races are held in the Western states: Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah as well as in Maine, Minnesota, and Calgary, Canada.
The history behind skijoring dates back several hundred years in Scandinavia as a way for people to travel during harsh winter months. Reindeers would tow travelers on wooden skis across the snow. The sport of skijoring was started by Tom Schroeder and Mugs Ossman. Upon their return from the winter carnival in Steamboat Colorado, the two decided to host a winter carnival in Leadville, CO. They had their very first race in 1949. Fun fact: St. Moritz, Switzerland’s 2nd Olympic Games competitor, held a skijoring demonstration, driving the horse from behind and racing on February 12, 1928.
Though skijoring is seen as a highly risky sport, there is still a lot of joy to be had in the event. Many people adore the sport for its adrenaline factor, however, others also like the sport for its way of bringing communities together. Skijoring is a sport that involves two people, meaning that skiers and riders have to work together to achieve victory. This, in turn, brings together two unlikely groups of people who would otherwise never interact. Skijoring is also held as a tradition in many parts of the world, with it being a yearly event in Leadville since 1949.
A Commercial Fishing Captain in Bristol Bay, Alaska, Tara Hines shared her competitive spirit and love for adventure in an interview with Jillian Queri, “my parents were Nordic racers. They put me into a ski program thinking that it would help my balance for Nordic skiing, but it backfired on them. I joined the ski team at Great Divide Ski Area and got committed pretty quickly.”
