Skijoring in Silverton

A Unique Winter Sport Competition Near Durango

Words and photos by Hank Blum

So, a cowboy, a horse, and a ski bum walk into a bar… Sounds like a joke, but it’s not.

The mountain west lies deep in the heart of winter. The air is bitter cold and the ground is buried under fluffy white snow, while we are stuck inside. It was only a matter of time before some bored mountain cowboys came up with an amazingly bad idea on a long winter’s night: to pull a skier behind a galloping horse at 35-plus miles an hour. Welcome to the adrenaline-packed sport known as skijoring.

Skijoring is a niche winter sport that involves a skier being towed behind a galloping horse at high speeds, covering a snow-packed obstacle course. Skiers hold onto a long rope, snag plastic rings on one arm, and navigate a course consisting of a series of tall snow jumps and gates – all while catching big air. The goal is to go fast, stay upright, and secure all the rings in the shortest time.

Something seems extremely odd when you see the skijoring competitors together. Leather boots, cowboy hats and big belt buckles next to plastic ski boots, colorful helmets, and big shiny goggles. This juxtaposition of the Wild-West-meetsski-town culture is a spectacle to behold – a sport like none other!

Skijoring has become extremely popular in Western states, where cowboys and black-diamond skiers can both relate to an electrifying sport. I speak from experience when I say that this is one action-packed event you'll want to go to the mountains to see.

If you’re a first-timer, you need to know that you’ll be standing outside in the freezing cold for several hours. Be sure to bundle up with warm layers, cozy socks, a hat, gloves, and snow boots. If you’ve come as a spectator before, be sure to bring a friend along for your next event, to share in the excitement for this high-intensity action sport. One thing is for sure – once you are bitten by the skijoring bug, the fascination will keep you coming back year after year.

Teams gear up; riders check their saddles; skiers adjust their bindings one last time. All of a sudden, the horseback rider shouts loudly, and they charge out of the gate, full speed ahead. The pounding of the horses’ hooves, and clouds of condensation from the horses’ nostrils, is followed by a spray of snow as the skiers dart back and forth across the course. The bundled-up crowd roars with excitement, spilling hot chocolate or the contents of their flasks as the teams whiz past. You can feel the intensity in the air as the horses and skiers blast by, vying for the highest score and the skijoring victory. From Silverton to Leadville, from Colorado to Montana, attending a skijoring competition is a unique opportunity to watch a fascinating feat and to have an experience you won’t forget! Saddle up!