Often called the rodeo on skis, in skijoring skiers and snowboarders are towed behind a galloping horse and rider through an obstacle course at speeds that can top 40 mph.
The time trial course at the Wasatch County Rodeo Grounds in Heber featured ramps and tracks with hoops skiers grab as they whizz by. The two-day event began Friday and drew over 150 teams of competitors.
Professional skier Dillon Flinders said the hoops are magnetic and the goal is to grab and keep them through the finish line. If a hoop is dropped or missed, it’s a two-second deduction to the skier's time. The horse rider must also retrieve a hoop.
Flinders was 17 when he first tried skijoring the very first year it was held in Heber. He said the skijoring organizers called him the night before the event to explain the competition and invite him to participate.
“I was fortunate to grow up on a little ranch, and so it was a cool blend of, like, my present being a professional skier, and then my past of growing up on a ranch and being with horses,” Flinders said. “I was like, ‘Say nothing else. I'll be there.’”
He has three wins under his belt and was aiming for a fourth in the professional division. Flinders said along with a buckle, this year’s winners in the pro division receive $10,000 and the winners in the sport division earn $8,000.
Owen Howard competed in the sport division, which is for novice participants with intermediate-level ski or boarding skills. It was his first time skijoring.
“I came and watched last year and decided that I had to do it,” he said.
Howard has skied for six years and has also water skied, which helped him get the hang of skijoring. But, he said it’s also harder because skiers have to manage the tension of the rope.
“Definitely more of a learning curve, because with water skiing, the boat is going at a consistent speed the whole time. Horses are not going at a consistent speed,” Howard said. “The skiing part kind of just like came naturally, I'm not really thinking about it.”
Like many other competitors, Teresa Nordquist and Kari Poulsen dressed up for the occasion. They were decked out in purple and white with matching furry hats. Even their horse, Swayze, had a purple headdress to match her team, called “Ice Ice Ladies.”
Nordquist said the team competed in three divisions: women’s, novice and century, where the combined ages of the rider and skier must equal 100 years or greater.
“Skijoring is just amazing, one of my favorite things because I love skiing and I love horses, and it's been such a fun experience to learn how to actually do this ‘cause it's so different than everything else we ever do,” she said.
Nordquist skis while Poulsen rides Swayze, a nine-year-old quarter horse the women raised together.
“Swayze loves to just go fast. So this is her thing,” she said.
Snowboarder Jim Crowder competed in his sixth event this year. He said the course is more difficult on a snowboard because you can’t face forward.
Crowder used to live in the area but moved to Australia a couple of years ago. He said he always travels back to Heber for the skijoring competition, usually wearing a kangaroo onesie during his race.
“We come back to Utah every year for this event. It's just so much fun, the combination of snowboarders, skiers and cowboys. There's nothing like it in the world, and it's just such a great experience,” he said.
Throughout the competitions, hundreds of spectators cheered on skiers and snowboarders.
Race results can be found on Utah SkiJoring’s website.
