Winter Carnival event promises a skijoring good time
When Doug Lynch and his son, Aidan, heard about the Skijorning (Spelling?) at the Winter Festival in Sandpoint and they decided to give it a try on their own.”So on New Year’s Day I saddled up Starri and ran Aidan through the neighborhood and the nearby fields,” Lynch said. “The weather and snow were perfect. He acted like we were water skiing … including yelling, “hit it” when he was ready. (Photo courtesy DOUG LYNCH)
SANDPOINT — Skiers and equestrians will combine their prowess at the skijoring competition set for Jan. 15 and 16 during the Sandpoint Winter Carnival.
A winter sport gaining popularity across the nation, skijoring involves a two-person team — a horse rider and a skier or snowboarder. The rider propels the skier using a tow rope. A course of jumps and obstacles tests both participants’ respective skills — not to mention their ability to coordinate.
“I think what surprises a lot of people is how quickly everything happens,” event planner and Mountain Horse Adventures owner Matt Smart said. “The skier might think ‘I could see behind any old horse and I’ll be fine’ and the rider might think ‘I’m just going to do this thing.’ But the speed really forces them to work together.”
The Sandpoint Winter Carnival event will involve competition in three divisions: Open, Sport and Style. Open Division is intended for experienced sportsmen and involves completing the course in the fastest time possible. The same rules apply for the more novice-oriented Sport Division with the qualification that skijorers who have previous competition victories are barred from participation. Finally, Style Division lets riders and skiers show off their best tricks and compete for best score from a judging panel rather than a fast run time.
And thanks to donations from several businesses and organizations around Sandpoint, the skijoring competition will be able to make a substantial debut. Frontier, Lite House and Cafe Trinity provided particularly generous support for the skijorers.
The competition will be the first Sandpoint skijoring event. After starting a skijoring group at Mountain Horse Adventures, Smart began considering ways to extend the sport opportunities into the community. He pinpointed the Sandpoint Winter Carnival as an ideal event to frame the competition.
“I thought long and hard about ways to bring skijoring to more of Sandpoint,” he said. “Pretty soon I settled on the Winter Carnival as a good fit. It just made sense.”
Previously, Smart and a group of about 60 individuals held practices at the Bonner County Fair Grounds. A skijorer with some competition experience, Smart initially promoted the sport as a wintertime activity for his horses.
The sport caught on with a dedicated group of sportsmen and continued to expand.
“Sandpoint is a logical place for the sport to catch on,” Smart said. “There is a great horse community and a great ski hill already here, and this just combines the two.”
To participate in the competition, send a registration form to Mountain Horse Adventures or attend the registration check-in at Eichardt’s Pub on Friday, Jan. 14, 6 p.m. This Sunday, the skijoring group will also hold a final practice session from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. At the Bonner County Fair Grounds, providing a solid introduction to the sport for new-comers. Visit http://sandpoint.org/skijoring/ for registration forms and more information.