Skijoring in Montana

Skijoring is a combination of Montana’s favorite things:  snow, skis and horses.  My only experience (so far) with skijoring was at the Last Chance Skijoring Race for Gold in Helena.  There is a long course with a couple of jumps and a small hill to skim across.  The horse and rider run straight down the middle while pulling a skier behind with a rope.  The skier maneuvers through the obstacles.  The object of the game is to go as fast as you can through the course.  It is a thrill to watch. 

Many of the horses and riders are dressed in their finest cowboy frills.  The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly.  Good music is playing in the background.  There is a stand for food and booze.  Even with the liquor, the event is family friendly.  People are respectful and fun.  We enjoyed the skijoring event so much we will be going again, this time to the Big Hole Valley Winterfest in Wisdom.  We will be taking our kids and some of my family from North Carolina and Oregon.  Stay tuned and I will let you know about the skijoring in Wisdom. 

Be sure to dress for the weather.  You will be standing in the snow.  

I had never heard of skijoring before stumbling across it on www.visitmt.com.  The Visit Montana site is nicely organized and a great place to find events and things to do.  Within the site is a list of the skijoring events throughout Montana over the winter.  From there, you can click onto the specific website for the specific skijoring event.