March 13, 2025

UNSUNG HEROES OF SKIJORING

Photos by Loren Zhimanskova of
John Hyde, Troy Houston, Fred Archambault,
Jerry Kissell,  Wes Wackerman (above) and Tara Bell.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Skijoring
has its roots in local communities
where ranching and skiing are both well-entrenched pursuits.
The formation of an unexpected bond between horse, rider and skier
has resulted in the spectacular events we see today.

This surprising mix of cultures on a snowy race track is perhaps the most
captivating feature of the sport in which elements of both
Western cowboy and Alpine ski culture persist.

In Jackson and Steamboat, the skijoring tradition
began roughly 100 years ago,
and while these towns still reflect this mix of cultures,
tradition is getting lost in these modern Meccas of tourism.

Our skijoring venues,
which often take place in locations surrounding
these resort towns, like Bondurant, Boulder, Pinedale and Saratoga, Wyoming
as well as Bellevue and Driggs, Idaho, and Meeker, Colorado,
can serve to keep the age old Western traditions alive. 

In larger venues,
closer to urban environments,
there is a thirst for a return to a nostalgic
Western and ski lifestyle then this is mixed with a modern twist.
Old town rodeo meets freestyle skiing, for example.
Events like Calgary, Heber City and Canterbury Park
continue to emphasize Western values
and encourage their 10K onlookers
to embrace them.

To illustrate our point,
a recent article in The Guardian opens with,
"At first, the crowd seems incompatible.  It's as if someone
took a wrong turn.  Cowboy hats and helmets,
saddles and ski boots, belt buckles and snowsuits -
those two types of gear aren't usually cut from the same cloth.
But this weekend in the midwest, at this year's
Extreme Skijoring event, they go together
like "Minnesota" and "nice".

To read the full article
and see some GREAT photos by Caroline Yang,
click here:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/mar/13/skijoring-winter-sport-minnesota

 As we grow, it is imperative that we never lose sight
of the community spirit, history and people
BEHIND
the races themselves.
Those mentioned in this newsletter
are only a small percentage of the total population.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
 
Recently, social media posts have been
focused on a handful of individual riders, with their helmeted,
goggled skiers pretty much only a blur behind them.

This is unfortunate,
but we get it.
The visuals are eye-catching,
especially on social media where the attention span
of the viewer is maybe 10 seconds
and a pumped up song accentuates the action.

These posts may have helped grow
general awareness of skijoring in the short run
but do they tell the full story of our sport?
Or do they pay homage to those
like Troy Houston, proud member of Club SKIJOR,
who show up year after year, race after race, to compete
and may not place very often or frankly, even care?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Skijoring is about family, friends and fun.
Hands down.
Healthy, sportsmanlike competition follows naturally.
Of course, we celebrate excellence
and would like to evolve towards regional qualifiers and
a true national finals someday.

We also celebrate
Youth Division participants,
the next generation of skijoring competitors,
such as Wes Wackerman
who showed true grit last weekend
and
the Women in Skijoring,
a movement that Tara Bell,
a former X Games skier and announcer,
from Sun Valley, Idaho is pioneering.
We look forward to more
stories of successful women like
Sam Mitchell of Skijor Canada.

Read more Tara Bell here:
https://www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/tara-bell-precision-hunter-wild-spaces/

Please remember that without ALL of these dedicated
competitors, organizers, volunteers and community members
we wouldn't HAVE a field of competition,
and without that we wouldn't have a SPORT!

So let's spread the LOVE, shall we?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ RECENT EVENTS ~

The very essence of a true skijoring community
was on full display at the Boulder, Wyoming event this past weekend.

At Steele Ranch Skijoring,
members of this small mountain town banded together
under John Hyde's direction,
to plan, organize, build, officiate, expedite, time, 
fundraise, market, and, yes, compete, too!

Our experience over the weekend reminded us of
why we, at Skijor USA,
were so drawn to skijoring in the first place.

Families and friends lined the course
behind a natural barrier of long, thick pine logs.
Hundreds tailgated under crystal clear blue Wyoming skies.
A Taste of the West
offered samples of Willie's Distillery spirits.
(Honey Moonshine is our favorite!)

Everyone cheered each other on.
Dozens of youth teams charged fearlessly down
the course with their family members and neighbors
encouraging them and celebrating their joy and achievements.
Couples, local ranch hands, friends, relatives, and
random teams that formed last minute in a Jackpot round
all received the same amount of support.

At the Boulder Bar after the event,
John offered an emotional thank you to 
Burke Steele, who owns the ranch, 
and without whom the event could not have happened.
He also thanked his wife, Kelli,
and Fred Archambault who flagged the start.

The rustic, yes, smokey bar was shoulder to shoulder
Saturday night when Jared Rogerson
sang and entertained everyone on guitar.
(He is friends with Chancy Williams
who also plays at skijoring events!)
Sunday night competitors received checks and buckles
(Steele Ranch Skijoring awards buckles
in EVERY division and then some!)
and applauded John's crew and committee.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Grand Lake Skijoring in Colorado
also exhibited these qualities of camaraderie.
The local community turned out in force
to support the first inaugural race down the colorful spine
of their picturesque historic district.
Spectators lined the wooden boardwalks and
crowded the balconies and roof lines to get a better view
of the intense action below.
A healthy mix of riders and skiers, some of whom had recently
competed in Leadville, paired up again,
but many others were also added to the mix.
Veteran skijor competitors,
Jerry Kissell, Will James and Kenny Hilton,
who all hail from Colorado,
were at the race supporting this new generation.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

While we were not at Red Lodge Skijoring this year,
we know that men like Stan Olsen
were there at the start line
to assist organizers, Kristen Beck and Monica Plecker,
and help competitors achieve safe and fair runs.

None of these people are paid to be there.
They all put their own safety at risk.
They ask for nothing in return.

That said, we offer them a
HUGE THANK YOU!
and promise to post their photos, make video reels,
and tell their stories.

Races and people like this are the very backbone of the sport.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ UPCOMING EVENTS ~

Skijor USA
had a recent conversation with Faith Hamlin
of Little Jennie Ranch
in Bondurant, Wyoming.
who is hosting her 3rd annual event this weekend.

Before speaking of anything else,
she emphasized how grateful she is to her
ranch crew of strong, dedicated men and women
(especially women since it a female-run cattle ranch)
who are working tirelessly to build
her track, plow out parking areas, cook up savory grub, and
distribute donated hay bales
which will serve as ranch style bleachers for spectators.
More than 150 teams are registered!

Faith is committed to representing
all walks of skijoring life,
so she is including not only the traditional divisions of
Youth, Novice, Sport and Open,
but will also have a 
Womens, Century, Snowboard and Working Horse Division.
The Working Horse Division
is geared toward ranch hands whose horses
are not bred to race like thoroughbreds on or off the track,
but to work on trail rides, herd cattle or do other ranch chores.
We LOVE this addition 
since it reflects PRECISELY the Western culture
we touched upon above.

Faith and her family-owned ranch 
want to emphasize the "working ranch" aspect
of their venue so they will be making burgers, short rib sandwiches 
and beef jerky from Little Jennie farm raised stock
which will be available at the event itself. 
They will expand the festivities into the community
by having their Saturday night event
at the Elkhorn Bar & Grill,
Bondurant's only local watering hole.
For a town with a population of roughly 200,
we are happy they even have one!

Faith is thrilled to have Glen Gillies, a professional announcer,
on board who has announced the
Snowmobile Hill Climb Challenge in Jackson for years. 
Her course will have rollers and rings,
so that it is also friendly to snowboarders,
and the competition should attract some of Faith's
long-time friends from her days of
Nordic and Free Skiing in the Jackson area.
She also said some barrel racing friends
are planning to attend.

This mix of athletes is skijoring's "secret sauce".
Let's continue to attract more and more talent!

Watch this interview with Faith Hamlin
produced by Powder to learn more about her race
and her unique perspective on skijoring!

https://www.yardbarker.com/skiing/articles/enter_the_wild_and_untamed_world_of_skijoring_in_this_short_documentary/s1_17376_41852710

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There will also be an invitational event
at Brian Head Ski Resort
this Saturday, March 15, 2025.

We wish Skijoring Utah the best of luck
with this new venue!

For more information about the race schedule go to:

https://www.skijoringutah.com/pages/brian-head-skijoring-competitor-registration?fbclid=IwY2xjawJBWzpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHajVaqLB0x8IjtHVcwWbboXRLE--kixT_iWfrVHRRMYVdloMntYgjkQnWg_aem_IiytzTvZbpw81HsWv5VjAw

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ IN THE NEWS ~

Skijor USA's Loren Zhimanskova
was interviewed by
Nancy Bouchard, a well-known journalist about skijoring.
It is featured on the Columbia Sportswear website!

Click here to read the article:

https://www.columbia.com/what-is-skijoring.html

Nancy Prichard Bouchard is a prolific outdoor adventure and travel writer, climber and skier. Her by-line has appeared in many national and international publications including Men's Journal, Playboy, Outside and Backpacker magazines, and she's made appearances on The Today Show, ESPN, National Geographic TV and PBS. She met her husband, John Bouchard, while they both were competing in the X-Games. She and her husband have raised their three children with the same enthusiasm for outdoor sports that they both share. Bouchard holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Colorado, and enjoys intertwining a solid sense of history with her reporting on outdoor sports and travel.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Keep your eyes peeled 
for Facebook and Instagram posts
from Skijor USA
featuring competitors, spectators and contributors
to many of the 2025 events!

Links can be found on our website page.

We are also working on posting
testimonials for the
"Anti-slip grip" Horseshoes
now available on www.skijor.com.

Based on feedback from competitors, we are going to offer
shoes with "more" grip and "less" grip
depending on whether you are racing or riding
in other situations such as on trails.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ RESULTS ~

At Steele Ranch Skijoring,
first place in the Open Overall went to
Carli Lloyd riding Peppy
with skier Kurtis Fieguth.

First place in the Sport Overall went to
Luke Mullendore riding Brownie
with skier Neal Robertson.

First place in Novice Overall went to
Terra Jorgensen riding Drifter
with skier McKinley Keener.

First place in Snowboard Overall went to
Bridget Sweeney riding Jolene
with snowboarder Sean Riley.

First place in Century Overall went to
John Hyde riding Otis
with skier Troy Houston.

First place in Junior went to 
Ciara Grimes riding Chewy
with skier Scarlett Smith.

First place in Pee Wee went to 
Luke Lavoie riding Cash
with skier Kinsley Lavoie.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At Grand Lake Skijoring,
Tate Rogers rode Chief
and pulled skier Malcolm Seamans
to victory in Open Overall.

Patrick Smith rode Frankie Moon
and pulled Brian Erhart
to victory in Sport 1D Overall.
 
Piper Crabtree rode Crow
and pulled Bryson Threatt
to victory in Sport 2D Overall. 

Molly and Ryan McNeill with Mickie won Novice.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In Red Lodge,
Kevin Derzapf rode Levi
and pulled Ty Free to win Open Overall.

Monica Plecker rode Moose Knuckle
and pulled Riley Irwin to win Sport Overall.

Connor Dove rode Hot Shot
and pulled Brady March to win Novice Overall.

Courtney Anderson rode Moon
and pulled Jakobe Chacon to win Snowboard Overall.

Foster Kennedy and Nick Bentley
partnered with Lucky to win the Switcheroo.

Josey Woodring rode Freckles
and pulled Wyatt Woodring to win Pee Wee Overall.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ UPCOMING EVENTS ~

We look forward to Sun Valley, idaho
and the skijoring invitational on March 24, 2025
during the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals.

This is the last race of the season,
and should prove to be a GREAT competition
of top ranked competitors.
Please note, there was no qualification process for this race.
Invitations were at the discretion of the organizer,
and we respect this since Sun Valley is an exhibition event,
just like Banff and Salt Lake City.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ LOOKING FORWARD TO 2026 ~

Skijor USA will be posting
a 2026 calendar shortly so anyone
who has a race date set,
please contact Loren at (646) 209-0229
or loren@skijorusa.com

We are thrilled to include NEW races
on the 2026 calendar as well!
Let's spread the word!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

JOR ON! 

Loren Zhimanskova,
President, Skijor USA, Inc. & Skijor International, LLC