What Is Skijoring?

If you’re in Park City in February, you have a chance to behold a unique spectacle native to the mountain west: skijoring.

If you’re like 99 percent of regular skiers and snowboarders, you don’t have a clue as to what “skijoring” even means.

Skijoring is a simple concept: a skier gets pulled by a horse through a course of gates, jumps, and rings. The faster the skier, the more points the skier-horse riding team gets. At the end, the best team gets a cash prize.

Utah Skijoring

Every February, a skijoring competition takes place in Midway, UT. Hundreds of amateur and experienced riders and skiers alike try their hand at the course, though registration must occur in advance.

While some horse-rider duos are merged at the hip and have been riding together for years, others enter the competition solo and get paired with a solo horse and cowboy.

What To Expect

Skijoring is an incredibly exciting event. If you’re picturing ponies sauntering along while a skier cruises beside them, think again. Horses, ridden by experienced cowboys, giddy-up and gallop at full speed through the snowy course. Skiers not only hang on for dear life, but also must land a few big jumps along the way.

The event is action-packed and gets the adrenaline rushing, especially as some of the competitors don’t fair so well on the jumps.

In addition to the race events, you can also get tickets for the Big Air Competition. Mostly held on the Saturday of the Utah Skijoring weekend, the Big Air Competition sends skiers flying over sizeable jumps as horses gallop in front of them.

Skijoring Tickets