Ski joring, ice racing offer off-beat winter fun

Ice, snow perfect settings for these alternative sports

Every winter, tens of thousands of people flock to the Colorado mountains to ski, snowboard and enjoy the views. But the slopes aren’t the only place people are having fun in the snow. Some enjoy Colorado winters in ways most would never imagine.

A simple day trip to Leadville during the first weekend of March could bring quite a surprise when visitors are greeted by throngs of people crowded around riders mounted on horses. A closer look reveals the riders are actually towing skiers at breakneck speeds — right down the main drag.

It’s called ski joring, and it’s been a tradition in Leadville for more than half a century.

The objective is for the horse and rider to gallop down Harrison Avenue while the skier, pulled by a 30-foot rope, maneuvers gates, clear jumps and collects rings — jousting style. The best time wins.

Perfect for the West

“It’s so well-suited for the West because you take the two biggest industries — ranching and skiing — combine the two, and you have this incredibly outrageous sport called ski joring,´ said Tony Fox, co-founder of the North American Ski Joring Association.

Ski joring is a Scandinavian term that means ski driving. Many have witnessed a slow-motion version of the sport at Steamboat Springs’ Winter Carnival, where horses pull children sitting on shovels along the parade route.

“Steamboat has been doing it at its winter carnival since 1902,” Fox said. “But to the best of our knowledge, the first competitive equestrian ski joring in this country began in Leadville in the 1950s.”

Today, NASJA is the sanctioning agent for a four-state competitive circuit that includes Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Fox said that while the sport is ancient, it’s only recently that its popularity began to surge.

He expects Utah to host a race next year, and hopes that ski joring will be the next sport to be featured in ESPN’s X Games.

“It certainly is an extreme sport,´ said Fox, who has won many titles. “You have no idea how powerful a horse is until you’re roped to the back of one. The horse is going as fast as you can handle. You just hang on for the ride of your life and hope you can get to the end of the track in 14 seconds with all the rings on your arm.”

Riders and skiers debate who has the tougher job.

“I’ve got the easy part,´ said Dana Stiles, last year’s champion rider. “Skiing scares the crud out of me.” A Colorado native living in Eagle, Stiles admits she’s never once in her life been on a pair of skis. She got involved in ski joring six years ago as a way to keep her horses in shape over the winter.

“I was instantly, instantly hooked,” she said.

Something for everyone

While most of the pro-class ski jorers are former ski racers or lifelong equestrians, NASJA recently added a children’s division and a sport division to attract newcomers. And if there’s no way you would be pulled by a horse while skiing, it’s a great spectator sport.

The Leadville race typically attracts about 2,000 onlookers and some venues are known for outrageous tailgate parties.

While the typical race offers about $1,000 to the first-place team, stakes in the Calcutta-style betting done on the sidelines can reach up to $25,000.

Meanwhile, not far from Leadville, there’s another extreme winter sport that offers winners little more than beer money and bragging rights.

For at least 30 years, avid off-roaders have been gathering in Georgetown to race their 4x4s on the frozen lake.

The event attracts die-hards, newbies and looky-loos almost every weekend in January and February.

Anyone with a four-wheel-drive vehicle who pays the $15 entry fee and passes the safety check can compete on the ice during the bare-rubber races held Sundays.

But the competition class is a whole other league.

Serious fun

“A lot of people start out with a stock jeep, then they’ll trade up to the bigger and badder, until they end up in the competition class,´ said Jimmy Olson, owner of Denver’s Edgewater Jeep.

“Some people think you’re nuts,” he said. But to Olson, ice racing is in his blood. His father founded the sport’s organizational club, Our Gang Four Wheelers, and he’s been racing ever since he got his driver’s license.

Competitive racers spend an average of $20,000 souping up their off-road vehicles with high-powered engines, racing fuel and studded or bolted tires.

There are several different classes, including a women’s division. About 200 racers show up every weekend to race head to head around the track.

“Two weekends ago, a guy from New York, who was here on vacation, came out and tried it and won a trophy,´ said Rhonda Greene, current president of Our Gang Four Wheelers. “He was thrilled.”

While fun ranks high on the group’s priorities, safety comes first. “There has to be a minimum 12 inches of ice to race,” Greene said. “At 19 inches we can park motor homes on it.”

While the season ends this weekend, the die-hards will return to town the first weekend of March for an awards ceremony. “It’s really cool to go up there and have a good time, with some good competition,” Olson said. “Then we all go to the bar, give out the trophies and everybody’s bragging it up.”

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