New Ski Sports for Alpenglow Members.
By Abby Killey
The California contingent of Alpenglow, Toby French and I, descended upon Ridgway in January. Toby wanted to assess Ridgway's winter weather and I wanted to see my new favorite sport in action at the big San Juan Skijoring competition. Skijoring is awesome because it combines my two favorite sports: horseback riding and skiing. It certainly lived up to my expectations for fun and excitement!
Upon arrival, Toby and I checked into the beautiful Chipeta Solar Springs Resort and Spa, which is situated adjacent to the Alpenglow property. We enjoyed great comfort in our spacious suite, complete with fireplace, hot tub and delicious meals. On Saturday we walked over to the Ridgway rodeo grounds to watch the first day of qualifying rounds with our intrepid Alpenglow tour guide, Arleen Richter.
The day was fairly cold but there wasn't much snow on the track until later in the day. Event coordinators had to heroically truck in snow to cover most of the course. But as the day wore on we got plenty of it. Spectators huddled around fires set in old heavy equipment truck rims, drank hot chocolate, or shared covered space near heaters – all was quite jolly and cozy. Inside the fair grounds event center vendors sold memorabilia, and those who couldn't handle the weather watched the competition on a giant screen.
For those who don't know, skijoring is a combination of cowboying and skiing, two of the more iconic sport cultures in the Ridgway area. The skier hangs on to a long rope attached to the horse's saddle. The rider races his horse around the inside of the track while the skier navigates a course of poles on the track. The San Juan Skijoring competition was Ridgway's sixth, and the first competition in the 2022 Skijoring Circuit. Ridgway's event is considered a warm up for later races of longer history that fly through downtown Silverton on February 20 and 21 and Leadville on March 5 and 6. There, skiers have the added challenge of picking up rings hung along the track.
In Ridgway, the novices started the day, skiing the course behind patiently trotting horses. This was what inspired me to think maybe I could try it. Mothers on horseback enthusiastically coached and encouraged their tiny, snowplowing offspring around the track. As the skill levels increased, the skiers navigated through slalom style poles behind faster and faster horses. The finale, which basically began in a blizzard, involved flying over giant jumps behind horses galloping to the finish line. The best skiers, in the professional class, sailed over a Ford truck!
The Switcheroo was my favorite event, wherein on the first day the cowboy or girl rides the horse and the skier skis behind. On the second day they switch and the skier has to ride the horse and the cowboy or girl skis. Quite a challenge for both apparently!
The fun isn't over when the races end. The next part of this sport involves betting at the Elks Lodge in Ouray. Contestants and fans pore over the results of the day and select their favorite teams based on the scores and reputations of the horses, skiers and riders. The teams are then auctioned off (like a livestock auction) and the top bidder wins the team. If that team then wins on the second day, the bidder wins a percentage of the pot bet. The raucous bidding goes on late into the night with participants fortifying themselves with takeout pizza and beer. In my usual gambling style, I bet on my favoritely named horse in the Switcheroo bracket: Stompy Jerkface. Throwing down $100 to win the bid, I confidently departed. On my way out I ran into Skylar Ball, the cowboy member of the team. Skylar was complimented by my bet, but confided that he didn't think it was a good one because he confessed he doesn't ski too well. Alas, although the team did pretty well the first day, on the second day Skylar did blow out of the ski track and did not finish. C'est la vie. It was well worth the money and I was happy to contribute to this great sport.
Photo captions: Left, Photo by Scotty Kenton. More great pictures at https://www.facebook.com/sanjuanskijoring. Center, Toby, Arleen and Abby braving the cold and snow to watch the race. Abby may have been having the most fun. Right, Toby, Abby and Arleen practicing for next year's skijoring at Ironton Nordic Park.
