HAILEY, Idaho — Cowboys and cowgirls are a staple of western culture, but so is skiing in the rocky mountains and those two disciplines come together for a unique event called skijoring.
Extreme skijoring features a rider on horseback dragging an alpine skier behind them on a rope at speeds up to 35 miles per hour.
"It’s just fast skis and fast horses," said McKinley Keener, a skier who raced with his girlfriend Caroline on her horse Tarzan. "We actually met last year, she was just watching and I was competing. We ended up meeting and getting together and this year we are racing."
This duo had a good run going, but McKinley crashed near the finish line in the open division. After having the best time on Saturday they are hoping to win a buckle in the couples division.
The Wood River Valley Extreme Skijoring Association puts this event on each year and they feature multiple divisions. This year, they had a record 135 teams who were all competing for a combined purse of $10,000.
Teams have to be fast, but they also must correctly navigate the gates and capture as many rings as possible. Even the rider on the horse has to grab a ring.
"Yeah the ring for me is the scariest part," said Vanessa Heileson, who traveled from Swan Valley with her horse Black Shawn. "Yeah, he loves it."
Skijoring gives the equine community a chance to get their horses out and run in the middle of winter. The skier relies on horsepower for speed, but the rider only does well if the skier can hold onto the rope. It's an unlikely pairing that comes together magically— if executed well.
"It is unmatched, you see these amazing horses and they are having the times of their lives getting to run flat out as fast as they can go," said Keener. "They love it and that makes us skiers love it even more."
"It’s probably the best sport they’ve come up [with]," said Heileson. "Ski bums and cowboys getting together to make a sport."
