The year was 1949. There were a few skiers and cowboys at a bar in Leadville, Colorado. Naturally, the conversation turned to “Who's the fastest?” Skier or cowboy? So they decided to look into it as a team. At least according to legend, cowboys literally pulled skiers on horseback down Main Street. Thus began what we know today as “skijoring” in the Rocky Mountain West. The name comes from even deeper roots, meaning driving, such as “ski driving” in Norwegian.
Over the years, the sport has gained traction and skijoring races are held throughout the Rocky Mountain West. They bring a lot of money and visitors to small communities in the West during the winter. But this all comes down to snow and unseasonably warm weather in parts of the region this year.
“Just a noisy time”
Hundreds of people came to watch skijoring on a recent weekend at the rodeo field in Pinedale, a small mountain town in western Wyoming.
“They're good people, they're good people,'' the announcer cheered on the team. “Let's go, buddy, let's go.”
One skier raced around the turns at at least 30 miles per hour in preparation for the big jump. But he is not downhill, the course is flat. The skier is pulled by a thick rope and attached to a horse that rides the cowboy down the course.
“Okay, buddy, okay. Let's go, let's go, let's go. Everyone, cheer up, it's been a good run,” the announcer seemed to be shouting into the microphone.
Local skier Sean Boylan stood by his pickup truck in snow pants and cowboy boots, drinking beer and waiting his turn on the course.
“Modelo,” he said. “It helps calm your nerves.”
The course itself is covered in snow, but behind it is dirt and bushes. Boylan was worried whether the race could even be held because of the lack of snow.
“But at the end of the day, it's just a noisy time,” Boylan said. “So if you ski through the mud, well, it's all a lot of fun.”
A few weeks ago, event organizer Monte Borgiano was feeling stressed.
“We started sweating wondering if we could make it,” he said.
They used snowplows to shovel snow around town.
“We scraped off all three inches that were in the ground and were able to make enough to build the course,” Borgiano said.
Borgiano grew up in Pinedale, watching industries like agriculture and energy rise and fall.
“Other than the few industries we have here, we rely on tourism,” he said.
That's why skijoring competitions can be a big draw on what is normally a leisurely winter weekend.
“Let's fill the hotels and restaurants,” Borgiano said.
He added that businesses saw an 80% increase in traffic over the weekend, but all would have been lost if they were unable to hold events.
“No snow”
The challenge of hosting skijoring in a year with little snow has ripples across the West. Usually, dozens of races are held, but some have been canceled this year. One event was canceled in Montana and several in Wyoming.
“We didn't have any snow, and the week before the event it was 55 degrees, 60 degrees,” said Sean Parker, executive director of Sheridan County Travel and Tourism.
Sheridan is on the other side of Wyoming. Parker said the rural area is known for its winter sports, which combine cowboying and skiing.
“That's a big deal,” he said. “So we create something out of nothing, and positive economic stimulus can help.”
Parker noted that the town sees more people in one day than in the entire month of February. This means millions of dollars to the local economy. So this year they tried to make up for it by holding concerts and hockey tournaments, but the results weren't the same.
“We need skijoring to see a really big positive impact,” Parker said.
Parker added that if winters like this continue, skijoring events will have to be moved out of town and into the mountains with more snow.
“Go like hell.”
Back in Pinedale, local John Hyde was saddling his horse Perry in the parking lot. Hyde boasted a handlebar mustache and chaffed leather. He makes a living skijoring, he said.
“When you get older, you're going to retire from rodeos. You might as well get a horse,” Hyde said, nodding toward the three horses tied to the trailer.
Hyde's horse trailer is divided into his living quarters and space for the horses.
“Right now, this is our home on the journey,” he said.
Hyde likes to win, and his winnings often amount to hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. Before Hyde and his horse Perry headed to the starting line, Hyde shared some hot tips for winning.
“Fuck me like you're going to die,” he said in a voice that was almost a growl.
Skijoring events are scheduled in the Rocky Mountain West through March, but competitors, visitors and the money that comes with the sport all depend on snow.
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