DRIGGS, Idaho — Teton Valley Skijoring’s Grand Showdown returns this weekend.
A Scandinavian tradition dating back hundreds of years, Skijoring is now as Western as it gets, and this weekend the spectacle will draw thousands to Driggs, Idaho for the 2024 Grand Showdown.
Skiers, snowboarders and riders will compete for a large purse based on their time to complete the course at the Teton Valley Fairgrounds starting at 10 a.m. this Saturday in junior, novice, women’s, sport and snowboarding divisions. Executive Director Elliot Paull said registration is completely full, with over 175 competitors signed up to compete in about 150-160 unique teams each day.
2024’s races mark the first year for a dedicated women’s division.
“The phone has been ringing off the hook with people asking if they can get into the race,” Paull said. “We have registrants coming from Montana, Pennsylvania, and Colorado to compete.”
Last year’s inaugural event as Teton Valley Skijoring was a resurrection of a previous event that used to take place during the Teton Valley Great Snow Fest which was the umbrella for the Teton Ridge Classic, Snowscapes and the Snow Plane Rally. Skijoring was cancelled in 2016 and the Snow Fest stopped in 2018.
Skijoring’s return in 2023 was anything but subtle. The wild marriage of extreme athlete and extreme rancher was displayed on a jumbotron and saw 3000 attendees enjoy an entertaining day in the sun. This year, according to Paull, will be no different.
“Our organization is all about continuing the sport of skijoring and hosting community events through utilizing the power of skijoring to bring the community together,” he told Buckrail.
Coming together includes art booths on site, Wyoming Whiskey, an official IPA brewed by Grand Teton Brewing aptly called Run for the Money, and a very large purse on the table for competitors that totals out at $27,500 across all the divisions. The Showdown’s nonprofit partner, HAPI Trails Horse Rescue has been facilitating practice sessions for the last few weeks leading up to the Showdown and was the recipient of the practice fees.
Paull said the esoteric sport is something to be on the lookout for, comparing its potential to the NBA and the NFL.
“We’re connecting the dots, we have all this momentum for exposure and though this isn’t a circuit event yet, this sport is growing! I mean, cornhole has tournaments on ESPN. We can think bigger than cornhole,” Paul said.
Skijoring did have an Olympic debut in the 1928 Olympics in St. Moritz as a demonstration sport.
Saturday races will culminate with a team auction/Calcutta starting at 5:30 p.m. with Captain Ron’s cuisine complete with a Bovine & Swine sausage buffet. The party will be backed up by the Teton Valley ’70s musical groove act Freddy The Benders. The awards ceremony will take place Sunday night at 6 p.m. after another day of riders racing around the course with skiers and boarders in tow.
Big Sky’s pro rider Tayler Stobaugh will be competing once again on her horse Little Bo Peep. Stobaugh’s father Neal was the catalyst for restoring the wild sport’s Teton Valley competition while cheering on his daughter’s racing.
Teton Valley’s Max Mackenzie will be towed behind Gena Howland on her horse Solo. She and Solo will also be towing David Fetterer.
All events for the Grand Showdown will take place at the Teton County Fairgrounds in Driggs, Idaho.
The Showdown will also air on the Cowboy Channel. Tickets are available for purchase at the event or on the Teton Valley Skijoring website.
