DRIGGS, Idaho — Giddy up!
Teton Valley hosted its fourth annual skijoring competition over the weekend. The two-day spectacle took place at the Teton County, Idaho, Fairgrounds.
According to a Facebook post by Teton Valley Skijoring, the event was the fifth stop on the PRO SkiJor Frontier Tour. It was the final qualifying opportunity for participants to reach the Frontier Tour championship finals in Kamas, Utah, next weekend.
Skijoring, a timed winter sport that combines rodeo and ski racing, involves a horse and rider pulling a skier or snowboarder, who navigates a snowy obstacle course of jumps, gates and hanging rings. The skier holds a tow rope behind the horse, often reaching speeds of up to 40 mph.
The word skijoring comes from the Norwegian word skikjøring, which means “ski driving.” According to the Wood River Extreme Ski Joring Association in Bellevue, Idaho, directors from major skijoring organizations around the country met in Jackson Hole in 1999 to create the North American Ski Joring Association and begin the process of making skijoring a sanctioned sport.
