DASHING TOWARD 2026
December 24, 2025
~ TWAS TWO WEEKS BEFORE SKIJOR ~
The good news is
the shortest day of the year
is BEHIND us!
&
the countdown to the 2026 skijoring season
is now at 16 days!
~ NOW, DASHER! ~
While the weather has been frightful
with high winds across the Rocky Mountain states
and meager snowfall even at elevation,
skijoring MUST go on!
San Juan and Estes Park
are ready to make as much snow as needed.
But still, let's all hope the snow gods hear our prayers
for races without these capabilities!
See below for the latest news
and
go to https://www.skijorusa.com/ for updates.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ NOW, DANCER! ~
Meeker Skijor
traditionally kicks off the circuit,
but this season's event has been postponed until
February 21 & 22.
Mandatory competitor registration
will be held on Friday, February 20th.
This will be Meeker's 5th year!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ NOW, PRANCER! ~
Big Sky Skijoring
has been cancelled and postponed
until 2027.
As expressed on their website and social media pages,
this decision was a difficult one and was made
with the best interests of all parties in mind.
The transition to a new venue is
going to take some time to plan, and Big Sky
promises to come back bigger, better and stronger than ever.
There are plenty of other events
to choose from that weekend of February 7 & 8
such as Sheridan, Wyoming on Saturday,
Saratoga and Boulder, Wyoming
and High River, Alberta, Canada
on Saturday and Sunday.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ AND VIXEN! ~
San Juan Skijoring
will kick off the season
on January 9, 10 & 11.
This is San Juan's 10th year!
It is a 3-day event with exciting features.
San Juan proudly calls themselves "pioneers"
who "set new standards and push boundaries in the
skijoring world". So true!
Friday Night Lights
will feature a Slope Style Division
and the Open competitors will complete their first round.
Spectators will gather around fire pits under the stars or,
even better, as a gentle snow falls,
and a renowned local musician will rock the crowd.
Saturday and Sunday
brings in teams like Snowboard, the Open gap jump,
Sport, Junior and the Twisted-Switch
in which riders and skiers must trade positions.
Slope Style, a judged event, with
rails, jumps and vertical boxes
returns on Sunday.
Organizers have
set December 19th as a deadline
for payment for teams registered to compete
in all remaining divisions except Junior
which closes on December 31st.
December 31st is also the deadline for any
cancellations and refunds.
Substitutions must be made before January 6th
for teams to be corrected on day sheets.
Any substitutions made before the competitor meeting
on race day will not be reflected on the day sheets.
Teams on Waiting Lists will be notified in the coming days,
and acceptance and payment must be made by January 5th
to secure the spot in the division offered.
Volunteers are needed for
Gate Keeper
Thursday Event Set Up
Sunday Teardown
Admission - Indoors
Volunteers get FREE admission, lunch and t-shirt.
Click below to access the volunteer form:
https://www.comevolunteer.com/events/15315-san-juan-skijoring/volunteer
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ON, COMET! ~
Estes Park Skijor
on January 24 & 25
has posted an update on their website.
Novice Night is FULL.
10 spots were added to Sport,
and once these are full, Sport competitors
may consider entering Open.
The course and jumps will be the same
for both Sport and Open,
but the gates will be tighter and more challenging
in the Open Division.
Their website does not indicate whether spots are
available in Snowboard or Junior Divisions.
Estes Park has a Volunteer Sign Up page
listing specific days,
including set up on Thursday and break down on Monday
so it is not necessary to volunteer
for the entire weekend.
One may also select one or both race days.
Most volunteers are needed on Sunday!
Click below to access form:
https://www.skisandsaddles.com/volunteers
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
As a side note,
Grand Lake Skijor
(only 30+ miles from Estes Park as the crow flies)
has rules never tried before
unless you consider 3D to be similar.
Skiers can cross divisions in Sport and Open only.
First time skiers should enter Novice.
The max is 3 runs in Sport Division,
so 3 Sport, 1 Open: 2 Sport, 2 Open or 1 Sport, 3 Open.
Naturally, 4 Sport or 4 Open is also allowed.
In all cases, all teams are single match per day,
In other words, the same three teammates, horse included,
cannot compete twice in the same day.
For Grand Lake rules go to:
https://www.grandlakeskijor.com/competitors
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ON, CUPID! ~
Skis and Saddles
in Pagosa Springs, Colorado
on January 17 & 18
will have in-person check-in
(no online registration)
on Friday, January 16 from 5-8 PM
at the Archuleta County Fairgrounds
in the 4H by Huges Pavillion.
They are accepting volunteers online
for Friday Set Up, Monday Tear Down and
Half or Full Days on Saturday and Sunday.
Click below to access form:
https://www.skisandsaddles.com/volunteers
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ON DONDER! ~
Marsh Valley Skijoring
near Arimo, Idaho
on January 24 & 25
updated their Facebook online registration form
on Tuesday, December 23rd
so now more teams can submit entries.
Organizer, Shailee-Sage Lish can also be contacted
directly with teams' details via Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563807863043
~ AND BLITZEN! ~
Wood River Skijoring
in Bellevue, ID
has opened their registration.
There are 10 Divisions
with a limit of 135 teams total.
25 Open, 25 Sport, 40 Novice, 15 Women,
10 Snowboard, 5 Juniors, 5 Couples.
Sign up is ONLINE ONLY.
No Friday night registration this year.
Click here to enter:
https://woodriveresja.com/registration-forms/
~ AND THEN THERE'S RUDOLPH ~
Some new events drawing
red, shiny and bright attention are in
New Mexico and Canada.
Red River Skijoring
is coming back
on January 31st and February 1st.
While first-timers will still be literally "shown the ropes"
in a clinic behind snowmobiles on the morning of Day One,
the two-day weekend will now be one of competition
for Open, Sport, Juniors and
Snowmobile (snowboarders included).
Registration is now open.
If your team is not pre-determined,
team matching will take place during on-site
registration on Friday, January 30th.
Go to https://www.redriverskijoring.org/ for details.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Skijor Alberta which just announced an event
called the Alberta Skijor Showdown in
Millarville, AB
on January 24th.
Skijor 'Berta
is planning a race on February 7 & 8
called The Canadians
in High River, AB
at the High River Rodeo Grounds.
Red Deer, AB
intends to host an event
at Westerner Park Racetrack
on February 28th.
Each of these events have Facebook Pages only.
Links can be found on Skijor USA.
https://www.skijorusa.com/.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
These events are in addition to
more established, show-stopping events:
Skijor Canada
will have an exhibition in Banff, AB
during the SnowDays Festival
on January 17 & 18
as well as an invitational in Calgary, AB
called Skijordue,
at Confluence Historic Site & Parklands
on February 21 & 22.
https://www.skijorcanada.com/
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ AN ODE TO REINDEER ~
It is only appropriate that we pay tribute to
the role reindeer have played in
the history of skijoring
at Christmastime.
The Sami people, indigenous to the Arctic countries
of Norway, Sweden, Finland
and the Kola Peninsula in Russia,
were the first to ski behind reindeer.
Reindeer remain central to Sami lives even today,
and the animals are celebrated during festivals since they
provide hides, fur, food, tools and materials
to the inhabitants of this snow-covered region.
Reindeer are also used for transportation
since they are bred and trained as draft animals.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
While skiing behind reindeer is over 100 years old
in Arctic regions,
the practice of skijoring as a competitive event
at traditional festivals emerged over time,
They continue to this day.
After watching several videos,
it seems the reindeer enjoy the experience
much like horses enjoy skijoring in North America.
They love speeding down a track
while pulling some crazy human behind on skis.
In the Arctic, the reindeer are released either
singularly or in heats.
Some races are down a barricaded Main Street,
while others occur out in the open with nothing more than
branches designating the course.
The reindeer has a harness with two reins attached,
one is threaded under the animal's torso
and another is higher, off to one side.
Unlike equine skijoring in the American West,
there is no controlling the animal's speed or direction.
In both places, however, the crowd seems
to be equally entertained by the spectacle with a
"better them than me!" grin on their faces.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Check out this 3 minute video from Lapland, Finland.
It is worth a watch this holiday season
and even more so if you have children!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYCCO0T7C2A
Go to Skijor International to learn more about
the history of skijoring behind reindeer, horses, dogs,
motorized vehicles and more. . .
https://www.skijorinternational.com/
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ MERRY CHRISTMAS, SKIJOR FAMILY ~
"He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
'Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!'"
from A Visit from Saint Nicholas
by Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
JOR ON!
Loren Zhimanskova,
Founder, Skijor USA & Skijor International