SKIJOëring: The French connection
March 25, 2026
Photo by Josh Trudell
~ OOH LA LA! ~
Ok, everyone, get out your dictionaries
or download those translation apps because skijoring
is sweeping through French-speaking regions!
Québec has seen a recent resurgence
with races in
Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges
Mirabel
Saint-Philémon
and Drummondville.
We have selected some photos above taken at events in Canada
to show that the Canadians,
especially, the French-Canadians, bring a spirit, joy and style
to the sport of skijoring all their own.
Above all, they adore their horses and love to pamper and ornament them.
Thank you
Josh Trudell of New Hampshire
&
Sarah-Jo Wasylkiw of Fernie, British Columbia
for capturing the action, the fashion and the flair of our Canadian
counterparts up north!
Links to their pages can be found below.
Please respect that these images are copyrighted
by the photographers and/or Skijor USA.
Any usage or purchases can be negotiated.
For Josh
https://www.joshtrudell.com/skijoring
For Sarah-Jo
https://www.instagram.com/mountain_misfit_images/
or
https://www.skijorusa.com/
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ FLASH BACK & FORWARD ~
For anyone new to the sport,
there were skijoring races in Québec
up until 2012 in Nôtre-Dame-de-la-Merci,
roughly 60 miles north of Montreal.
Bert Caron, a skier, was the impetus behind the event,
and he partnered with Geoff and Brook Smith of New Hampshire.
Together they ran an organization called NESJA,
the North East Ski Joring Association
with races beginning in 2006.
This year in Alberta,
Skijoring for MS introduced a second race in
Lac La Biche.
Their first race of the season is held in Cold Lake,
also called Lac des Bois or Lac Froid.
These names harken back to the French-speaking fur traders,
likely from the North West Company,
that frequented this northern area around 1798.
For those linguists out there,
"la biche" refers to a female elk
and "bois" means "forest" and "froid" means "cold".
10-20% of inhabitants in these Albertan counties remain bilingual.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ADDING MORE PROVINCES ~
On Sunday, March 22,
there was a new race at Champêtre County.
This is perhaps the only area of Saskatchewan that fully embraces
their French-Canadian heritage in the region.
In April,
two races will be hosted by
Montmagny Skijor.
One in Edmundston, New Brunswick
at the Mont Farlagne ski hill
on April 4
and
another in Saint-Philémon, Québec,
at Massif du Sud, a ski resort one hour from Quebec City
on April 11.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ADDING MORE COUNTRIES ~
~ DRUM ROLL ~
or
~ ROULEMENT DE TAMBOUR ~
For over 100 years skijoring has remained popular
in several Alpine regions of France, primarily as a recreational activity.
Yours truly experienced it firsthand during my last trip to Europe.
I skied behind horses on four separate occasions at
venues ranging from a church yard to an open field on a mountain top
and from a pasture on a hillside to the cobblestone streets of a ski resort.
Each was magnificent in its own way!
Now a dedicated group of skijoring athletes in France is holding
a series of competitive events
in both the European and Western styles.
There was a national championship on March 7 & 8, 2026
at the Centre Équestre de Ceillac,
called Les Championnats de France Ski-joëring
or
The French Championships of Skijoring.
Established in 2024, this contest
tests the skills of skiers who rein their horses
and control their speed and movements through a technical course.
Prizes were awarded for Club Élite, Club 1 and Club 2.
The winners were:
Club Elite:
Matthieu Gay-Perret & Vandale de Tremalla (74)
Philippe Canteux & Bloody Nice (74)
Club 1:
Mattieu Gay-Perret & Hohgant Ranch Hope (74)
Talia Lambert & Djengo (73)
Club 2:
Talia Lamber & Vanilla (73)
In a few weeks,
in Avoriaz, France on April 4, 5 & 6,
some of these same athletes will be building
a Western style course and work as teams of three:
rider, horse and skier,
to complete a circuit of gates, jumps and rings.
C'est extraordinaire!
Fortunately, since we, at Skijor International, studied French
for many years and lived abroad in French-speaking countries,
we have been actively engaging with organizers
in both France and Québec
to help expand the sport we all love to French-speaking destinations.
https://www.avoriaz-skijoering.com/
Read more about the history of skijoring in France below
or check out our YouTube channel
at https://www.youtube.com/@SkijorCentral
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ SKIJOR CENTRAL ~
We continue to add content.
Check out some new episodes!
Skijoering in France
focusing on Chamonix's Winter Olympics of 1924
and beyond
&
Skijöring in Switzerland
focusing on Saint Moritz's Winter Olympics of 1928
and beyond.
We will cover more topics soon and
add in-depth interviews expanding on these topics
in the coming weeks.
Don't forget to subscribe!
https://www.youtube.com/@SkijorCentral
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ POSTPONEMENT ~
Crooked Creek Skijoring
Dubois, WY
(POSTPONED UNTIL 2027)
Crooked Creek Ranch
and Buster Campbell
had hoped to host a first-annual event
this coming weekend, but temperatures are too warm
and the snow they had squirreled away melting too rapidly.
Crooked Creek Ranch is located at 8500 feet
in the beautiful Wind River Mountain Range.
It serves as a base camp for motorized trail and outdoor activities
throughout the year, so it was natural for them to give
skijoring a go!
The organizers will move the date up next season,
into January or February,
to ensure their event can go forward.
This season their intention was to build
a straight track with gates, jumps and rings,
and run Open, Sport, Novice, Snowboard and Century Divisions.
Horsemanship will be emphasized at this race,
so if your horse cannot safely stage within the Sparby Rule
(2-4 minutes allowed at the start)
or stop in a controlled fashion on the run out, do not enter.
Horses will most likely be limited to two runs
and may only enter one division.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ RECENT & UPCOMING RACES ~
This past Sunday, March 22,
Skijoring in Sask
presented
The Prairie Pull Skijor
hosted by Champêtre County
Saskatoon / St-Denis, SK
Hosted by a private ranch in Saskatchewan
this family-owned hide-a-way boasts cozy cabins, a saloon,
and plenty of Western style accoutrements.
Offering snowshoe and fondue packages in the winter months,
and the perfect wedding setting or family get away
any time of year,
Champêtre County is perfect for a skijoring event!
This event was limited to 100 spectators at a cost of $5 a piece,
so talk about intimate!
Onlookers enjoyed drinks, hot dogs, "smokies" and hot chocolate
around campfires.
Sounds like a slice of heaven!
https://champetrecounty.com/
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Montmagny Skijor
is hosting two events in April.
Skijor Edmundston
Républik Nature - Mont Farlagne, NB
Saturday, April 4th
Mont Farlagne is a small ski hill only minutes from
downtown Edmundston, New Brunswick,
and only 5 minutes from both the Québec and Maine borders.
It offers year-round outdoor sporting activities
to the surrounding communities.
&
Ski Joëring Massif du Sud
Saint-Philémon, QC
Saturday, April 11
This fun, upbeat, community oriented event is promoted by
Station Touristique and Focus Western.
There will be line dancing and other activities.
They will be running horses on dirt,
and have plenty of snow both natural and manmade for a skier track.
Tickets are only $5 tickets in advance / $10 at the gate.
https://www.facebook.com/Mtyskijor
For a complete list of races in North America
remaining in 2026 and planned for 2027
go to: https://www.skijorusa.com/
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ SKIJOR CUP UPDATED POINTS ~
Thank you again to sponsors
JetHQ and Sendero
for supporting the SkijorCup 2026!
Points have been updated since the last races occurred.
Winners and prizes will be announced in our next newsletter.
Pro/Open
Riders
(10 points or more)
Richard Weber 170.91
Dennis Alverson 139.88
Josiah Young 123.95
Michael Miller 94.15
Josh Abbott 73.7
Marquise Young 65.74
Rosie Rogers 54.43
Harlee Manning 38.58
Cortney Anderson 33.95
Katherine Licht 30.44
Jed Moore 28.35
Monica Plecker 24.41
Sarah Smedsrud 19.28
Dylanne Free 18.71
Kevin Derzapf 16.65
Melissa Ostrander 16.33
Kimber Cook 11.4
Kevin Frueh 10.49
Lucas Garrett 10
Pro/Open
Skiers
(10 points or more)
Jim Ryan 184.14
KJ Savaria 162.5
Lane Feldeisen 114.04
Colin Cook 101.9
RJ Klotz 64.08
Ty Free 38.86
Cam Fraser 38.22
Foster Kennedy 37.49
Jake VanDeursen 34.82
John Anderson 31.05
David Rizzolo 29.31
Max McKenzie 25.85
Jack Dale 25
Malcolm Seamans 19.74
Tyler Smedsrud 19.39
Tyler McKnight 12+
Joe Prescott 11.84+
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sport
Riders
(10 points or more)
Patrick Smith 65.4
Kevin Derzapf 47.97
Phoebe Alverson 47.38
Kimber Cook 46.88
Cole Youren 37.5
Dylanne Free 29.43
Jed Moore 26.5
Elisha Burgener 26.25+
Colin Cook 24.52
Kristen Beck 20.4
Rosie Smith 19.75
Tate Rogers 11.5
Sport
Skiers
(10 points or more)
Bryson Threatt 112.15
Brian Erhart 58.97
Madison Ostergren 37.21
Levi Johnson 37.5
Malcolm Seamans 31.10
Colin Wolf 28.75
Luke Kashmitter 20
Troy Houston 11.17
Justin Crumbaugh 10.41
Kolby Ward 10.3
Max MacKenzie 9.07
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Novice
Riders
(5 points or more)
Cody Vanorden 15.31
Kelsea Raymer 13.63
Braily Newman 9.11
Heather Sirhal 6.51
Novice
Skiers
(5 points or more)
Devon Voegele 16.07
Richard Weber 8.93
Kellan Stevenson 8.68
McKinley Keener 7.69
Maddy Pielage 7.59
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Snowboard
Riders
(10 points or more)
Brian Nygard 33.7
Katherine Licht 22.44
Lucas Garrett 16.36
Justin Bailey 13
Hugh Groves 10
Juan Santana 10
TJ Simmons 8.85
Tamara Campbell 7.88
Monica Plecker 6.24
Jennifer Butler 5.91
Snowboard
Boarders
(10 points or more)
Jakobe Chacon 66.84
Charlie Tyler 28.75
Kurt Layton 21.88
Steve Noyes 13.6
Kevin Wilder 11.15
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Switcheroo / All Around
Riders/Skiers/Snowboarders
(10 points or more)
Bryson Threatt 56.35
Jackie Nadel 55
RJ Klotz 51.66
Colin Cook 51.66
Phoebe Alverson 11.8
Dennis Alverson 10
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Womens
Rider
(5 points or more)
Kylee Nielson 102.5
Ali Briggs 10
Jennifer Butler 9.89
Devon Peterson 8.75
Millie Berger 6.8
Leanna Frances 6.25
Harlee Manning 5
Womens
Skier
(5 points or more)
Jackie Nadel 68.75
Magnolia Neu 30
Hedy Seeber 19.65
Lili Schibii 13.75
Ali Gutschow 8.75
Teagan Barsch 8.75
Holland Hollis 6.25
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ UPDATED HORSE POINTS ~
Rather than computing points based on horses' pay outs
which, sadly, is a practice embraced by only a small number of races,
the rankings below are based on finishes.
Single points are awarded for day placements according to
how many places are awarded.
Double points are awarded for overall placements also according to
how many places are awarded.
We will also continue to compute winnings by each horse.
Pro/Open
(10 points or more)
Lick Em For Luck 84
Jet Fuel Cowboy 60
Elvis 46
Moose Knuckle 38
Levi 38
Snowman 37
Seven 33
Cocaine Bear 31
War Pony 30
Franks & Beans 29
Three 22
Pop A Top 22
Roxi 21
Tres 20
Dolly 20
Slim Shady 19
Babes Last Rascal 18
Smoaken 18
Badger 17
Chugg 16
Captain Speedy Dexter 14
Gunner 13
Cheddar Bob 11
Earl 10
Stanley 10
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sport
(10 points or more)
Ozzie 39
Bam Bam 34
Badger 33
Spanky 31
Cheddar Bob 27
Frankie Moon 20
Zombie 19
Duii 19
Eleanor Wood 19
Chief 18
Itchy 17
Snowman 15
Texas 13
Zeva 12
Toast 12
Lady Porsche 10
Felony 10
Chico 10
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Novice
(10 points or more)
Boomer 33
Squirt 30
Ringo 27
Ruskie 23
Tank 23
Dixie 16
Jojo 15
Echo 11
JR 10
Cutter 10
Sizzle 10
Ghoast 10
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Snowboard
(10 points or more)
Nooney 54
Chromed Out Cowboy 33
Mator 20
Shaw 16
Buck 16
Morty the Mustang 15
Pedro 15
Pipes 15
Jezebel 14
Modoc 12
Romeo 11
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Switcheroo / All Around
(10 points or more)
Bam Bam 42
Callahan 23
Raven 18
Bobcat 10
JR 10
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Womens
(10 points or more)
Moose 20
Captain 16
Speedy 15
Ice Man 12
Thunder LIps 11
Go to: https://www.skijorcup.com/ for a complete list.
If you feel points need to be added or updated,
please contact loren@skijorusa.com.
Follow SkijorCup on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/skijor.cup/
and
Tik Tok
https://www.tiktok.com/@skijor.cup
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ LATEST RESULTS & WINNERS ~
Red Lodge Skijoring
Red Lodge, MT
TOP FINISHERS
Pro
1st: Josh Abbott / Elvis / Colin Cook 32.06
2nd: Richard Weber / Lick Em For Luck / Foster Kennedy 32.514
3rd: Kevin Derzapf / Levi / Foster Kennedy 32.555
Open
1st: Kevin Frueh / Pop A Top 32.854
2nd: Kimber Cook / Badger / Oliver Van Everen 32.914
3rd: Monica Plecker / Moose Knuckle / Malcolm Seamans 32.999
Sport
(Only one day competing due to weather.)
1st: Phoebe Alverson / Ozzie / Hedy Seeber 17.403
2nd: Phoebe Alverson / Raven / Hedy Seeber 18.373
3rd: Haley Hodge / Dakota / Tayler McVey 18.412
Novice
1st: Cody Vanorden / Boomer / Devon Voegele 34.145
2nd: Cody Vanorden / Tank / Devon Voegele 35.868
3rd: Tana Brown / Zig / Luke Allen 36.076
Snowboard
1st: Lucas Garrett / Mator / Kurt Layton 37.984
2nd: Lucas Garrett / Pipes / Kurt Layton 38.64
3rd: Melissa Ostrander / Buck / Kurt Layton 40.295
Switcheroo
(Only one day competing due to weather.)
1st: Nick Bentley / JR / Foster Kennedy 17.301
2nd: Phoebe Alverson / Ozzie / Hedy Seeber 18.548
3rd: Ty Free / Coco / Josh Morrison 18.936
Youth
1st: Cate Hauge / Cool Whip / Reise Berndt 60.479
2nd: Sakie Paulson / Miles / Kaleb Paulson 61.737
3rd: Sadie Paulson / Miles / Ramsey Peabody 65.442
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Some things we noticed about Red Lodge this season,
that we thought might be interesting to consider
since some teams were moved out of the Sport division into Open.
Since the gates weren't changed between Open and Pro,
if you combined the divisions and ran it as a "D" with
a 1.5 second split, these would be the results:
1D:
1st: Josh Abbott / Elvis / Colin Cook 32.06 (Pro)
2nd: Richard Weber / Lick Em For Luck / Foster Kennedy 32.514 (Pro)
3rd: Kevin Derzapf / Levi / Foster Kennedy 32.555 (Pro)
4th: Kevin Frueh / Pop A Top 32.854 (Pro)
5th: Kimber Cook / Badger / Oliver Van Everen 32.914 (Open)
6th: Monica Plecker / Moose Knuckle / Malcolm Seamans 32.999 (Open)
7th: Josh Abbott / Earl / Colin Cook 33.054 (Pro)
8th: Dylanne Free / Snowman / Ty Free 33.237 (Pro)
9th: Dylann Free / Snowman / Foster Kennedy 33.244 (Pro)
10th: Brittany Delehant / Texas / David Rizzolo 33.319 (Pro)
2D:
1st: Monica Plecker / Moose Knuckle / Nick Bentley 33.795 (Open)
2nd: Kimber Cook / Spanky / Malcolm Seamans 33.814 (Open)
3rd: Kimber Cook / Badger / Malcolm Seamans 33.935 (Open)
4th: Colin Cook / Bam / Malcolm Seamans 34.076 (Open)
5th: Kristen Beck / Cheddar Bob / Nick Bentley 34.077 (Open)
6th: Kimber Cook / Spanky / Oliver Van Everen 34.263 (Open)
7th: Cortney Anderson / Gunner / Bryson Threatt 34.46 (Open)
8th: Melissa Ostrander / War Pony / Foster Kennedy 34.615 (Pro)
9th: Kristen Beck / Dirty Money / Toby McIntosh 34.911 (Pro)
10th: Lucas Garrett / Mator / Nick Bentley 35.049 (Open)
3D:
1st: Krista Menzel / Morty the Mustang / Oliver Van Everen 35.077 (Open)
2nd: Melissa Ostrander / Itchy / Nick Bentley 35.408 (Open)
3rd: Melissa Ostrander / Itchy / Joe Prescott 35.523 (Open)
4th: Krista Menzel / Morty the Mustang / Joe Prescott 36.231 (Open)
Penalties accrued after this.
All of the above times were CLEAN runs.
In fact,
Out of 30 Pro runs, 25 were clean, only 2 had penalties and 5 DNFd.
Out of 60 Open runs, 48 were clean, only 6 had penalties and 6 DNFd.
What an odd year. . .
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Telluride Skijoring
This first annual event attracted thousands of
enthusiastic fans who lined the historic downtown sidewalks.
Country singer, Dierks Bentley, was present and
was impressed enough to follow the event on social media!
Money from a Saturday night Calcutta
was raised to give the top finishers prize money.
The horses ran on sand, a new-fangled approach
to building a course on asphalt given this year's limited amount of snow.
It worked out well.
Organizers are gearing up for another two-day event in 2027.
Congratulations to all!
TOP FINISHERS
Saturday Invitational
1st: Rosie Rogers / Seven / Kolby Ward
2nd: Rosie Rogers / Seven / Kolby Ward
3rd: Patrick Smith / Frankie Moon / Brian Erhart
Sunday Invitational
1st: Jed Moore / Zombie / Kolby Ward
2nd: Sadie Farrington / Chili / Max Lamb
3rd: Patrick Smith / Izzy / Brian Erhart
Overall Invitational
1st: Lauren Urista / Boone / Connor Krell
2nd: Tate Rogers / Superman / Kevin Wilder
3rd: Piper Crabtree / Gunner / Lang Schuler
Saturday Novice
1st: Olivia Salter / Drifter / Eli Anderson
2nd: Lindsay Phillips / Hawk / Joe Cahill
3rd: Agata Indiatsi / Diamanté / Eli Anderson
Sunday Novice
1st: Olivia Salter / Drifter / Leit Schafer
2nd: Lindsay Phillips / Hawk / Leit Schafer
3rd: Lindsay Phillips / Hawk / Joe Cahill
Saturday Novice Snowboard
1st: Makenzie Symm-Moore / Hope / Riley Scarfe
2nd: Holly Jones / Fish / Philip Goreski
3rd: Paul Wilcock / Buster / Kevin Burggraf
Sunday Novice Snowboard
1st: Makenzie Symm-Moore / Hope / Riley Scarfe
2nd: Makenzie Symm-Moore / Joash / Carson Blair
3rd: Paul Wilcock / Buster / Kevin Burggraf
Saturday Youth
1st: Katie Hunt / Lemon / Rhys Moore
2nd: Ali Briggs / Tonto / Hayes McKight
Sunday Youth
1st: Jed Moore / Hooker / Rhys Moore
2nd: Jed Moore / Hooker / Oakes Ward
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Steele Ranch Skijoring
Boulder, WY
Lots of hardy folks braved the Wyoming wind
to compete for cash and buckles.
Nothing stops John and Kelli Hyde from running their race,
and they received a resounding applause
at The Boulder Bar at awards.
John, we trust you are resting and healing up!
TOP FINISHERS
Open
1st: Kali Castle / Stanley / Nicholas Vornie
2nd: Kali Castle / Stanley / Kurtis Fieguth
3rd: Kelli Hyde / Ellie Mae / Holden Dana
Sport
1st: Kali Castle / Cinco / Neal Robertson
2nd: Kali Castle / Cinco / Troy Houston
3rd: Josse Gagon / Pocket / Ethan Larsen
Novice
1st: Walt Bousman / Huck / Kjirsten Fieguth
2nd: Amy Gardner / Daniel Haigh
3rd: Katie Mae Cohen / Honeybear / Nikki Eremita
Snowboard
1st: Lacee Syverson / Doc / Hank Lutz
2nd: Jasper Munns / Hildago / Sean Gwinner
3rd: Kylie Mines / Famous / Sean Gwinner
Century
1st: John Hyde / Perry / Troy Houston
2nd: Kelli Hyde / Otis / Troy Houston
3rd: Hampton Cornelius / Savvy / Darrin Johnson
Junior
1st: Kinsley Lavoie / Trigger / Hanna Bailey
2nd: Kinsley Lavoie / Trigger / Scarlett Smith
3rd: Scarlett Smith / Daisey / Hanna Bailey
Pee Wee
1st: Kinsley Lavoie / Trigger / Neil Fairbanks
2nd: Terra Jorgensen / Frankie / Fern Nelson
3rd: Scarlett Smith / Daisey / Embry White
Jackpot
1st: Terra Jorgensen / Erin Schobbe
2nd: Elisha Burgener / Lewis Stoltzfus
3rd: Lisa Nebeker / David Strickbine
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ POST PARADE ~
Just as horses are proudly presented
before race time, SkijorCup is proud to highlight
athletes and their horses so that the community can get
to know them better.
Check out Kimber Cook's profile.
Kimber calls Ridgway, Colorado home,
While Ridgway is "home" to one of the circuit's most celebrated events,
San Juan Skijoring,
Kimber is one of the circuit's most decorated athletes!
She describes skijoring as "Soulful"
and says, "The best runs feel quiet, even at full speed."
Check out Megan Smith's profile
on Instagram.
She hails from Indiana originally,
and while she now rides for the brand in Colorado
and dresses in true Western Skijor Style,
Megan would love to compete in future races back home, too.
Hopefully, Michigan will have a race in 2027!
Her word for skijoring, "Intense!"
https://www.instagram.com/skijor.cup/
https://www.tiktok.com/@skijor.cup
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ A BIT OF HISTOIRE ~
France has acted as one of skijoring's most important "cradles",
a place where the sport has been continuously embraced and nurtured.
As many of you know by now,
skijoëring was featured in Chamonix, France in 1924.
This was by no means the first time the sport
made an appearance either as a recreational activity
or in a competition, but Chamonix is notable given it's connection
to what would become the Winter Olympics
and the heightened status of our sport as it re-emerges in the 21st Century.
This event was initially called International Winter Sports Week or
Semaine des Sports d'Hiver.
This event did not take on the title of the First Winter Olympic Games
or, in its original French,
Les Premiers Jeux Olympiques d'Hiver,
until AFTER the IOC created the Winter Olympics in 1926.
Baron de Coubertin, who was the brainchild of the IOC,
natually sat on the original International Olympic Committee which was
formed at the Sorbonne in Paris, France in 1894.
Fortunately for us, de Coubertin's love of skijoring, being a resident of Saint Moritz,
and thus, attending White Turf each season,
was singularly responsible for including skijoring as an exhibition sport
in the Winter Olympic Games of 1924 in Chamonix, France
and 1928 in Saint Moritz, Switzerland.
However, it was NOT an official sport and no medals were awarded.
Its inclusion echoed that of the biathlon
which originated from Scandinavian military training,
merging skiing and shooting to create specialized winter border patrol units.
Its roots trace to the 1700s with early competitions
held in 1767 on the Norway-Swedish border
between "ski-runner companies".
The Finns and Russians also engaged in similar winter combat,
and these highly effective war battalions inspired more countries to create ski troops,
resulting in America's own 10th Mountain Division
which gained fame in the Italian Alps in WWII.
The biathlon was introduced to the Olympics as a demonstration sport
know as "military patrol" in 1924 in Chamonix,
and continued in 1928, 1936 and 1948.
This original form of four-man teams, led by an officer, and covering
a 30 km course, carrying backpacks and military rifles,
were required, partway through the course, to hit 18 targets
set at 250 meters. The officer did not shoot, but each of the three riflemen
had six shots with every hit target worth a 30-second bonus time.
Switzerland won first place in a time just over 4 hours.
This style of biathlon faded into history, but left a legacy that
translated into the modern biathlon in the mid-1950s,
and it became a medal sport in 1960.
Skijoring was likely also part of military exercises,
in Nordic Countries and Arctic Nations of Europe and Asia,
yet it did not follow the same Olympic trajectory
nor did it become a medal sport.
For more information about the global history of skijoring
go to: https://www.skijorinternational.com/
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
JOR ON!
Loren Zhimanskova,
Founder, SkijorCup, Skijor USA & Skijor International