Rookies welcome for skijoring

By OLIVIA KOERNIG / Whitefish Pilot

Think if it's not downhill skiing then it's a snooze? How about when the skier is holding a 50-foot rope and being pulled by horse through a series of jumps and gates?

For its fifth consecutive year following a 20-year hiatus, the Whitefish Winter Carnival will host a North American Ski Joring Association-sanctioned event. Scott Ping, one of the event's organizers and board members, said he expects this year's event to be the biggest yet.

"We're already the biggest event west of the Mississippi," Ping said.

Ping recalls attending some of the early skijoring events at the Carnival. He said the sport was added to Carnival in the early 1960s when several locals and their visiting Canadian friends were looking to add a new event to the Carnival lineup.

"I remember the times in the early '80s," Ping said. "Back then, it was down at the saddle club. It was a real kick."

Since gaining official sports sanction in 1999, equestrian skijoring has enjoyed ever-widening popularity. Even in 2003, when the sport made its grand reappearance at the Carnival, the turnout tripled organizers' expectations.

This year, to facilitate growing interest in the sport, organizers added a novice division. Anyone who has never placed in a skijoring event, as well as new riders and skiers, are all eligible for novice entry. The novice division prizes will include small cash-payouts awarded to the first three winners; skiing and riding accessories will be awarded to other winners.

As a way of promoting the event, Ping set up a practice course at his ranch and invited riders and skiers out the last few weekends. He said many newcomers showed up last weekend.

In addition to setting up the practice course, Ping and other event coordinators further encouraged would-be competitors by offering to pair riders with skiers or vice versa.

"It doesn't take that much training," Ping said. "Mainly the horses just need to get used to pulling, then they really enjoy it."

Ping said beefed-up advertising campaigns, coupled with the new novice division, will make the 2008 competition memorable. He anticipates doubling last year's entries, which was 40 teams. The competition drew about 2,500 spectators to the airport last year. This year's competition is expected to welcome at least that many again.

"I've been getting a ton of calls," he said. "It's going to be a huge success."

The event will be held Jan. 26 and 27 at the Whitefish City Airport beginning at noon. Admission is free, although parking will cost $5 per vehicle. Registration will be at the Great Northern Bar on Jan. 25. The awards ceremony will be held at the Great Northern Bar on Sunday following the competition.

A Calcutta auction will take place Saturday night at 6 p.m. at the Great Northern Bar. Through the auction, spectators will have an opportunity to take home winnings as well. A portion of the Calcutta auction funds will be donated to Human Therapy in Horseback, a Flathead Valley nonprofit organization that uses therapeutic horseback riding for individuals with disabilities.

Cash and prizes for the race are valued at nearly $10,000. Windermere Real Estate is the event's main sponsor.