Travels with Lar and Mar

Ski Joring

Leadville, Colorado
March 3, 2013

Oh, what a dilemma. March 3 turned out to have two important events:
    Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland, Colorado
    Ski Joring in Leadville, Colorado
We decided to go to Leadville – mainly because Mat and Andi and kiddos – and Brea and Ben were going there.

We picked up Brea and Ben and their neighbors and did the drive to Leadville. It is about three hours from home in ideal conditions – but for us it was a bout 3 ½ hours – because there was one detour on our route (we won't talk about that incident anymore), and the conditions were not ideal. Going up I70 was real windy and at the top, in the Eisenhower Tunnel area, we were actually in a cloud which made it low visibility, slightly precipitating and slick – that translates to slower travel. I do have to say that conditions in the tunnel were much better. We got to Leadville about 2:00 PM and met Mat and Andi there. In Leadville the weather was cold but sunny and the wind was cut because we were in the "depths" of main street.

So what, you may be asking is Ski Joring. Well it really depends on where you are. In Scandinavia it is a skier being pulled by sled dogs – sort of a aided cross country skiing. In some places it is a skier being pulled by a motorized vehicle. In Leadville Ski Joring and the Crystal Carnival (and a few other places like it is a skier being pulled by a horse – a galloping horse – a galloping horse with a totally insane rider. And in Leadville it is a skier being pulled by a horse through a three block course with gates, jumps and rings (which the skier has to spear at high speed while being pulled by a horse with a crazed rider while he holds on to the rope. In Leadville they actually bring snow in and pack Main Street and build the ramps for the event. It was crazy and fun to watch. We were right at the center of the course and right at a jump, gate and ring set. Sort of like sitting on the 50 yard line.

We left at about 4:30 and drove back to Mat and Andi's for Chili and other junk food and a night of games. Mar and I got back home at 12:15 AM. We felt like we had a vacation – a real vacation where we went and just had fun.

So, just so you understand – here are videos – taken by yours truly – with some explanations.
The first class we saw was the "sport" class – where there are 3 foot jumps and the contenders practice with the pulling horse and crazy rider teams. In fact they were a little bit slower. In the video you will see them take one jump, then swing over through a gate to a second jump and then the swing back over and try to spear the rings. Watch carefully – it goes real fast.

Sometimes it doesn't go as planned – this rider decided prudence was better than honor (and destruction) and he bailed out of the last jump – which is instant disqualification.

And sometimes it is the horse who decides he has enough – again instant disqualification. (And there was one crazy rider who fell off his horse - ouch.)

And sometimes things just go dreadfully wrong – you guessed it – instant qualification.

They had a "legend" category – meaning they were old guys. They were actually pretty good. A guy who was working the event told me they were really good – but they had just slowed down.

And then there was the "open" category. The skiers sign up. The pulling horses with the crazy riders sign up. And then they are paired by "the luck of the draw". Oh, and they save the fastest horses and the craziest riders for the "open" category. Oh and the jumps are now six feet high, the gates and the rings are closer. And the skiers generally wanted a shorter rope so they are skiing in the "wash" of the horse. Let me tell you, if you blinked during the open category you missed it all. We were situated right between two jumps, one gate, and right in front of the second set of rings. You see them do a jump, then swing across the corse through the gate, then back across the course to get the rings, then back across the course to do the second jump, and then back across the course one last time real fast to hit the finish gate. Very intense and very fun – to watch. Let me tell you these guys are crazy.

I would recommend this to anyone – if the weather is agreeable. But remember – it is February – it is Leadville - it is 10,000 feet high – and it will be cold – and maybe snowy. But it is oh so much fun.