Skijoring Action Heats Up the Snow in Silverton

Silverton rallied for its 16th annual skijoring race during President’s Day weekend, when unlikely teams of horseback-riding cowboys pull daredevil skiers in a race for $15,000 cash purse.

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Skijoring is a timed event with a horseback-rider who tows  a skier at high speeds to negotiate jumps and collect a set of rings in an obstacle course that rivals the tightest of slalom courses. The team that logs the fastest time without penalties wins. George Mcquinn competed in the sport division as a skier. Mcquinn hasn't been competing for long but says his background as a us ski team mogul skier prepared him for the race.

MCQUINN: "I spent about 20 years of my life skiing competitively, in moguls. And so that was what I did to prepare. But I didn't know that I was going to be getting into this sport.

Mcquinn ended up winning the fastest time in the sport division on Sunday with horse rider Danielle Thomas. They came in with the winning time of twenty one point zero five seconds."

MCQUINN: "You can win money for each day. And then if your time's with the same team from both days are the best overall, that's how you win the big money.  And you get a belt buckle as well."

Skijoring originated in Scandinavia before making its way to the us. Silverton makes an ideal location for the event because it often receives heavy snowfall –  enough to easily build a course on Blair Street.

BYERS: "Ridgway, they have to make their own snow. They have a snow machine. and then, some of the places, Craig, they don't do it some years they don't have it because they don't have snow. but from the skiers, point of view, Silverton actually has usually the best snow for the activity.”

The sport continues to grow, especially in areas like Colorado, where it brings together the cowboy culture of the southwest and the state's large skiing community.

MCQUINN: I think it's just such a fun event. So many cool people. I really love how you get the combination of the ski community and the cowboy community, and it's just like, really a lot of fun people. And it's always a great time. And it's good to just be out here in the mountains with good people.

The Silverton skijoring event paid out $15,000 in prize money over the weekend to winners in t junior, novice, sport, and open categories  if you missed the event this year, don’t worry. It will be back for presidents weekend in 2026.

For more information about this and other stories, visit durangolocl.news. Thank you for watching this edition of the local news network, I’m Sadie Smith.