Lakeside skijoring races slated for this weekend

The Flathead Lake Skijoring Championships take place Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 31, and Jan. 1, in Lakeside.

This first-time event will bring the fast action of horses, alpine skiers and cowboys to compete on the private airstrip at the Lakeside Club in a scenic setting overlooking Flathead Lake.

Skijoring has a long history in mountain ski towns from the Flathead Valley to New Mexico. The straight course at Lakeside will feature jumps and slalom gates for the skiers to navigate as skiers and cowboys compete for fast times and big money.

This is the first event of the Skijoring America’s 2017 winter event schedule, which includes competitions in New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana, where competitors compete for point series championships at sanctioned events.

Competition classes include novice, sport, a colorful costume class and an open class featuring the biggest paybacks to attract some of the best skiers, cowboys and fast horses in the West. Added money to the purse is estimated at $25,000, projected to make it the biggest combined purse ever in skijoring.

“With that large of a purse, the Flathead Lake Skijoring Championships will attract the best competitors in the world to this season kick-off event,” said Laurie Sigillito, president of Skijoring America.

“Given that Monday, Jan. 2, is a federal holiday, this will be a great weekend for this inaugural, family-friendly event,” said West Shore Visitors Bureau spokesman David Fetveit.

The race venue of the Lakeside Club is self-contained with plenty of paved parking.

A Saturday calcutta with music, beer and wine will follow competition at 4 p.m. at the new Airplane Hangar Bar adjacent to the race course. The calcutta is popular in skijoring, where gamblers bid for participating teams in an auction following the first day of competition, allowing non-competitors to share in a large, separate cash purse.

Sunday’s competition will be immediately followed by an Awards Party in the same venue. Both events will be emceed by popular pro rodeo announcer Joe Warner.

The venue facilities and scheduling both the calcutta and the awards party on site and immediately following competition allows spectators to enjoy both extended events alongside the competitors.

Parking is free and admission to the event is $5 per person, with children age 12 and under admitted free. Food and bar concessions will be available on site.

Competition starts at 12:30 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday and will finish at about 3 p.m.

Access to the Lakeside Club race site is directly off U.S. 93, approximately one mile south of Lakeside.

For more information, call the West Shore Visitors Bureau, 406-668-1866; go to www.flatheadlakeskijoring.com, or follow Flathead Lake Skijoring Championships on Facebook.