Skijoring races gallop to Kalispell venue
<p>Scott Ping on Yeeha pulls skier Cody Smith in the open class of the Whitefish ski joring races Sunday.</p>
It’s time to enjoy wild, winter fun -- skiers pulled by horses racing around a course with curves and big jumps. Skijoring is back in the Flathead Valley Feb. 22-23, at 1530 West Springcreek Road in Kalispell, thanks to the nonprofit Whitefish Skijoring Association.
After taking a year off, the races return with a bang. Between 100 to 120 teams will compete each day and a crowd of nearly 3,000 spectators is anticipated over the weekend.
The event used to be linked with the Whitefish Winter Carnival, but the dates and location of the skijoring changed. Organizers of the event needed to schedule it later in the month with the hope of better weather and more snow. They also try to find venues on the outskirts of the valley, again, for the probability of more snow.
“We used to be just a Whitefish thing [but] it serves the whole community,” said Leah Mitchell, board member of Whitefish Skijoring. “People come from Eureka, Lakeside and all over the place for it. It is becoming more of a valley-wide event.”
Three classes of teams will compete, beginner, intermediate and expert, and this year, there is a new snowboard division. Each category races on the same track but the size of the jumps and the difficulty of the turns is modified for each one.
Years ago, the event was known as the Whitefish World Championship of skijoring, which was more of a fantastical title than an actual description.
“There are skijoring races all over the nation,” Mitchell said. “It's like a winter rodeo circuit so to speak.”
A new group took over management of the event in 2022. Half of the current, 10-person board are skijoring competitors who compete on the circuit and travel for races.
In addition to the races, several retail vendors and nonprofit booths will be on hand, along with nine food trucks including Piggyback Barbeque and KJ’s Chicken Chariot. Sponsors will have horse trailers, vehicles and other items on display.
Racing starts each day at 11 a.m. There is a Calcutta auction at Fatt Boys Bar and Grille in Kalispell on Saturday at 7 p.m. After the races on Sunday, awards will be presented at Midway Tavern on Hodgson Road in Happy Valley.
For information and tickets, visit whitefishskijoring.org