Cowboys and Cowgirls, Skiers and Boarders
BY ISAIAH FRIZZELL
On Sunday, February 16th, the final day of SkiJoring brought the real deal to our amazing Valley with the Wood River Extreme SkiJoring Association’s (WRESJA) annual event. Our commute through Hailey and Bellevue was snowy, dark and cold. There were concerns, though from a filmmaking perspective it seemed the perfect vibe to watch an extreme winter event in sifting snow. However upon arriving in Bellevue the sun pulled up and festivities rolled with the glorious backdrop of white mountains and god’s own light shining down on the slopes.
By now if you don’t know what SkiJoring is, maybe check that you have a pulse? Imagine full tilt cowboys/girls on giant spectacular horses thundering full tilt across a thin quarter mile strip with small jumps and turns – all the while pulling a single skier simply holding a rope. Yes, just a rope. This is skill and daring and puts the Extreme in the sport. There’ve been injuries in the past, however, thankfully we witnessed none but one young boy who fell without a single problem. Grace and laughter all around.
This event is unlike any other. Not a rodeo, not a challis horse show, this is genuine extreme speed and agility, bonding horses with humans all under the action of skiing.
It’s as crazy as it sounds and one of the best events of your life. We have to find fun in the winter or the winter can bury us. We found it. The WRESJA’s SkiJoring event is maybe the highlight of the entire year. And yes the world cup and downhill is coming and all that’s great but this is something different. Wild, wooly and absolutely Western Americana.
Food stands including Jon’s BBQ served incredible brisket BBQ sandwiches with tons of pickles, hot dogs, burgers and Willie’s Distillery was on the spot with the cocktails. Sun Valley Brewery brought their delicious beer and of course the general vibe that turned something quirky into something you simply cannot miss. Mark your calendar for the next WRESJA event as it is growing, the sound system is booming and the course they’ve created is a beauty to itself, not to forget the aforementioned surroundings. This year it was in the Bellevue Triangle off of Gannet Road. Parking was plentiful and the riders were a thing of absolute beauty.
Next year, make it a point to cross over to the participants’ side of the track. Stable cars, horses everywhere eating hay and being ridden around. Just seeing the riders rendering the close relation they must have with their horses was brilliant. One young cowgirl was actively trying to reason with her horse who was having some issue not understanding English logic. Not sure what became of that but it was pure fun.
One notable participant Devon Peterson, Jennifer Peterson’s daughter, an hilarious young lady who deeply knows her three horses (they change horses per run as the horses get a tremendous workout on this tiny stretch – think ¼ mile drag racing with horse riders pulling extreme skiers by rope) got off to a wild start as her horse reared at the starting line. A picturesque start to a splendid event.
Guarantee, much like how MMA took over the world, WRESJA and the other Ski-Joring outfits are going to be the destination during our winter wonderland. Mark your calendars, check out their site and absolutely check this out. There was even a wild intermission that became a dance party, somewhat out of nowhere. Good ole boys and a mixed crowd of ages dancing to disco tunes and laughing at the tone and vibe of this crazy event where horses pull skiers at lightning speed. It’s wonderful and again, the growth of the event from last year to this year is a tell-tale sign of things to come. Best day of the year, by far.
The smell of wood burning from open campfires, kids rolling down hills of snow, families laughing, couples dancing, and the brave participants dashing through the courses. Not to be missed.
You heard it here first, Ski-Joring, is the funnest, hottest thing to happen to the Wood River. Visit: woodriveresja.com
Sign up and stay tuned.
