There’s seldom a dull moment in Leadville’s Ski Joring event. Mark LaRowe photo.
It’s time to mark your calendars for some mountain western fun. Horse-and-rider teams pulling skiers over jumps will be back on the main street in Leadville this year with the annual Ski Joring and Crystal Carnival Weekend March 5 and 6.
“Giddy Up to Leadville for the 74th Annual granddaddy of ’em all,” says event organizer Duffy Counsell. “You’ve got to see it to believe it.”
Spectators can cheer on the horses and skiers from 12: 00 noon to 3:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March fifth and sixth. They also can bid on a team at the Calcutta auction (starts at 9:30 a.m.) or line up on Harrison Avenue to watch the excitement. Kids can get in on the action, too, and try ski joring behind a snowmobile on Saturday after racing concludes at 2:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m.
The event is free to watch, but no dogs or drones are allowed. The Leadville Main Street Team will be “chilling in The Chill Zone” on their snow couch in Zaitz Park during Ski Joring festivities both Saturday and Sunday.
The event will be broadcast live via the following outlets:
- Leadville Ski Joring Facebook page, facebook.com/LeadvlleSkiJorin
- Elks Lodge Facebook page, facebook.com/elks236.
- The Wrangler Network also plans to pick up the event.
What is Ski Joring?
Leadville Ski Joring is an action-packed sport where a horse and rider race down snow-packed Harrison Avenue in Leadville’s downtown, pulling a skier holding onto a rope. As the horse gallops, the skier flies over jumps and spears rings set up along the course. See what the New York Times had to say in The Wild West, On Skis.
More winter races
Visitors can enjoy additional unique winter races, including:
- Harrison Nordic Knockout Sprints: Ski Leadville’s main street under the lights (before the horses do) at 7:00 p.m. Friday, starting at Melanzana, 716 Harrison Ave.
- Leadville Winter Mountain Bike Series – Night Ride – Mineral Belt Mayhem: Join a fat tire bike ride after dark on the 11-mile Mineral Belt trail at 6:15 p.m. Saturday.
- Leadville Nordic Paintball Biathlon: Nordic skiing plus paintball at Tennessee Pass Nordic Center, 10:00 a.m. Sunday.
“Carry the fun of Ski Joring on into the night and race around Leadville’s beautiful Mineral Belt Trail during the annual Mineral Belt Mayhem fat bike race,” says Sterling Mudge, Executive Director of Cloud City Wheelers. Racers will start and finish on historic Harrison Ave., traveling 13 miles through the remnants of history on groomed trails surrounding Leadville. After-party and awards will follow the race at Cycles of Life (309 Harrison Ave.) presented by Cycles of Life and the Pumphouse.
Dancing, live music and parties
There will be live music and dancing on Saturday night at the Elks Lodge (around 7:00 p.m.) featuring the band Union Gray. The Elks Lodge is at 123 West 5th St.
Check LeadvilleTwinLakes.com for updates and to browse all of Leadville’s bars and saloons for special celebrations.
The premiere of “Mother Daughter”, a short documentary film selected for the 2022 Cannes Short Film Festival, features a dog musher and playwright on a quest for herself. It will be shown on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at FREIGHT, 320 E. 9th St.
To learn more, visit leadvilleskijoring.us or leadvilletwinlakes.com.
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