We were invited to Brian's house in Leadville for the skijoring days. This is an event in which skiers, pulled by a horse, race down Harrison Avenue ("Main Street"). There are a few different competition classes, from young kids being pulled by snowmobiles on a straight run, to adult skiers behind horses going over small jumps, to the open class in which riders go very FAST and over BIG jumps!
Leadville skijoring!
Brian explained to us that the horse teams (horse + its rider) enter the competition separately from the skiers. There is a lottery in which the horse teams and skiers get paired up, so the skier never knows who they will get. Then they get a few runs down the course, and the one with the fastest wins the competition along with some prize money.
If riding behind a horse at 40+ mph and going over big jumps wasn't challenging enough, the riders are to collect all orange rings hanging along the course. Any missed ring converts to a 2 second time penalty.
A rider with the rings getting ready for the last big jump
A look down the course
Some competitors getting ready
Getting to the first jump
Topping a jump
Catching air
Nice landing!
Another racer in the air
Tending to horses after the race