DRIGGS – A sporting event that brings “two western communities” together is set to take place in eastern Idaho this weekend.
Teton Valley Skijoring will be holding “The Grand Showdown”, featuring over 150 Skijoring riding teams, on Saturday and Sunday at the Teton County Fairgrounds in Driggs. This is the event’s third time and it offers spectators something exciting to watch in the winter.
“It’s a wild western show on snow,” said Executive Director Bridget Sweeney.
Skijoring is a sport where a horseback rider pulls a skier or snowboarder through an obstacle course as quickly as they can. Sweeney explained that in order to get through the course with as few time penalties as possible, skijoring teams need to work together.
“It’s a three-heartbeat sport, so you have three living beings that all need to communicate and work together to be successful. You’ve got the rider, you’ve got the skier, and you have the horse,” Sweeney said.
While there were annual skijoring events held in Teton County from 2010 to 2018, the group responsible stopped organizing it. Realizing the area was the perfect place for it, Teton Valley Skijoring revived the event in 2023.
Skijoring originated in the Nordic region of Northern Europe, but Sweeney sees it as a perfect sport for horseback riders and skiers to compete in, as it combines those two sports popular in the intermountain west.
“It’s a meeting of two distinct Western communities,” Sweeney said.
The event has proved popular in the community, with all of the participation sign-ups for this year being filled in under 24 hours.
People who attend the weekend event will arrive to find food trucks, craft vendors and a jumbotron, giving spectators in the bleachers a good view of participants.
Tickets can be purchased in advance for only one day of competition for $18 or both days for $35. People are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance as tickets will be more expensive the day of the competition.
“It’s a great day to just be out in the winter, you know, get outside in our winter weather and just have something fun to watch and chat and hang out with your family and friends,” Sweeney said.
The post ‘Wild western show on snow’ to take place this weekend in Driggs appeared first on East Idaho News.
Discover more from RSS Feeds Cloud
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
