Ski Joring

In all of my years  of living in Colorado I have never actually watched Ski Joring, until yesterday anyway. So, what is Ski Joring?

"The sport of ski joring began several hundred years ago in Scandinavian countries as a way to travel during the long winters. Laplanders skied on Nordic skis holding the reins attached to reindeer. Ski joring found its way to North America, where ranchers attached a long rope to the saddle horn of a horse that was ridden at high speeds down a long straightaway. Currently, the sport of equestrian ski joring has become a highly specialized competitive sport, where competitors must navigate a course of jumps, gates and sometime spear rings. Competitive ski joring competitions are currently taking place in more than five states in the USA, and in several countries worldwide. In some parts of the world, skiers are pulled behind dogs, mules and snowmobiles. Whatever the means, the sport of ski joring is growing rapidly, and is just as much fun for spectators as it is for competitors. Courtesy of the North American Ski Joring Association." ~ from www.visitleadvilleco.com

Who knew spending the day freezing and watching people on skis being pulled around by horses could make for an entertaining way to spend a Sunday? But it was, and I guess I should also probably thank my neighbor for dragging a very hungover me out of my house, driving since I was in no condition to be behind the wheel, putting up with me and my camera and freezing all day! I have to be honest, I have lived a pretty short drive from Leadville for most of my life and I have never really spent much time there, I have driven through Leadville hundreds of times, but haven't really stopped to explore.

For once my driving pictures are taken while someone else was driving, 

probably safer that way...

I think every driving picture I take has a crack running through it... 

I guess I and everyone I ride with needs a new windshield.

 

Downtown Leadville, CO

 

 

A 'hair of the dog' morning vodka... to get me back to being my regular charming 

self instead of barely functioning hungover me ;) And it was f-ing COLD and a little
booze always warms you up! 

 And the Scarlet Tavern had the best no smoking sign ever!

 

Not the best quality cell phone video, but it's something.

Because apparently everyone has to make a 'Harlem Shake' video... 

yeah, I don't get it

 

Don't mind the beeping mid video, that would be my phone telling me it was 
dying and me being a long ways from my charger :)