Telluride's First Main Street Skijoring Event Brings Snow, Speed, and Spectacle

Horses, skiers, and cowboys took over Colorado Avenue on a warm, windy mid-March weekend, turning Telluride's Main Street into a skijoring course for the first time in the town's history. Hundreds of spectators lined the barriers while dozens of teams ran a snow-packed track built almost entirely from hauled-in snow, the kind of logistical improvisation that defined an event that nearly didn't happen at all.

Ashley von Spreeken assembled Telluride Skijoring in eight weeks, working against a season that had beaten the town down. Telluride had already endured an uncharacteristically dry winter, then a 13-day ski patrol strike and resort closure that pushed the local economy close to crisis. "I've lived in Telluride my whole life, and this winter was one of the hardest times to be in Telluride," von Spreeken said. "The economics of bad snow, of shutdowns, that definitely created a little bit of a dark cloud over town." She wanted to create some light and levity, and she wanted it downtown, free to attend, so local businesses could pull some foot traffic back to Main Street. Von Spreeken, who sits on Telluride Town Council and owns Telluride Sleighs and Wagons, worked alongside event producer Jereb Carter to get the course built and the horses moving.

Because of the spring-like conditions, organizers had to haul in truckloads of snow to cover the street and construct the jumps and gates. Horses ran on a sandy track to the side of the snow lane, a safety adjustment made to protect footing in the unusual conditions. Dogs were prohibited from the grounds entirely to avoid conflicts with the horses.

The sport itself traces back to Scandinavia, where skiers were pulled by horses as a practical means of winter transportation. In its modern form, it looks more like a winterized rodeo: horse-drawn skiers and snowboarders threading gates and launching over jumps while crowds press against the barriers. The costuming matched the chaos. Spectator Derya Senol summed up the vibe from her perch on a bench near the start line: "Think skiing meets jorts, mustaches, '80s skiwear with Pit Vipers."

Telluride resident Max Lamb ran the course for the first time, skiing behind rider Sadie Farrington and her horse, Chili. He didn't claim any special expertise going in. "I don't know. I don't know, but it's really enjoyable," Lamb said. When the run actually happens, he said, you just lock in.

Someone identified only as Smith offered the clearest description of what that locked-in moment feels like: "We call this sport a three-heartbeat sport. You have the heartbeat of the horse, heartbeat of the skier, heartbeat of the rider. It literally all has to come together in the perfect storm." Smith continued: "Time stands still, and when everybody's on cue and it comes together, it's beautiful."

Racing ran Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with awards closing out each day. Saturday also included a "Best Dressed in the West" costume contest, and businesses around town hosted their own events to keep spectators occupied between runs. The event was free to attend.

For a town that spent most of the winter under that dark cloud von Spreeken described, a packed Main Street full of horses, jumps, and jorts qualified as exactly the bright spot she was after.