Telluride Skijoring Makes Its Debut, Marking a Seasonal Shift

Horses and skiers took over Colorado Avenue last weekend for Telluride's inaugural skijoring competition, a free two-day event that event director Ashley Von Spreecken designed as much to revive downtown foot traffic as to celebrate the town's Western roots.

The timing was deliberate. Telluride had just come through a 13-day ski patrol strike and ski resort closure that pushed the local economy and community to a near-crisis, compounded by an uncharacteristically warm, dry winter with a dearth of snow in the forecast. Von Spreecken and event producer Jereb Carter organized the races specifically on Colorado Avenue, the town's main thoroughfare, so that local businesses could capture the crowd. Admission was free.

The schedule ran Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with awards handed out at the close of each day. Saturday also featured a "best dressed in the West" costume competition, and businesses along the avenue threw their own events to keep spectators entertained between runs.

The limited snowpack forced Von Spreecken and Carter to make adjustments to the course. Skijoring courses are typically built entirely of snow, but spring-like conditions this season required modifications to keep riders and horses safe. What those changes looked like in practice was not disclosed. One rule was explicit and non-negotiable: dogs were prohibited from the skijoring grounds to avoid conflicts with the horses.

Telluride Local News framed the event in its March 19 roundup as part of a broader seasonal transition across San Miguel County, describing it as a collaborative success. The debut on Colorado Avenue signals that skijoring has found a home in Telluride, arriving at exactly the moment the town needed something to pull people back downtown.