The Evolution of Skijoring: From Survival to Sport
Skijoring didn’t start as a crowd-pleasing spectacle—it started as winter survival with style. Loren Zhimanskova points out that thousands of years ago in Central Asia, people were already being pulled across snow on skis by dogs and reindeer, a practice later refined by Scandinavian Laplanders who needed a reliable way to travel frozen landscapes. Over time, “ski driving” evolved from necessity to novelty, popping up at early Nordic Games and even making brief Olympic appearances in Europe, where skiers were towed politely behind riderless horses on frozen lakes—orderly, controlled, and a far cry from what the sport would become.
Then, as Cowboysa & Indians reports, America got hold of it and, naturally, turned the throttle all the way up. Returning WWII ski troops, ranchers, and mountain-town locals transformed skijoring into the fast, technical, heart-pounding sport now synonymous with the West—complete with jumps, gates, rings, and horses breaking 40 mph down snow-packed streets. Today, Montana sits squarely in the middle of that evolution, and the most recent Montana Outdoor Podcast episode pulls back the curtain on what modern skijoring looks like now—from the speed and skill to the culture and energy driving its resurgence. The history is impressive, but if you want to know where the sport is headed, that’s where the real excitement is!
Be sure to check out the podcast below if you haven’t seen it. Even if you have watched it, it is worth watching again!
