#skijoring

Do I expect any of you to go? No. But it's still cool as hell.

"Skijoring is a high-adrenaline winter sport combining skiing and horseback riding, and it’s returning to Big Sky Town Center on February 8–9, 2025.

The Best in the West Showdown is known for its challenging course design, thrilling races, and celebration of Montana’s mountain culture. This event highlights the rich history of skijoring, a sport that originated in Scandinavia and even appeared in the 1928 Winter Olympics.

This actually has just about nothing to do with my job but I can tell you all about what you want to know. The thing you're looking for is called a skijor harness.

It is intended to function as basically a single dog mushing setup. It works best and is intended for cross country skiing but people use it for running as well as biking. While there are definitely people and dogs who are doing it just to see how fast they can go, a lot of it tends to just be a novel way to go for a walk.

The harness is the same as one used for mushing; it distributes the load across the dog's shoulders and chest so they can safely pull, and it will have a attachment point somewhere in the middle of their back. The harness is attached to a belt that goes around your waist so you are still hands-free, and theoretically, in control of your joined speed. There is also usually a spring/ elastic component to absorb shock if you and the dog suddenly find yourself going opposite directions.

I would not recommend a cart until both you and the dog are really, really good about steering. And stopping. I know that dryland carts for dog mushing do exist, but every musher I've ever met hitches their team to a four wheeler because they need the brakes more than anything else. If you're trying to get the dog to just carry something, there are little doggy backpacks and saddle bags that will work so much better than trying to have them drag it in a cart. Unfortunately, if you are intending for the dog to carry you, you may need to revise your expectations.

Another quick note to note, there is a reason why skijoring and mushing are both cold weather sports. Dogs can't dump heat like we can and they will need to stop and pant to cool off. When they are working harder to pull or carry a load rather than just running on their own, they will heat up faster.

This one came about after I saw this rider competing in this year's kickoff race over in Ridgeway, Colorado. All I saw was Suguru, and then all I could think about was Suguru towing Satoru, and then I had to physically remove myself from the skijoring space so I could focus on actual time-sensitive commitments. But now I'm planning a visit to my sister out in Denver so I can see it in person. It's got me good.

I've given a bit more context here, but at this point there's honestly not much to say for this one! Mostly I'm challenging myself to (1) write a sports fic, which is NOT something I'd ever expected to do, and (2) commit to a oneshot and actually write a oneshot, without dividing it into a multi-chapter, multi-part story (which has happened with some of my other WIPs). Thanks to The Sentinel I know I can write oneshots, but god do I lack discipline in actually doing so.

Anyway, here are a few morsels from my notes for this story! Hopefully they'll tide everyone (me) over for what will probably be a very, very long wait:

Suguru is a barrel racer who retired into skijor; Satoru is a phenomenal skier

Suguru (for some reason; I WILL make it make sense) has lots of westernisms and southernisms. My favorite of these is "a ship's safest in the harbor, but that ain't what it's meant for," and I am determined to work it into the story

In skijoring, skiers and riders often meet the day of the race and get thrown directly into the thick of it all, after only a bit of strategizing. I liked this for our sorcerers, sent into situations they haven't been prepared for

Skiing is a solo endeavor. You can do it with other people, yes, but in the end your success depends only on yourself. Barrel racing (and riding in general) is also done largely solo… except, of course, for the horse—the creature which provides the actual power. I like that Suguru relies on a relationship with a curse horse for his own successes

In a race, the entire relationship between a skier and a rider can be boiled down to the tension on the tow rope, and the grip of the skier. I like the idea that, in this world, success comes if Satoru keeps a firm grip on Suguru rather than letting him pull away

Downhill and slalom skiing depend on gravity. Skijoring does not. A lot of the mechanics of skiing translate, but a lot of the physics are different. The limits are different. This makes me very happy for Satoru

Other than that, this is hopefully just gonna be a quick and dirty porn-without-plot! Only, it's already starting to develop plot. Alas.

I didn't take any photos but I took Rory skijoring for the first time today!

We did a 3.5km groomed multi-use trail with my (new to me) classic cross country skis. I got these skis off Marketplace last year but hadn't had the chance to use them yet. I'm not sure if it was my ski wax, the snow, or the weather, but I was NOT getting the glide I hoped. We both worked super hard so I let her off for the last 500m so she could run free while I skied.