Now that Groundhog Day has come and gone, the second half of winter is among us, which means all the weirdos start coming out of the wood work to do dumb stuff on snow, including skijoring.

Yeah, I said it, weirdos … but man is it fun to watch and make plans now to get to Leadville.

The 77th installment of the historic Leadville skijoring event is about a month out — March 1 and 2.

“Skijoring in Leadville isn’t just an event, it’s a tradition,” Adam Ducharme, Visit Leadville-Twin Lakes Tourism and Economic Development Director, said. “There’s nothing quite like the rush of watching skiers and horses race down historic Harrison Avenue, surrounded by the energy of locals and visitors who share a love for adventure.”

What is Skijoring?

Skijoring is a competition where a horse and rider pull a skier quickly through a course with gates, jumps, and rings. The skier is timed through the course, and penalties are assessed by missing gates or jumps, and by missing or dropping the baton or any of the rings. The competitors race for cash prizes, and teams are made up by a random draw before the start.

The Leadville Skijoring event has occurred in Leadville since 1949 and is one of the country’s premier events of its kind.

2025’s event details:

• Date & Time: March 1-2
• Location: Harrison Avenue, Leadville
• Highlight: Skiers being pulled behind horses and riders through a course down Leadville’s historic Harrison Avenue.
• Free admission: Skijoring’s amazing event is free to watch for all ages. Please note that dogs and drones are strictly prohibited.

Schedule:

• 9 a.m.: Calcutta Auction at 6th and Harrison Avenue.
• Noon to 3 p.m.: Featuring the national anthem at noon, followed by the Open division, Sport division, and Snowmobile division. The awards ceremony immediately follows at the Elks Club (123 W. 5th St.).
• Kids also have the opportunity to experience the thrill of Skijoring behind a snowmobile Saturday after the main racing concludes.

“It’s a weekend of heart-pounding action, camaraderie, and pure Rocky Mountain magic — you just have to be here to feel it,” Ducharme said.

Race suits to fight climate change

For the second time, U.S. Ski & Snowboard has partnered with Boulder-based Protect Our Winters (POW) and Kappa, and released a race suit designed to bring attention to climate change.

When you are watching the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team racing during the 2025 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in Saalbach, Austria, from Feb. 4-16, take note of the suits.

The Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team will also wear a similar race suit at the 2025 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Trondheim, Norway, Feb. 26 – March 3.

In 2023, U.S. Ski & Snowboard partnered with POW, a leading nonprofit organization that rallies the outdoor community in support of systemic solutions to climate change, and Kappa, the team’s technical apparel partner and supplier of the team uniform, to bring to life a unique vision of climate change on the alpine athletes’ speed suits.

Laddering up to U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s climate change initiative Easy Green, the 2025 suit is a new version of the 2023 World Championships suit, showcasing melting glaciers.

The race suit is designed with Kappa and produced in Italy with 100% Italian fabrics in a factory certified in terms of environmental sustainability.

In addition to the team partner logos traditionally on athlete race suits, the World Championship suit also showcases the POW logo, a key partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard in the fight against a warming climate, and the Easy Green logo.

“Climate change directly impacts our athletes and the mountains we cherish. By incorporating a climate change theme into our race suits for the World Championships again, we hope to continue driving awareness and action,” Sophie Goldschmidt, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard said. 

“POW fights for clean air, clean water and a healthy environment for all; we’re proud to stand alongside the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team as it puts this mission on the global stage,” POW CEO Erin Sprague said. “The suits will spark global awareness and conversations about climate change and further the climate movement in outdoor communities, moving us closer to common-ground, common-sense solutions needed to tackle the climate crisis.”