'So much fun!': Skijoring race brings dogs and skis together for fun during Willow Carnival

This past Sunday, under sunny skies and a picturesque wintery backdrop, dogs and their racers lined up on a frozen Willow Lake, bundles of energy struggling to contain their excitement, armed with a competitive spirit, their skis, and maybe some bacon in their pockets. But this wasn’t for a dog mushing competition or an event to draw attention to the upcoming Iditarod. What had everyone excited was a 4-mile Skijoring race that was about to commence as part of the Willow State Winter Carnival.

For those not familiar with Skijoring, it is a winter sport in which a person on skis is pulled by a horse, a dog (or dogs), another animal, or even a motor vehicle. The name comes from the Norwegian word skikjøring, meaning "ski driving". Although skijoring is said to have originated as a mode of winter travel, it is currently primarily a competitive sport.

Modern dog skijoring assists a cross-country skier. Teams of 1-3 dogs are commonly used. The skier provides power with skis and poles, and the dog adds additional power by running and pulling. The skier wears a skijoring harness, the dog wears a sled dog harness, and the two are connected by a length of rope. There are no reins or other signaling devices to control the dog; the dog is motivated by its own desire to run, and respond to the owner's voice for direction.

Skijoring had been a popular sport back in the 1990s, according to Steve Charles, Willow resident and race official.

“The Anchorage Skijoring Association used to come out and organize it. We had busloads of high school kids come here to race,” recalls Charles. But as that generation got a little older, and the dogs weren’t able to race as much, interest waned.

“It’s a fantastic sport. It’s been good to see people coming back for it like today.” Charles expressed enthusiasm for all of the outdoor activities the carnival has brought this year after 3 years of COVID pandemic forced the committee to scale back events.

“I like going fast,” said skijoring racer Grace Postma, when asked why she entered. Postma is no stranger to skijoring, having last year completed a 350 mile trek, unsupported, with her dog Gale to McGrath. Not as part of an event or a race, but just because they could. Minutes before gearing up for this race, she and her dog Gale, along with Ewuk, had just completed the Lead Dog dog mushing race.

“We love doing it,” said Ben Richardson before the race. Richardson’s family owns a cabin in Willow, and he said that skijoring is something they would be doing, even if there was no race.

“We’d just be going a little slower,” he said. His daughter, Ruthie, was also racing on this day, with her feisty 2-year-old Golden Retriever, Millie. Meanwhile, Richardson was racing with a much calmer, slightly older Golden Retriever, Bolt.

While the Richardson’s dogs stood out among mostly Husky breeds, many breed of dog participate in skijoring. The only prerequisite is a desire to run down a trail and pull, which is innate in many dogs. And helpful to the skier. Athletic dogs such as pointers, setters and herding breeds take to skijoring with glee, as do most sled dog breeds. However, many other large, energetic dog breeds are utilized in this sport. Small dogs, usually less than 40 pounds, are rarely seen skijoring, because they do not greatly assist the skier; however, since the skier can provide as much power as is required to travel, pretty much any enthusiastic dog can participate.

And as the racers took off, some dogs were ready to rock, while others took a more leisurely pace, and Ruthie Richardson’s dog Millie made up her own mind about when she felt like starting the trek.

“We don’t get to be here all the time, but we just love it here, and this was just something fun for us to do,” he said

The first racer to cross the finish line was Emily Cheney and her dogs with a completion time of 16:36. Not far behind, racers Alison Liftka and Doro Sidelinger, who were only 1 second apart, at 16:567 and 16:57, respectively.

“It was a good course,” said Cheney, who has been skijoring for 2 years and skiing since childhood.

As for Richardson, who rounded out the returning racers, he exclaimed that “one of us is getting older, and it definitely isn’t me,” while giving Bolt a good rub down.

“He saw a hill and said, ‘I’m not going up this hill,’ and that’s what he did,” Richardson said of his teammate. He also said that when some snow machines came roaring by that Bolt felt that was a good time to lay down and take a small break. But he took it all in stride.

“All in all, it was awesome! So much fun!”

The Willow State Winter Carnival continues this weekend. For more information, visit www.waco-ak.org.