Skijoring on Mount Spokane by Holly Weiler
- deannafinchamp
- Jul 2
- 4 min read
The sport of skijoring, where a human on skis is pulled over the snow by a dog in a pulling harness while connected by a long bungee leash, is basically the most fun a person can have with their canine companion. Mount Spokane State Park's Nordic trail system is arguably the best location to try this sport in our region, and it has been very rewarding to watch skijoring develop here over the years.
I was first introduced to skijoring in the early 2000s by the late Diana Roberts, who really championed skijor as a local sport and worked tirelessly to expand opportunities at Mount Spokane. When we first started, our dogs had lousy harnesses designed for dog walking, not pulling sports. In those days there were no restrictions on days of week or time of day for skijoring at Mount Spokane, but skijor was limited exclusively to Linder Ridge and Mica Road and was shared-use with the snowmobile trail system that was still permitted on Inland Empire Paper Company lands at that time. I remember
many days of skijoring with Diana where we used the buddy system as we went out on the trails because having two of us in bright clothing gave us a better chance of both hearing the snowmobiles before they came around a corner and also being seen by the snowmobilers as they traveled toward us at a much faster speed then we could manage. We sometimes had very little time to move to the side for fast-approaching sleds, and we also sometimes had to deal with very choppy snow conditions on the snowmobile trails.
When Diana learned that the best skijor competitors used the skate ski method, she arranged with Spokane Parks and Recreation for a group of us to have a series of three skate ski lessons on the main Nordic trails without our dogs. We emerged from those lessons with newfound skills for some newfound speed behind our skijor dogs. I jokingly became the personal trainer to several of my mom's champion Irish setters, taking them out singly or in pairs. If you really want to become a good skate skier, learning to stay upright around corners behind a team of sporting breed dogs on an icy and rough snowmobile trail goes a long way toward developing strong skills!
Fortunately, today's skijor enthusiasts are able to have a safer experience with complete separation from motorized recreation. When Linder Ridge and Mica Road were incorporated into the Nordic trail system, along with the numerous connecting trails farther out on the ski trails, Diana advocated strongly to keep skijor as a permitted use on a portion of these trails. Many developed Nordic trail systems do not allow skijoring at all, so it is important for all skijor users to appreciate this legacy by following the policies at Mount Spokane so this use can continue to be enjoyed by everyone.
For those looking to try skijor this season, the first step is to find a good harness designed for pulling sports (like those used for sled dogs) that fits the dog, along with a long leash that incorporates a bungee cord to help prevent sudden tension on the dog in the event of the human partner taking a hard fall. Skijoring is permitted after 12pm on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, as well as all day long on Wednesday. Skijor is limited to Linder Ridge, Mica Road, Lower Tripps, and Upper Tripps (uphill-only) The skier is permitted up to two dogs that must remain in harness and attached to the skier at all times.
Additional important considerations for skijoring include being considerate of others using the trail system, both humans skiing alone and other skijor teams. These working dogs are typically trained with the command "on by" to safely pass and don't stop to make acquaintances, and dogs in training may need to be pulled closer to their human to allow others to safely pass. But most importantly, dog owners must clean up after their pet on the trails. The only thing worse than stepping in dog doo is skiing over it, so it is imperative that dog owners clean up after their pets immediately and carry all bags out (never stashing bagged poo trailside, not even if intending to pick it up on the way back; no one wants to see that, and it's just too easy to forget).
Huskies and malamutes may be what many consider to be the classic dog breeds for snow sports, but I've seen many nontraditional skijor teams having an absolute blast on the trail system over the years, everything from tall Irish wolfhounds to low-rider Basset hounds. I frequently skijor with my mom's Irish red and white setter teamed up with my Siberian husky, and it's the little setter who is the better athlete. A friend has a tiny mini-Aussie who also keeps pace with my Siberian despite barely coming up to his elbow. Which is all to say dog size does not matter nearly so much as dog temperament when it comes to a successful skijor outing! For those looking for formal instruction, watch for skijor clinics offered by Spokane Nordic a few times over the course of the winter. Sign up quickly, as these nearly always fill up! Then be sure to mark the calendar for the annual Barkerbeiner skijor event on March 10. Everyone from serious skijor race team to Nordic kids with family pets is encouraged to take part, with some skijor teams racing for fast times while others are just trying to win the "guess your time" category.
Learn more here: https://www.spokanenordic.org/skijoring
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