BIG SKY – A horse’s snorting cuts through the still, clouds
of steam engulfing its muzzle as hot breath meets cold air. His rider holds the
reins tightly, staying the animal’s nerves as it jerks against steel bit and
leather tracing its face and throat.
It stamps its hooves into the hard-packed snow.
Flanking them, a skier adjusts her grip on a long nylon rope attached the saddle, eyeballing the series of jumps and slopes comprising Big Sky’s skijoring course.
The athletes get their signal: It’s almost time to thread
the obstacles, at breakneck speeds, to a chorus of cheers and hollering. There’s
money on the line, prestige to be had.
Such has been the scene the past two winters at the Big Sky
Skijoring Association’s Best in the West Showdown, in which dozens of riders of
all ages have taken to a custom course adjacent to Big Sky Town Center. The
event will return to the community this March 7 and 8 for its third iteration.
A traditional Scandinavian competition melding horsemanship and
skiing, skijoring as a novelty alone is worth carving out time for; for the
seasoned viewer, the understood dangers involved contextualize the sheer skill
necessary for this synthesis of sports and species.
Justa Adams, a Big Sky Skijoring Association board member
who organizes the race, remembers her first time watching skijoring live, at 320
Guest Ranch in 2015. It was addictive.
“I didn’t think I could love Montana any more than I did
then,” Adams said. A Florida native who moved to Big Sky with her husband nearly
6 years ago, she grew up breeding, breaking and training racehorses with her
mother.
Plying her experience with nonprofit fundraising (she’s worked for an organization that tackles cancer treatment and another that cares for abused and neglected children), Adams was able to scrape together funds, with help from a few others, for the first skijoring event held in Big Sky Town Center in 2018, a now-permanent deviation from those held for years at 320 Guest Ranch.
Part of her motivation came from competitors urging the
community to think about hosting something more visible, more accessible to the
town’s foot traffic and nearby residents.
“I just started cold calling,” Adams said of her work to
rally financial support, an announcer and a sound system, and a location. The
Simkins family, who own the Town Center, loved the event, Adams said, and they
gave the go ahead to move it to a prime spot.
This year’s Showdown is “going to be the best yet,” Adams
said.
Located next to the South Fork of the West Fork of the
Gallatin River, the event site will have “snow bleachers” built atop a gentle
slope, so the audience will be able to clearly see the competition.
“I’m over the moon about it,” Adams said, adding reference
to the community’s generous donations—both financial sponsorships and donated equipment
to build the site. “That would have been a huge financial burden.”
The design expertise of decorated skijoring racer Colin Cook
and the technical horsemanship insights of Lone Mountain Ranch’s Horse Program
and Grooming Manager Patrick McVey, have yielded a world class course worthy of
Big Sky, Adams said. “Plus, previous years had us right next to Town Center construction,
and this year you won’t be able to see any. It’s truly in the woods. The scene
will be perfect.
Skis, horses, cowboys, racing, music, cheers, forests, snow
bleachers, rivers, food and free-flowing beer. Does it get any better in a
mountain town?
Or, in Adams’ words: “The event is genuinely the biggest and
best in The West.”
Bike Big Sky is a FREE community mountain biking group with BSCO and Gallatin Alpine Sports. Meet at posted locations at 6 p.m. Monday evenings. Visit BSCO.org or swing by
Event Details
Bike Big Sky is a FREE community mountain biking group with BSCO and Gallatin Alpine Sports. Meet at posted locations at 6 p.m. Monday evenings. Visit BSCO.org or swing by GAS for ride information.
Time
July 15 (Monday) 6:00 pm - September 23 (Monday) 6:00 pm
Hike Big Sky is a FREE guided hike for our community and visitors alike. A different trail will be featured each Monday at 9 a.m. Visit BSCO.org for trail description
Event Details
Hike Big Sky is a FREE guided hike for our community and visitors alike. A different trail will be featured each Monday at 9 a.m. Visit BSCO.org for trail description information. Please wear layers, bring water and snacks. Bear spray recommended.
Time
July 22 (Monday) 9:00 am - September 23 (Monday) 12:00 pm
Bike Big Sky is a FREE community mountain biking group with BSCO and Gallatin Alpine Sports. Meet at posted locations at 6 p.m. Monday evenings. Visit BSCO.org or swing by
Event Details
Bike Big Sky is a FREE community mountain biking group with BSCO and Gallatin Alpine Sports. Meet at posted locations at 6 p.m. Monday evenings. Visit BSCO.org or swing by GAS for ride information.
Time
July 22 (Monday) 6:00 pm - September 30 (Monday) 6:00 pm
Join Santosha, BASE and Gourmet Gals to bring you a donation based all levels community yoga lunch break class every Wednesday throughout the summer. It will be
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Event Details
Join Santosha, BASE and Gourmet Gals to bring you a donation based all levels community yoga lunch break class every Wednesday throughout the summer. It will be taught by a variety of teachers from Santosha and BASE. This summer all proceeds will go to Big Sky Band-Aid, aside from the first one on the 26th that is happening during Pride week- all funds donated for that class will go to Big Sky OUT. A delicious lunch will also be served by Gourmet Gals following our practice each Wednesday (included in donation). You are welcome to donate with cash at the event or you can Venmo @Santoshabigsky and make a note for Community Yoga. Hope to see you in the Park!
Time
July 24 (Wednesday) 12:00 pm - September 23 (Monday) 1:00 pm