The quest for Ski Joring in Oregon

As I said I would, this summer I looked into equine ski joring in Oregon. Busy with an internship, work and family, I did not explore as thoroughly as I would have liked. I did e-mail almost a dozen different groups around Mt. Hood though.  The response was mostly the same:

Wow! We have not heard of that one yet, good luck on your search.

Best,

Windells Camp

Sorry, we can't help you...

Mt. Hood Summer Ski Camps

Sorry, that's a new one for me.  Good luck!

Mt. Tracks Ski & Snowboard Shop

With good luck and never-heard-of-it responses, I have to admit I felt somewhat discouraged. I have never done ski joring. I've talked to people about how to go about doing it. Geoffrey Smith with the North American Ski Joring Association was very helpful when I wrote Keep Ski Joring Alive!  about how to start, but I have yet to try it.

However, it is also exciting to know that probably no one is doing it in Oregon, and the reception for it could be very good! Not everyone I e-mailed responded without leads or tips, several people had great suggestions.

One really good suggestion came from Betsy Valian of Valian's Ski Shop. She suggested I contact the Zig Zag Ranger Station to see if anyone has applied for permits for this activity.  According to Betsy, because Mount Hood is in the National Forest, the USFS keeps track of snow sports occurring on the trails. Her e-mail was very encouraging, and she promised to let me know if she hears of anything.

With her tip I called the Zig Zag Ranger station. I explained my query and was not surprise when the woman who answered my call said she not heard of such a sport. I then waited hopefully as she put me on hold to ask someone else. The answer was still the same. The Zig Zag Ranger Station has only heard of people ski joring with dogs.

The exploration continues.