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year-round and riders finding new motivation
to enjoy Alberta’s winter instead of waiting
for spring.”
For as long as she can remember, Sam
Mitchell has enjoyed both riding horses and
winter activities.
“Ever since I’ve had access to a horse
and snow, I’ve been pulling people on skis,
toboggans, tubes, etc.,” says Mitchell, who’s
the founder of Skijor Canada. “It’s a fun way to
enjoy a winter day.”
Wanting to share her love of the pastime
with others, she organized SkijorDue, a day
filled with skijoring events, demonstrations and
races complete with an après ski party featuring
cheese fondue.
“Beautiful winter days always present a
tough choice,” says Mitchell, who originally
held the event at the Calgary Polo Club. “Do we
head out for a ride, or hit the slopes? In 2016,
I realized a bunch of my friends were facing
the same dilemma, so I threw a little party and
called it SkijorDue.
“The vibe is unparalleled — an incredible
community of participants, volunteers, sponsors
and spectators banding together to build and
enjoy skijor events. It’s absolutely the most fun
I’ve ever had.”
With the SnowDays event and SkijorDue
expanding to run over two days, Mitchell has
enjoyed introducing newcomers to the sport
she loves.
“Winter in Alberta can be a drag,” Mitchell
says. “We like giving people something to look
forward to and something to train for. We love
giving our superstars a chance to shine. Nobody
sees how great they are, so we give them an
audience and we give the audience a party and
we all have a fantastic time.”
For people who want to get involved,
Mitchell recommends that they attend one of
the events to see what skijoring is all about.
“I would say come and watch it first, so you
see what it looks like and make friends,” she
says. “Introduce yourself. Ask people if there’s
a playday happening. If you’ve already got a
horse, that’s one thing. You can pair up with a
skier pretty easily.”
Safety for horses, riders and sliders is of the
utmost importance to everyone involved.
“Our primary focus is horse safety,” says
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Alberta Bits Winter 2025
Mitchell, adding that SkijorDue has raised more
than $25,000 for Prairie Sky Equine Assisted
Therapy. “Horses at Skijor Canada events
are well trained, physically conditioned and
equipped with appropriate tack and shoeing for
the requirements.”
Mitchell adds: “What’s super fun about being
a rider and skijorer is the relationship with the
rider and horse and the bond that you form
through training.”
Course designers Mike and Claire Perks do a
great job to make sure the courses in both Banff
and Calgary are up to par, Skotarek Loch says.
“(They) bring decades of combined expertise
— Mike from the slopes of Lake Louise and
Claire from competitive riding and skiing,” she
says. “Together, they build courses that are both
challenging and safe for horses and riders.”
Mitchell enthusiastically refers to Skijor
Canada events as the “Greatest Show On Snow.”
“Our coverage on social media and in
traditional media is significant and we’re seeing
new events pop up around Alberta each winter,”
says Mitchell, who found records of the sport
taking place in Alberta at the Banff Winter
Carnival in 1917 as well as photos of people
skijoring on Patricia Lake during the Jasper
Winter Carnival in 1928. “People are keen to get
out to play, compete or watch their friends.”
On its website, Skijor Canada bills skijoring
as the fastest growing winter sport in North
America, drawing a diverse group of participants
spanning generations and genres to dynamic
events showcasing skills, speed and style.
“The community is incredible,” Skotarek
Loch says. “People come out to compete,
volunteer or just cheer on their friends. From
small gatherings to major events like SkijorDue,
the sport continues to grow because it captures
Alberta’s identity so well, the collaboration
between rural and urban, between equestrian
tradition and mountain adventure.”
Currently, there isn’t a venue that offers
a skijoring experience or an open course for
the public.
The amount of terrain, skilled staff, time and
equipment needed to build and maintain a safe
permanent course make it more of a future goal
for Mitchell. “I’d love to figure out how to host
a visitor skijor experience, but that’s probably a
‘retirement’ project,” says Mitchell.