Skijoring: Scandinavians out there, help?

[spookypony]

A friend and I were chatting over brunch, and thanks to the snow, skijoring came up (is that the correct name? It's the sport where you're on skis, getting pulled by the horse). Looks enormous fun, but my friend had a very good question: HOW DOES THE SKIER STOP?

We were imagining a skier spreadeagled around the furry bum of a somewhat disgruntled horse...

I have a bit of an idea how one stops on XC skis, but not sure how reliable that would be for a more sudden stop...

 

[JoG]

I have no idea.....though when i am hurtling down a snow covered mountain with no control whatsoever and people shouting "SNOWPLOUGH" after me, i tend to find two options work very well - an intimate encounter with a tree or swift conversion to sledging on my (quite well padded) derriere!!!

Sorry, that's no help at all

 

[FinnishLapphund]

You do the same as if you need to do an emergency brake on skies without horsepower, you sort of put both your skies on the side/transversely.


And to be on the safe side, you should only use horses that does not believe they have a fragile bum.

 

[spookypony]

Thanks FL! I was wondering if it was like in normal skiing...so I take it you ask for gradual downward transitions, then? What do the skis for skijoring look like: are they short and fat like for downhill, or long and skinny like for XC?

 

[FinnishLapphund]

I've not done it myself, only seen others do it and they basically used whatever skies they had. Also there is usually no need for horsepower down a long, steep hill without most skijoring takes place down on more flat ground, preferably at the horses full speed!



Though I sort of do the down a hill skijoring version with my dogs!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMrPdjxU7I4

 

[perfect11s]

I think its popular in the some parts of the US, riders tow the hapless skier over a course of jumps I guess its a bit like water sking as they seem to do a big loop round the horse