Ski-whating?

Skijoring at Skijore Galore 2026 at Waterville Valley, NH.

That was my reaction when my sister first sent me a link to an upcoming event.

She knew the audience she was playing to, though. I’ve photographed a wide variety of out-of-the-ordinary sports, including parasailing, jetboarding, bubble soccer, bocce, lawnmower racing, disc golf, jousting, and more.

So when I looked up skijoring – people on skis (or snowboards) being pulled by horses at speed over a course that can have jumps, gates, and rings – I found a subject that definitely interested me as a photographer.

Shooting skijoring is an interesting exercise, because you can’t always get the horse and the person being pulled in the same frame. That’s because the person being pulled is often  swung out to the side to go over jumps or grab rings.

So far, I’ve found that getting them both in frame is best done on straightaways with a wide depth of field. But there are plenty of interesting frames to be made with the horses galloping down the course while kicking up snow, or during jumps and ring grabs.

High shutter speeds, white balance adjustments, and high frame rates are definitely necessary, as is proper preparation for cold.

In my first time shooting skijoring, at the Topsham, Maine fairgrounds, it was about 15 degrees Fahrenheit and snowing. Heating packets in gloves, pockets, and boots were very helpful.

Stay warm and jor on!