Professional skier Jim Ryan is all about big-mountain action. Throughout his career he has starred in numerous Warren Miller films, conquered countless high-stakes descents, and set the fastest-known time on Jackson Hole’s iconic Central Couloir. “If it’s skiing, I do it,” he says.
That all-out mindset ultimately led him to skijoring, a fast-growing sport whose name is derived from the Norwegian word for “ski driving.” Ryan began as an amateur in Silverton, Colorado, and quickly rose through the ranks to compete as a pro, winning first place in the open division and taking home the gold buckle at Big Sky Skijoring’s 2025 Best in the West Showdown.
For those who haven’t heard of skijoring—what is it?
Skijoring is this incredible blend of ski racing and horse racing. A rider and a horse pull a skier through a short, high-speed course—usually 15 to 25 seconds long. The clock starts when the skier crosses the start line and stops at the finish, so it’s entirely time-based, with a few twists. The skier has to navigate gates—red on the right, blue on the left—and sometimes collect rings. Depending on the race, missing a gate or a ring means a time penalty, while grabbing all the rings might earn you bonus seconds.
So, unlike skiing, which is an individual’s sport, skijoring is a team effort.
That’s right. Even though it looks like it’s all about the skier, skijoring is truly a team sport. The rider has to choose the right line, because if they miss, the skier can’t make the gates. The horse is the engine, responding to the rider, and the skier has to perform under chaos. Before you ever leave the start gate, you need a game plan as a team, and then you have to execute perfectly at full speed.
What led you to skijoring?
I needed a break from big-mountain risk after a near-miss avalanche while ski mountaineering, and my friend [the late mountain climber] Mikey Gardner connected me with Richard Weber, who’s a total legend in the skijoring world. I told him I needed to do a type of skiing that wasn’t going to kill me—and, ironically, ended up in this wild, slightly less deadly version of skiing behind a horse.
What led you to start competing?
I’ve always been super competitive—I grew up ski racing—and it turned out I was actually good at skijoring. That first rush of success hooked me, but what really keeps me coming back is the community and the depth of the sport. There’s endless technique and strategy involved, and the teamwork between skier, rider, and horse is addictive. What started as a reset has turned into something I genuinely love and want to keep pushing in.
What is the best way to experience skijoring as a spectator?
Big Sky Skijoring’s Best in the West Showdown is a can’t-miss. It is an absolute battle of huge jumps, a curving course, and an electric crowd that never stops yelling. Half the people there have never seen skijoring before, and the other half are die-hards who know every rider, horse, and skier. It’s one of the events that instantly became a must on my calendar.
Catch Big Sky Skijoring’s 2026 Best in the West Showdown from February 7 through 8. bigskyskijoring.com