STATELINE, Nev. – Alpine action and western heritage will collide at a professional level March 5-7 when Pro Skijor comes to Lake Tahoe, bringing galloping horses, riders and skiers together as they navigate a snow course of gates, jumps, rings and other obstacles with split-second precision. 

Rooted in Scandinavian history, skijoring began as a mode of transportation dating back hundreds of years, in which skiers were pulled by reindeer. It entered the North American scene in the early 1900s. As it moved west, it merged with western culture, developing into long-standing skijoring events and traditions in Colorado and Montana. 

“Maybe both the western culture and the ski/snowboard culture share a passion for adrenaline, and there, Western skijoring is born,” Brian Gardner, co-founder of Pro Skijor, said. Gardner and his team aim to take the transportation-turned pastime to a larger stage with the professional competitive tour.

Pro Skijor grew out of a Utah competition that began in 2017 and became a national touring event, with its inaugural season in 2026. The tour has multiple divisions, including intermediate, elite, snowboard, women’s, and all-around, in which athletes switch roles and must both ride and ski.

2027 marks Pro Skijor’s second year and an expansion to more tour destinations, including Lake Tahoe.

The Lake Tahoe competition isn’t just any tour event; it is the culmination of the tour, with championship titles at stake.

“We wanted to have a really amazing location for the championship finals and identified the Lake Tahoe area as just a beautiful and incredible place,” Gardner said. Caesars Republic in Lake Tahoe will host the competition at its outdoor arena.

“I think similar to the spirit of the sport,” Gardner said, “the Tahoe area is obviously full of passionate skiers and snowboarders and that ski culture and mountain culture is very much alive.”

In addition to the thriving ski culture, Tahoe’s surrounding valleys are steeped in ranching and western culture.

“I think that it just naturally was a great fit for this,” Gardner said.

While teams will compete for cash prizes at each of the 2027 tour’s six stops, they will also earn points towards their tour standing and qualify them for the Tahoe championships.

Although Pro Skijor is taking the sport to the next level, Gardner said, “We also have a dedication to honoring the authenticity and the genuineness of the sport, honoring that Western culture, providing opportunities for those athletes and having some fun along the way.”

In addition to the races, the Pro Skijor event will host live music, local food and vendors.

To expand the sport’s visibility, Pro Skijor is offering a Community Day on the Friday of the Tahoe tour stop, where members of the public can learn the ropes and try it themselves.

“I think that skijoring is just so unique because I think that any walk of life can connect to it,” Garner said. “It doesn’t matter if you are into horses or if you’re into western culture, and it doesn’t really matter if you’re into skiing or snowboarding”

He explains that, on the skiing side, it’s very similar to alpine skiing, except a horse provides the momentum instead of gravity. “If you’ve skied before and especially anybody who has any sort of ski racing background or just anybody who’s a good all-around skier, the fundamentals are the same.”

The Community Day offers a variety of divisions, including beginner events, teen, 12 and under and a “century” division where the rider and skier have a combined age of 100 or more.  

“At the end of the day,” Gardner said, “if they’re just getting pulled behind the horse, they’re getting the experience.”

For all tour dates, locations, more information and tickets, visit proskijor.com.