Send It Skijoring in Skowhegan! Kristina Cannon and Mary Haley, Somerset Snowfest and Main Street Skowhegan Artwork

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Guides Gone Wild

Send It Skijoring in Skowhegan! Kristina Cannon and Mary Haley, Somerset Snowfest and Main Street Skowhegan

February 09, 2023 • Guides Gone Wild

We are embracing mid-winter with a giant Yeti hug again this week over here on Guides Gone Wild!

Repeat listeners will recognize one of the voices - Kristina Cannon of Main Street Skowhegan is back today with her marketing maven sidekick Mary Haley of MXH Marketing, and we are talking skijoring, and Somerset SnowFest FUN!

Equestrian skijoring is a big hit out west, but it was a novelty on the east coast when bright eyed and bushy tailed Mary Haley proposed proposed it to Main Street Skowhegan in 2018. Her proposal was initially met with blank stares, but they wound up going for it, even though none of them had heard of it before, and 2019 marked the start of what’s now the annual Skijor Skowhegan race--the first one to ever happen in Maine!

Skijor Skowhegan is an action-packed event, with tons of spectators jammed into the Skowhegan State Fairgrounds cheering on over 50 teams - each made up of one person on a horse, and the other on skis or snowboard being towed behind, as they fly at speeds up to 35 mph along a 1000-foot course, navigating gates, jumps, and collecting ring points. Yes, it’s as bonkers as it sounds.

This wild ride is coming up on February 25, 2023, but you don’t have to wait until then to sample the fun, we are talking about it today, along with all of the other super-fun offerings that make up Somerset SnowFest, which runs from February 17th - 26th. Get more details by visiting SomersetSnowfest.org, or Skijorskowhegan.org, or best of all, just listen in now!

Some more quickie links to skijoring (and skijoring-adjacent) fun!: