Winter Activities - Ski Joering

Horses stamp the snow, impatient for action. Their drivers, mostly teenage girls, prepare their skis, adjust their goggles and check the horses’ harnesses.

Now two horses and drivers move toward the start line. Excitement builds, a siren sounds and the horses explode into life. They gallop down a straight track, take the corner in a flurry of snow and storm back towards the crowd. Behind them, crouched low on their skis, the g irls grin as they fight to the finish.

This is the French ski joering championships, an event held each January near the ski resort of Les Arcs. It is the brainchild of Jacques Filletroz, president of the French Association of Ski Joering. A champion in the sport, he trains horses and ponies from his ranch near Bourg-Saint-Maurice.

Ski joering is often compared to waterskiing but with a horse in place of a boat and white stuff instead of wet stuff. An ancient means of transport through Scandinavia, it was originally used in France as a means of accessing ski areas and is now a recognised leisure sport. “It takes two or three months to train a horse for an excursion through the woods, and one or two years for competition,” says Jacques.

The racing is extraordinary, with horses and drivers reaching speeds of nearly 60kph. But the leisure side of ski joering is altogether more sedate, and something the whole family can enjoy.

The horse wears a lightweight harness with a flap of fabric behind the tail to stop snow flying into the driver’s face. Long reins extend from the bridle to the driver, who stands on short skis, holding onto a horizontal bar. The horse, directed by voice commands, sets off at a trot and, if the driver is confident, moves to a canter. On firm snow the skis slide easily but in deep or wet snow the driver must work hard to stay upright and behind the horse.

First timers are often nervous, but as you glide through the forest or around a track, this feeling soon slides into sheer delight. On hard snow the sensations of acceleration, speed and a partnership with the horse bring a surge of adrenaline and, as with any special sport, ski joering is always over too quickly.

- Association Française de Ski Joering: Tel: (Fr) 4 79 07 06 05; ww.chevalsavoie.fr

- Even people who have never skied can enjoy the ski joering initiation. Prices start at around €40. The season is usually late December to mid-March.

- Les Arcs information: Tel: (Fr) 4 79 07 04 92; www.lesarcs.com or www.lesarcsnet.com