Extreme Ski Jor kicks off next week in Wallace

WALLACE – The signature winter event at the Center of the Universe is just over one week away and even with less-than-advantageous weather, the seventh annual Wallace Extreme Ski Jor is set to go. 

Ski Jor, hosted by Ski Wallace, has become a must-see-it-to-believe-it event, where the streets of downtown Wallace are converted into a high-octane terrain park. 

Siobhan Curet, with Ski Wallace, said that despite the lackluster weather, pre-registrations are on par with what the historic norm has been for the event. But the hope is that by increasing the prize purses, so will the number of participants.  

“We are hopeful for new snow, but are confident we will be able to make the event happen even if we need to make modifications to the course,” Curet said. “There is snow stockpiled in town, so we aren’t totally at a loss. There’s $7,000 in cash prizes this year, and we’ve added a women’s division.” 

For those who may not know, ski jor was invented as an activity that involved people riding on skis while being pulled by horses or dogs. In Wallace, the dogs and horses are replaced with ATVs, giving skiers and snowboarders enough momentum to pull off tricks like huge jumps and back flips.  

The event opens with the Friday Night Rail Jam and goes into Saturday and Sunday with the Ski Jor Slopestyle Contest.  

The rail jam gives skiers and snowboarders the opportunity to showcase their freestyle skills on a custom-built rail course. Along with the ski jor qualifiers, Saturday will also feature a superhero costume contest, that will likely coincide with many competitors donning their costumes as they soar through the air on their skis. 

Cash prizes will be awarded for the rail jam, slopestyle, and costume contest during the event. 

Wallace Extreme Ski Jor is February 14-16, beginning with the Friday Night Rail Jam from 7 – 10 p.m. Registration for Wallace Extreme Ski Jor is still open and can be found at www.skiwallace.com.  

Ski Wallace is raffling off two snowboards as an additional fundraiser, raffle tickets can be purchased online.