Page 55 - Flathead Beacon // 1.22.13

FLATHEADBEACON.COM
OUTDOORS
JANUARY 22, 2014 | 55

sane folk from horseback riding, and certainly from ski the event moved to the fenced-

joring — the fringe sport in which a horse and rider tow a in Mountain Trails Saddle Club
skier around a horseshoe-shaped course at high speeds, (now the Stumptown Ice Den).
lying over jumps and weaving through slalom gates.
The fun continued until 1982
But not Ping.
but, due to injuries, the Whiteish
He wore a neck halo and had titanium screws placed Winter Carnival organizing com-
in his neck to mend his spine and shortly after his re- mittee could no longer place in-
covery he was back in the saddle, intent on winning the surance.
Whiteish Open, the centerpiece of the World Ski Jor- Today, the competition is ful-

ing Championships held annually during the Whiteish ly insured and sanctioned by the
Winter Carnival.
North American Ski Joring Asso-
“I thought it would be cool to win the open,” he said.
ciation, and with as many as 100
On the irst run, his horse fell and Ping broke eight teams competing it is widely re-
ribs and sufered 12 fractures.
garded as the largest competition
“I was pretty well laid up for a while,” he recalls.
of its kind in the world.
But when the 2013 Ski Joring season rolled around, Ping and Dale Duf helped re-

the 62-year-old Ping couldn’t resist. Riding his horse vive the sport as the signature
Kona Cofee, he racked up a solid performance at a race sporting event during the White-
in Sun Valley, Idaho, and then went on to win the North ish Winter Carnival in 2002,
American Championships in Jackson Hole, Wyo.
drawing 25 teams and 1,000 spec-
“I ended up winning the whole deal. You just got to tators. Ping expects 75 teams this Practice for the upcoming World Ski Joring Championships in Whiteish on Jan. 19.
keep going,” he said. “It’s been quite a run for me. I al- year.
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
most feel like this year might be my last.”
Today, Ping ofers training op-
That’s not a convincing statement coming from a portunities at his ranch for novice participants, and up 10th in a list that included Sapporo, Japan; Ottawa, On-

man so committed to ski joring, which made its debut to 5,000 spectators turn out at the main event to watch tario, Canada; Hanover, N.H.; Anchorage, Alaska; and
at the Whiteish Winter Carnival in the 1960s when a the excitement as teams compete for a purse of nearly Steamboat Springs, Colo.
group of locals sitting at the Pastime Pool Hall (now $20,000.
The Vogue article highlighted the World Ski Jor-
the Bulldog Saloon) were trying to settle an argument Riders and skiers can be paired up for the competi- ing Championship, describing the competition as “an
about who among them was the better skier, exhibited tions during the team registration party on Friday, Jan. exciting extreme sport that has skiers being pulled
the most equestrian prowess and who was the more ro- 24, at Casey’s Bar and Grill in Whiteish. The competi- around an obstacle course by cowboys on horseback.”
bust beer drinker.
tion takes place at the snow-covered Whiteish Munici- This year, National Geographic Traveler included

In Whiteish, ski joring is notorious for prominent- pal Airport grounds.
the Whiteish Winter Carnival and the World Ski Jor-
ly featuring all three activities.
In 2012 the Whiteish Winter Carnival earned wide ing Championships in a list of “Best Winter Trips 2014.”
Fifty years ago, the event was held in downtown recognition by two glossy magazines, National Geo- “We are getting quite the notoriety,” Ping says, add-
Whiteish on Central Avenue, but after local busi- graphic Traveler and Vogue.
ing that riders and skiers travel from all around the
nessman Russ Street was nearly thrown through The January/February issue of National Geograph- country to participate.
the window of a downtown storefront and a crowd of ic Traveler named the Whiteish Winter Carnival one [email protected]
spectators was parted by a couple of runaway horses,
of the top 10 winter carnivals in the world, ranking it

$2,049

SALE
$1,665 Hammond

Hammond Power Reclining Sofa
Power Recliner

he Flexsteel Diference

In our case, the uniquely
What’s in a name?
comfortable blue steel seat spring that’s at the
heart of Flexsteel furniture. You can’t ind it
anywhere else. Naturally, it’s covered by our
Lifetime Warranty.*

$3,599 Sittingisbelieving.
Togethertostay. Oursturdy,
Our seat cushions start out precision-engineered frames are
comfortable and stay that way so strong, they’re covered by our
Price as shown through years of use.
Lifetime Warranty.*
Bexley Sofa

Available now at
BITNEY’S
$100 OFF
12 MONTHS S

FURNITURE &
U
any Flexsteel Leather furniture NO INTEREST*
MATTRESS CO.
purchase of $1,099 or more.
Now thru Feb. 2, 2014
L
*on approved credit.
See store for details.
P
744 E. Idaho Street • Kalispell • 755-6033 • www.bitneysfurniture.com