Dozens of truckloads of snow and snowmaking weren’t enough to overcome Mother Nature’s lack of cooperation. Organizers of “Skijoring the Big Rock,” slated for Feb. 29 and March 1 at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, called off the event Feb. 25.
“Had we been able to make a pile of snow we would have been able to pull the race off,” Melissa Sue Ostrander, president of the Boulder Valley Skijoring Association, said by email. “But we were struggling with temperatures for snow making and then looking at the rest of the week with temperatures in the 50s there was no way to put on a race to our full potential. [And] with freezing temps at night and melting during the day, we would be working with an ice/slush track.”
The nonprofit had high hopes for bringing to Boulder the racing sport that mixes horsemanship with skiing. Ostrander previously told The Monitor the goals were to bring tourists to the area during a slow time of year and raise money for local schools and for breast cancer awareness. The event created a lot of enthusiasm, with a New Year’s Day fundraiser alone collecting $8,000 in donations and sponsorships.
