The popular skijoring event in Banff has been discontinued after drawing crowds that exceeded the town's capacity earlier this year. Banff and Lake Louise Tourism, which hosted the event as part of its annual SnowDays festival, made the decision not to host the event moving forward following a months-long comprehensive review of the weekend's challenges.
Record crowds lead to safety concerns
The event, which involves skiers and snowboarders being pulled down a track by horses, drew record numbers in January. The surge in attendance led Parks Canada to close vehicle access to the town for part of the weekend due to concerns about emergency vehicle access. Banff and Lake Louise Tourism president and CEO Leslie Bruce said the event had become increasingly popular in recent years and has now outgrown the town's capacity.
“We spent five months looking at alternative sites, different ways to ticket, ways to manage crowds, ways to manage vehicles, and ultimately … arrived at the really difficult decision not to proceed with it next year,” Bruce said.
Economic impact vs. safety risks
Although the event brought in significant economic impact during a part of the year when tourism tends to slow down, Bruce noted that “the cost of mitigating all the risks to ensure safety and visitor experience really outweighed the benefit.” The sport has skyrocketed in popularity across Canada in recent years, with events and associated fashion going viral on social media.
Bruce said they had anticipated turnout to be higher than previous years, but the social media influence, combined with excellent weather that weekend, led to attendance that was more than double the year before. “It's a bummer,” she said, adding that the decision was made all the more difficult by the “really special” partnership that had been built with Skijor Canada.
Future possibilities and partner gratitude
If conditions were to align in the future, Bruce said they would bring the event back “in a heartbeat.” She praised Skijor Canada as “amazing partners in building this, and I think we were great partners to them when they were just starting their business, and it was so fun to watch it take off.” She emphasized that athlete safety, horse safety, crowd safety, and visitor experience all had to come first.
In a statement released Wednesday, Skijor Canada expressed gratitude to Banff and Lake Louise Tourism, the Town of Banff, Parks Canada, and all athletes, volunteers and fans who have supported the event in the past. “Together we created unforgettable moments highlighting the unique combination of horsemanship, athleticism and winter sport in one of the world's most iconic mountain settings,” the statement said.
