Ski Joering by Catherine Cooper

Savoie born and bred Jacques Fillietroz offers ski joering excursions to tourists from his ranch La Cavale in Arc 1600 in the French Alps (nearest easyJet airports are Lyon or Geneva). Jacques was given his first pony at the age of eight by his father and by the time he left school he had accumulated several horses. Jacques started to lead horse treks around Mont Blanc in the warmer seasons while working as a pisteur in the mountains during the winter ski season.

Then ten years ago he saw a postcard from the 1940s depicting someone being towed behind a horse on skis in St Moritz – ski joering. He realised this would be a good way to use his 40-odd horses during the winter and added ski joering to his repertoire of horse-related activities on offer to holiday makers.

Ski joering originates from around 2500 years before Christ when it was a means of winter transport for Scandinavian farmers who wore skates so they could be pulled along by reindeer, and later by horses. It arrived in France at the beginning of the 20th-century – around the same time as downhill skiing. Horses or mules were originally used to pull large transport sledges and later skiers up slopes as skiing grew in popularity as a sport. It almost disappeared after the war as the economy grew.

Jacques’ ski joering trips in Les Arcs run for about an hour and a half at a time – “Most people can’t do much more than that – it is too tiring” he explains. He attaches a special harness to the back of each large, cross-breed horse for skiers hang on to. Jacques designed and patented the harness himself – it is semi-rigid with a bar at the back so that when the horse stops, the skiers don’t end up sliding under the horses’ enormous hooves. A driver holds onto the horse’s reins as well as the harness and the novice joerers stand alongside the driver, also hanging onto the harness.

The 12km joering course runs along snowy walkers’ paths and meanders up and down through the trees. Much of it is quite a gentle ride, allowing some time to take in and enjoy the scenery. However the very start of the path is quite steep so there is no time to get used to the strange marriage of horses and skis before the whips crack and the horses charge up the slope, sometimes stumbling slightly as their hooves sink into the deep slope while the skiers cling on and try to keep their balance behind. Once at the top of the short slope the horses slow down and on the flat parts of the path the experience is somewhat like cross country skiing, except without all the hard work. When the horses go downhill, the bar at the back of the harness stops skiers going too fast.

“It is very safe,” Jacques explains. “If there is a problem or you feel you are going too fast, you can just let go. It is easier to do it if you are used to skis but we have also taken novices joering at a slower pace after a short practice in the paddock to get them used to the skis. Most children over the age of about 12 can do it and younger ones can have a go in the paddock.”

The group stays close together so as well as having a horse in front towing you along, you will probably also have a horse pretty close behind you, and at some points going at quite a speed. If you are not used to horses this can feel a bit alarming – I was worried that if I fell I would be trampled – but Jacques assures that “horses respect humans” and this hasn’t happened on his trips in his ten years of joering.

The pace changes frequently – for a while you will be quietly sliding along admiring the view and then the horses will suddenly pick up to a gallop to get you up the hill while you hang on for dear life – this makes the experience both tranquil and exhilarating in equal measure. Plus you need the slow bits to give your hands and arms a bit of a rest.

Today ski joering isn’t just something a little different for tourists to try when they come out on holiday – for the past six years Les Arcs has played host to the ski joering championships. Each year around 40 teams come from all across France and Switzerland to compete in a giant slalom, special slalom (horses go in a straight line while skiers slalom around poles) and a speed event, during which horses can reach up to 45km per hour.

Jacques also offers ski joering in summer on rollerskis. “It’s the perfect activity all year round,” says Jacques. “You’ve got horses, you’ve got mountains, you’ve got skis. What more could you want?”

Ski-joering tips

Wear goggles or sunglasses – when the horses gallop up hills they kick up quite a lot of snow.
Don’t snow-plough when you are going downhill – if you stand behind the bar it will act as a brake.
Don’t go after a big night out – even though you are being pulled along it is surprisingly physical.
It uses totally different muscles to downhill skiing – expect your arms to ache later.
Shorter skis are easier to control.
Stay aware of the landscape – the horses will speed up the hills and you need to hold on tight.