COLD LAKE - While the Lakeland - and much of the province - deals with an unusual snow shortage, the spirit of winter continues to thrive as the third annual Skijoring for MS event prepares to take the stage this coming March in Cold Lake.
The skijoring event offers a unique blend of skiing, horsemanship, and fundraising, emerging as a popular event in Cold Lake over the past two years.
At the heart of this initiative is an individual driven by both passion and purpose - an advocate for awareness around a disease that is very personal. The skijoring event acts as a fundraiser for local efforts supporting the MS Society and is organized by James Purdy.
“I have Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and I've done lots of different fundraising for and through the MS Society over the years. And this will be our third year doing this key drawing event,” explains Purdy. “We do it in Cold Lake, and it's the best time ever."
Skijoring, is an activity that combines the speed of a horse with the agility of a skier to navigate obstacles, jumps, and twists in a race against time. The event requires snow, and even with Cold Lake experiencing a shortage, organizers remain optimistic, and are even considering snow-making options as a contingency plan.
“We're pretty optimistic that we will have snow. It's only January, [there is] tons of time. Our event is on March 9. Our worst-case scenario is making snow. I don't know if anybody's been out to Kinosoo Ridge, but a lot of snow can be made if we put the right attempts to it. So, if we need to, we could make snow,” says Purdy.
The event will take place at the Cold Lake Ag Society grounds, where entry is free for all attendees. With many teams registering for the event, the day is supported by sponsors across the Lakeland area. Purdy says that there are usually about 40 different teams that sign up for skijoring.
The day will also likely include an auction where people can bid on items to help raise funds.
Past events have raised a substantial amount of funds, contributing over $45,000 in just two years to the MS Society.
The first year the event was held, about $20,000 was raised. In 2023, the event raised over $25,000.
Expressing ambitious aspirations, Purdy outlines the targets for the 2024 event.
“I guess our goal this year would be trying to shoot for $30,000.”
Organizers are also hoping to expand the event's reach beyond Cold Lake, envisioning its presence in neighbouring towns across the region.
“Right now, we’re doing it in Cold Lake, but looking and hoping to potentially do more events, so maybe if we talk to the right people in Bonnyville, we could do a schedule of events in Bonnyville at some point too,” says Purdy.
