But in Leadville, a horse and rider pull a skier on a rope to launch him over a series of jumps. The skier has to snag bright rings which are lined up between the jumps by putting his arm through them (which involves switching the hand holding the rope). The skiers, at least those who complete the jumps, are timed. The winner is the skier with the fastest time and the greatest number of rings.
These horses move fast, around 40 miles an hour down the flat center of the course. The jumps and rings are arrayed on each side of this center aisle. The skier must move from side to side, jumping and grabbing rings. Times for running the course average under 20 seconds.
Of course, not every skier makes it to the end of the course still on his skis. Some wipe out entirely after the first jump. But the competition has been going on since 1949 and is one of the central winter festivals of this small mining town (which boasts at being the highest incorporated city in the United States, located at 10,152 feet more or less). And the color of the event is not just the competition itself, but also the spectators who line the main street, the sometimes colorful horses (spraypainted?), and the setting in this old mining town.
