Mexico beach getaway, Oregon Shakespeare, cowboy ski challenge - includes related articles

From the arena, action shifts to the slopes, where contestants temporarily abandon their horses for skis and compete in two separate races. The first is a modified slalom down Eagle's Rest run. The second race is also a slalom, but once contestants finish the course they must hop out of their skis and rope a plastic steer's head mounted on a hay bale, then run to saddle a waiting horse, which they pull across the finish line.

Sunday's activities include barrel dragging, an egg race on horseback, and a fire race in which contestants run the length of the rodeo arena, then ride bareback back across, saddle their horses, and race to the finish carrying a bucket of water. The highlight of the weekend is the skijoring event, scheduled to run next to the ski challenge arena from 2 to 4 P.M. Sunday. Skijoring is a rope tow like no other: one competitor on horseback tows another on skis at speeds up to 25 miles per hour on a 1/4-mile course.

For more information on the ski challenge, call the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce at (307) 733-3316; for lodging information, (800) 443-6931.