Gleason Woman Glides Through Winter By Skijoring


By Trevor Keller | January 14, 2020

FacebookTwitterEmail

Melissa Omernick loves winter sports. She’s an experienced dog musher, but in recent years her interests have turned toward a different sport, skijoring. It’s a combination of dog sledding and cross-country skiing. It’s typically done with one or two dogs connected to a bungee line and harness that goes around the skier’s waist.

When Omernick started skijoring, there was one problem. “I did not know how to ski when I started out skijoring. It’s not the best way to do a sport,” Omernick says with a laugh. “I bought some skis for my brother and he didn’t use them. I need to get my money’s worth out of these skis, so I strapped them on, and hooked up some of my sled dogs, and away I went.”

Omernick’s been skijoring for more than a dozen years now. She says it’s become her favorite sport, and her dogs agree. “On my days off, I like to go out and ski to get warmed up a little bit, and then I’ll hook up one or two dogs and we’ll go out on the trails,” Omernick says. “They know. They see my harness I’m putting on and my ski boots, and they get excited.”

Most of Omernick’s dogs are Alaskan Huskies, but they don’t have to be. “It can be a beagle, a boxer, a poodle. I happen to use Alaskan huskies,” Omernick says.

She works her way around the trails on skate skis, reaching speeds of 20-30 mph. “There’s all these fine nuances to stay in balance on skis when you’re going that fast,” Omernick says. “And you have to train yourself to balance while an animal is pulling you.”

Omernick and her dogs compete at skijoring events throughout Wisconsin, including the annual Barkie Birkie in Hayward. She says it’s a great way to glide past the winter blues.

“I do not get depressed in the wintertime. I don’t look forward to spring because I’m going out and playing with my dogs in the snow, and the time flies,” Omernick says. “Before you know it, it’s April.”

Trevor Keller

Trevor Keller

Trevor Keller is Executive Producer of “Wisconsin Life” for PBS Wisconsin. He loves photography and is always looking for a new Wisconsin park, trail or scenic overlook to explore.
FacebookTwitterEmail

Sign Up Form

Sign Up for Our Bi-Weekly Newsletter

Get your favorite Wisconsin Life stories, meet the crew, and go behind the scenes.

Our Favorite Collections

"Wisconsin Life's" featured collection for December 2024 includes stories to help get you in the holiday spirit.
Ice, cold and winter are an integral part of what it means to live in Wisconsin. "Ice Week" explores the many ways that ice defines us.
Food plays a central part in many holiday traditions. This series honors the foods and meals that make the day.