SALT LAKE CITY — Thousands of spectators gathered in downtown Salt Lake City Saturday to witness an unusual winter spectacle: skijoring in the heart of the urban core, complete with 45 truckloads of imported snow transforming West Temple into a winter wonderland.
The annual Winter Roundup event closed West Temple and converted the street into a snowy course where cowboys and cowgirls on horseback pulled skiers across the imported snow, complete with jumps that had the crowd cheering.
"Think about waterskiing and instead of a boat pulling you, it's a horse on snow," said Ryan Mack with Visit Salt Lake.
The snow came from Solitude Mountain Resort.
"This is all actually parking lot snow that they're moving anyway. So we kind of just clean up their dirty snow and bring it down here for our event," Mack said.
The snow was smoothed out and groomed into a proper course for the skijoring demonstrations.
Local food truck worker Trent Snyder was amazed by the transformation.
"I didn't think they could do it. I didn't know it was a thing," Snyder said.
Salt Lake City residents Lisa and Darryl McCune were thrilled to see snow in their city.
"Exciting to be here," the couple said. "We just came to see the snow. We haven't seen any at our place, so we're just thrilled to see it — brown and melty or not."
The event drew visitors from far beyond Utah's borders. Ken and Jamie Holt traveled from Lander, Wyoming, specifically for the Winter Roundup.
"You know, they've been advertising, and the PBR is tonight, and downtown Salt Lake has a lot to offer, and we wanted to watch this. We have horses and ride up in the mountains a lot, and we wanted to come and see what it's all about," one of the Wyoming visitors said.
Mack emphasized Salt Lake City's unique geographic advantages.
"We like to call ourselves America's mountain city. The proximity from the airport to downtown to the mountains, it's incredible. There's no other place we think like this in the country. It's a great time to visit Salt Lake," Mack said.
The event was organized by Visit Salt Lake in partnership with the Days of '47 organization.
"We kind of view this as the Winter version of the Days of 47," Mack said.
The Winter Roundup featured various winter and western activities beyond the skijoring demonstrations, including cowboy poetry performances.
Organizers are already encouraging attendees to mark their calendars for next year's Winter Roundup.
