Snow bother..

Irish skijoring pals defend crown

- LOUISE WALSH

TWO pals who won a major skijoring event despite that they have no snow to practice on will next week defend their title.

But Irish underdogs Susan Oakes, 39, and her friend Barry O'Brien Lynch, 43, have strapped skateboards to the end of skis to up their training.

Skijoring is North America's fastest-growing winter sport and consists of a horse pulling a skier over obstacles through the snow at breakneck speeds of up to 65 km per hour.

Susan and Barry O'Brien shocked the skijoring world when they became the first Irish team ever to win the prestigious feature 2.5-furlong sprint race in the Skijordue Festival in Calgary, Canada in 2020.