WALLACE — The signature winter event at the Center of the Universe is just over a week away and even with less-than-advantageous weather, the seventh annual Wallace Extreme Skijor is set to go. 

Hosted by Ski Wallace, SkiJor has become a must-see-it-to-believe-it event, where the streets of downtown Wallace are converted into a high-octane terrain park. 

Siobhan Curet of Ski Wallace said pre-registration is solid, but the hope is that by increasing prize money, the number of participants will also rise.

They are also hoping for snow. But even without it, organizers are confident they will be able to make the event happen even if the course is modified, Curet said. 

“There is snow stockpiled in town, so we aren’t totally at a loss," Curet said.

There is $7,000 in cash prizes this year and a women’s division was added.

Skijor was invented as an activity that involved people riding on skis while being pulled by horses or dogs. In Wallace, the dogs and horses are replaced with ATVs, giving skiers and snowboarders enough momentum to pull off tricks like huge jumps and backflips.  

The event opens Feb. 14 with the Friday Night Rail Jam and continues Feb. 15 and 16 with the slopestyle contest.  

The rail jam gives skiers and snowboarders the opportunity to showcase their freestyle skills on a custom-built course. Along with skijor qualifiers, Feb. 15 will also feature a superhero costume contest that will likely coincide with competitors donning costumes as they soar through the air on their skis.  

Registration for Wallace Extreme SkiJor is open at www.skiwallace.com. Ski Wallace is raffling off two snowboards as a fundraiser and tickets can be purchased online.