Ski mountaineering, a demanding high-altitude sport, will make its Olympic debut at the Milan Cortina Winter Games this week. Athletes will race uphill on skis or boots before descending ungroomed courses in events held in Bormio, Italy. The United States team will participate only in the mixed relay.
Ski mountaineering, also known as skimo, combines uphill climbing and downhill skiing in a test of endurance and skill. The events begin Thursday in Bormio, Italy, featuring men's sprint, women's sprint, and a mixed relay. Each sprint lasts about three minutes, while the relay extends over half an hour, covering four laps of roughly 1,500 meters each.
In the relay, competitors start with skinning—racing uphill using skis with glued-on climbing skins and free heels. They then remove the skins for a short downhill, followed by bootpacking, where skis are carried in a backpack while dashing uphill in boots. The final descent brings teams back to the base. Women lead off the relay, with pairs alternating legs. Eighteen teams will compete, including the U.S. duo of Anna Gibson and Cam Smith.
Gibson, a professional trail runner from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is relatively new to skimo, while Smith brings a decade of experience. The U.S. has lagged behind European nations due to limited funding but made strides with recent hires, including head of sport Sarah Cookler and an Italian coach, supported by a donation from Michael Paulus.
"I think they are the athletes who have the highest pain threshold and can really suffer," said Dr. Volker Schöffl, physician for the German team. Cookler emphasized the physical demands: "It’s really a distance that pushes the body to its physical capacities." Transitions between modes require focus, especially in a lactic state, and the lightweight gear limits control on descents.
The sport traces roots to ancient skiing practices from 6700 B.C., using animal skins for grip. It echoes the 1924 military patrol event at the first Winter Olympics. Olympic versions are shorter and safer than endurance races like Patrouille Des Glaciers, which span 35 miles over avalanche terrain. Cookler hopes this debut leads to more technical events in future Games: "This is just the foot in the door."
Though backcountry skiing thrives in the U.S., skimo racing grew grassroots-style, with volunteers coaching early on, as former competitor Christina Volken noted.
