When SkiMo makes its long-awaited debut at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo this week, the global spotlight will shine on a sport that has deep roots in Colorado—particularly at Aspen Snowmass. And in perfect symmetry, Aspen’s most iconic ski mountaineering race—the Audi Power of Four Ski Mountaineering Race—will take place on February 21, the exact same day as the Olympic Mixed Team Relay in Italy.
Long before SkiMo earned Olympic status, athletes were honing their legs and lungs in the rugged terrain surrounding Aspen. The Elk Mountains have quietly served as a proving ground for Olympic-caliber talent, including U.S. SkiMo Team members Jessie Young and Cam Smith.
Young, now a 2026 Olympian, won the Power of Four in 2024 and has called it her favorite race for its sustained effort and technical demands. Smith, a co-holder of the course record and an Olympic medal hopeful, built his endurance and mountain savvy in the same terrain that defines Aspen’s backcountry culture.
Both athletes represent a direct line between Aspen’s grassroots ski mountaineering scene and the Olympic start line.
Now celebrating its 15th anniversary, the Audi Power of Four is no ordinary race. The course covers 24 miles and 10,000 vertical feet across all four Aspen Snowmass mountains—Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass. It’s a sufferfest. And it’s earned a reputation as one of the most demanding SkiMo races in North America.
Athletes from across the Western U.S. descend on Aspen each February to test themselves on the route. For many, it has become a stepping stone toward international competition—a domestic pipeline feeding the global SkiMo scene.
Ski mountaineering isn’t just an event in Aspen—it’s a way of life. Uphill travel is deeply embedded in the local community. From Buttermilk’s Friday Morning Uphill Breakfast to Full Moon Dinners and the iconic dawn skin to Bonnie’s on Aspen Mountain for pancakes, earning your turns is part of the mountain rhythm. That culture has helped foster elite endurance athletes while also making uphill skiing accessible and social for locals and visitors alike.
The Olympic SkiMo schedule in Cortina includes:
- Men’s & Women’s Sprint – February 19, 2026
- Mixed Relay – February 21, 2026
On that same February 21 date, Aspen Snowmass will host the 2026 Audi Power of Four—an intersection of local heritage and global milestone. Later in the season, the legendary Grand Traverse will once again connect Crested Butte to Aspen on March 29, 2026, further cementing Colorado’s role as a hub for endurance ski mountaineering.
As SkiMo takes its first Olympic steps in Italy, Aspen Snowmass stands as a reminder that for many athletes, the road to the Games started long before the rings—on dark winter mornings, skinning uphill in the Colorado high country.
