Olympics
Brains
Ski mountaineering, known as ‘skimo,’ will make its Olympic debut this year at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted unanimously in July 2021 to include the sport, which has deep roots in the European Alps and has grown rapidly worldwide through World Cup circuits and World Championships.
Ski mountaineering combines uphill ascents, boot-packing sections, and downhill skiing, demanding both endurance and technical skill. Essentially, a skier starts on foot with skis attached to a backpack, then the skins are attached to the skis and he skins up to reach the top, where the skins are removed for the descent to the finish line. Skimo skiers use skis that are lighter than downhill skis and feature movable bindings as well as synthetic skins which are removed for the descent.
The first ski mountaineering World Championships were held in 2002 in France and are held every two years. Skimo also has a World Cup circuit with a minimum of five events each season. Ski mountaineering is governed by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF), which has 38 affiliated national federations. Ski mountaineering was part of the program of the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympics and will premier at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. While there are multiple formats at the international level, the Olympic program will focus on two: the sprint and the mixed relay. The 2026 Olympic ski mountaineering races will take place in Bormio, in the Valtellina region of Italy.
Sprint
The sprint race, featured separately for men and women, is a fast-paced event lasting about three minutes. This is not your all-day slog through the mountains with huge vertical. Athletes climb roughly 70 vertical meters (230 feet), transition through a boot-packing section, and then descend through a gated course to the finish. Eighteen athletes will be split into three heats of six. The top three finishers from each heat, plus the next three fastest move on to the semifinals. From there, the best six athletes advance to the final to race for medals.
Mixed Relay
The mixed relay builds on the sprint format with teams of one man and one woman in just one race for the gold. Each athlete completes two laps of climbing and descending in a tag-team style race that lasts around 30 minutes. All teams will use the same order: woman-man-woman-man and start together with the first pair to finish their fourth lap claiming victory. Skiers must touch their teammate instead of passing a baton like in running relays.
The men’s and women’s sprint races will take place on February 19, followed by the mixed relay two days later. Penalties for rule or equipment violations are part of the competition, reinforcing the technical and disciplined nature of a sport that blends endurance, speed, and precision. More details on the competition format including how starting order and bib assignments are determined can be found here.
Several familiar names enter as favorites. Switzerland’s Marianne Fatton and Spain’s Oriol Cardona Coll are the reigning sprint champions, while France’s Emily Harrop is another top contender after winning last season’s test event at the Olympic venue. Cardona Coll has also been dominant in the mixed relay, winning with Spain’s Ana Alonso Rodriguez, though her participation is uncertain after suffering a serious knee injury last fall. For the U.S., Anna Gibson and Cam Smith secured an Olympic mixed relay spot with a World Cup victory.
Beyond the racing, the event carries added significance as the first time ski mountaineering medalists will be crowned at the Olympics. The sport, governed by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation and practiced in more than 50 countries, has a growing Olympic footprint. It debuted at the Youth Winter Olympics in 2020 and is already being proposed for inclusion again at the 2030 Winter Games.
Ski mountaineering will bring a new blend of endurance, strategy, and mountain culture to the Olympic stage. The skimo events will add another exciting spectator sport for Olympic fans, as the spring and mixed relay races offer several opportunities to watch athletes close up, such as in transition areas. Particularly the mixed relay should be exciting to watch with four different athletes competing, leaving ample opportunities for nail-biting watching.
