Ski Mountaineering Debuts at Milan-Cortina Winter Games

Long rooted in Alpine necessity—when people wore skis to trade goods or fight battles—ski mountaineering arrives at the Olympics in some of the same mountains where the sport began. Competitors climb on skis, continue on foot, then race back down, testing strength, technique and endurance.

Known as skimo, the sport demands power and repeatability. Cameron Smith, the most decorated American ski mountaineer and one of two U.S. athletes at the Games, said, “You have to be powerful, explosive, fast, and also be able to repeat these climbs over and over again.” The Olympic program includes mixed relay races and men’s and women’s individual sprints.

Sprint races last about three minutes: athletes ski up, switch to running on foot, reattach skis for a final ascent of roughly 230 feet, then descend. In the mixed relay, the woman completes two ascents of 400 to 500 feet and two descents before the man repeats the course, with the whole race taking about 30 minutes.

Italy, Milan-Cortina

ski mountaineering, skimo, milan-cortina, winter games, olympics, mixed relay, individual sprint, cameron smith, sprint races, endurance