The 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Millan and Cortina are just one month away. Along with the usual ski events, skating events, curling, and hockey; winter sport and Olympic fans will see a new event this year…
Ski mountaineering!
The fast paced event combines uphill ski sprinting and downhill skiing. Skimo races are fast; lasting around three minutes each.
The sport dates back to to the 19th century and includes men’s, women’s, and mixed relay events.
First the athletes sprint uphill with skins (a strip of material to give them traction going up the hill), then they run a section wearing boots, and finally a section on skis to reach the top of the hill. After reaching the top of the hill, the racers remove the skins from their skis and race down the hill.
Eighteen racers will make qualifying runs with the top three from each race; plus three on time will race for the finals. The top two racers from the semifinals plus two “lucky losers” make up the final medal round.
In the mixed relay a male and female teams, competing in a tag team relay of two ascents and two descents.
There are also penalties for disrespectful behavior, unsportsmanlike conduct, technical errors and missing equipment that can result from additional time to disqualification.
Ski mountaineering will make its debut on February 19 at the Stelvio Ski Center I Bormio. The winners will be the first earn medals in the event.