Ski mountaineering, also known as ski touring, ski mountaineering or Skimo, will make its Olympic debut at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, becoming the only new sport added to the winter programme for that edition. This discipline presents a unique physical and technical challenge that combines uphill ascents, downhill skiing and sections on foot, allowing athletes to compete for medals in a format specifically designed for the Olympic stage.
Unlike other skiing disciplines, ski mountaineering is not limited to downhill performance. In competition, the sport is defined by a succession of clearly differentiated phases that require athletes to manage constant transitions. During a race, skiers alternate ascents using climbing skins (skins), sections on foot carrying their skis on their backs, known as bootpack, and timed descents. In these transitional moments, actions such as attaching or removing skins, adjusting bindings from ascent mode to descent mode, or preparing equipment for on-foot sections become decisive, as faster and more efficient transitions can create significant differences in the final result. This dual requirement of endurance and technical skill sets ski mountaineering apart from other snow sports.
Origins and evolution of a mountain sport
Ski mountaineering has its roots in the European Alpine regions, where it was historically used as a means of winter travel between peaks and valleys, gradually evolving into a competitive activity. Originally, the practice was more closely linked to necessity and alpinism than to pure competition, but over time it developed into a regulated sport with international circuits and federations overseeing its growth.
The International Ski Mountaineering Federation -ISMF- is the global governing body for the discipline and played a key role in promoting ski mountaineering’s inclusion as an Olympic sport in 2026. Although the discipline had previously featured in events such as the Winter Youth Olympic Games 2020, its entry into the main Winter Olympic programme represents a significant milestone in the sport’s history.
Olympic formats and what spectators will see
At Milano Cortina 2026, ski mountaineering will feature three medal events: the men’s sprint, the women’s sprint and the mixed relay. These events have been adapted to an Olympic format designed to be dynamic, engaging and easy for spectators to follow, with short, fast-paced courses that condense the sport’s essential elements.
The sprint is particularly intense, with athletes completing uphill sections using skins, on-foot segments and downhill descents in just a few minutes, where speed and precision in transitions are crucial. The mixed relay adds a strategic and collaborative dimension by combining the efforts of male and female athletes within the same team, enhancing the spectacle and tactical depth of the competition.
What makes ski mountaineering unique
Beyond its competitive formats, ski mountaineering stands out for its combination of core mountain elements: physical endurance, technical skill in both ascents and descents, and expert management of lightweight equipment designed to optimise every transition. Athletes compete using ultra-light gear, including specialised boots, lighter skis and bindings that allow both walking and downhill skiing, demanding a high level of physical preparation and strategic awareness.
Its inclusion in the Olympic Games also comes at a time of growing global interest in mountain activities and outdoor sports, driven by audiences who value both a connection with nature and the visual appeal of competitive events. This has contributed to an expanding base of practitioners and the organisation of high-level competitions across multiple continents, extending well beyond the traditional Alpine regions of Europe.
