Ski mountaineering — or skimo — is debuting this week at the Milano Cortina Olympics. It will consist of three events: Women’s Sprint, Men’s Sprint and Mixed Relay.
The race begins with a rigorous climb up a mountain on skis fitted with a special fabric skin that grips the snow as the athletes sprint uphill. Once they reach the top, they rip off the skins and race down a tricky slalom course, taking athletes an average of three minutes overall.
Cam Smith, a 13-time U.S. Ski Mountaineering national champion and the country’s most decorated skimo athlete, is set to become the first male to represent the U.S. in the sport at the Olympics in the men’s sprint and mixed relay with his partner Anna Gibson.
“I think the racing is gonna be really dynamic because we have the climbs, the descents, the transitions in between,” Smith said. “There’s gonna be a lot of back and forth, because people will have different strengths and weaknesses as we navigate this course in nature.”
The ascent is 70 meters — or nearly 230 feet.
Equipment specialist Davide Giardini said the goal is for athletes to drag their feet as their sprint uphill, which is easier said than done without their heart bursting out of their chest after three strides.
And then there’s the descent, rife with dicey turns at high speed.
While the sport’s history runs deep — it dates back to prehistoric Europe as a way to get around and hunt for food — its Olympic debut is exciting for the athletes eager to represent their country in ski mountaineering.
“It’s the first time the sport’s gonna be in the Olympics, and so we want the U.S. to be represented well and set us up for success in 2030, 2034 and beyond,” Smith said. “And once we get there, there’s no limits.”