Ski Mountaineering Takes Center Stage in Preparation for 2026 Olympics

Europeans dominated last weekend's Ski Mountaineering races, the fifth stop of the 2024/25 ISMF World Cup, held in Bormio, Italy.

An overview of Ski Mountaineering / ISMF Skimo

Ski Mountaineering - SkiMo

Ski Mountaineering ("SkiMo), among the fastest growing winter sports in the world, combines mountain climbing and skiing. This human-powered endurance sport has captured the imagination of athletes throughout the world, and will soon find its way to the Olympic stage. Essentially, the event challenges competitors to climb a set course on back-country skis or by foot, and navigate a series of transitions between climbing vertical pitches and descending on skis.

The format of the events change depending on the race and venue. Formats include Individual Mass Start, Team Competition, Sprint Style, Relay Competition, and Vertical Races. SkiMo tests a collection of an endurance athletes preparation and skills, including fitness, quickly transitioning between climbing and skiing, and downhill skiing ability. The sport, governed by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (“ISMF”), has gained acceptance into the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Ski Mountaineeering Olypic Debut

Europeans dominated last weekend's race, the fifth stop of the 2024/25 ISMF World Cup, held in Bormio, Italy. The site attracted significant attention as Ski Mountaineering will make its Olympic debut at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The ISMF World Cup's next SkiMo event heads to a popular region next week.

The 2025 ISMF World Ski Mountaineering Championships

The best athletes in Ski Mountaineering will be in Morgins, Switzerland, known as The Dents du Midi region, for a major mountain competition from March 2 through March 8. The popular ski mountaineering region, famed for hosting major Ski Mountaineering events in the past, will host the 2025 ISMF World Ski Mountaineering Championships. The region held the 2008 World Ski Mountaineering Championships as well as World Cup events in 2022 and 2023

North American Athletes

The American team, anchored by standout athletes Cam Smith and Griffin Briley, has made impressive moves up the results ladder this season for US SkiMo. Griffin Briley, 19, put up great results in last weekend's ISMF World Cup in Bormio, placing 9th in the Relay and 19th overall in the Sprint race. Briley also showed his dominance in the US, winning the US National Championships 2025 Sprint race at Wasatch Powderkeg.

The SkiMo Canada features team members Aaron Robson and Kylee Toth, who both competed in the recent ISMF World Cup in Bormio. Related Adventure Article

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