BORMIO, Italy — The most striking aspect of ski mountaineering’s Olympic premiere on Thursday was its visual drama. When introducing a somewhat absurd, illogical discipline to the Winter Games — who would choose to trek up a hill on skis in 2026, considering Robert Winterhalder invented the ski lift in 1908? — it’s best done amidst the densest, most pristine, and severe snowstorm Northern Italy had witnessed that month.
“We embrace winter, so I’m fully committed,” remarked 26-year-old American Anna Gibson, quite possibly the most delighted ninth-place competitor in any Olympic event.
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Gibson embraced the challenge, as did several thousand spectators who filled the grandstand near the finish line and lined the course, many brandishing Swiss, French, and even some very damp Spanish flags. (Indeed, Spain, typically a marginal presence at the Winter Games, demonstrates peculiar strength in this particular discipline. A few cheers of Vamos! even echoed through the media center as Ana Alonso Rodriguez secured bronze in the women’s sprint and Oriol Cardona Coll claimed gold in the men’s.)
Provided one didn’t mind getting drenched, and potentially quick-frozen, witnessing these athletes ascend the slope on skis equipped with traction-enhancing skins, maneuver through various obstacles, and then descend, appeared to be quite an enjoyable experience. At the very least, attendees witnessed live competition, unlike those holding tickets for postponed events such as aerials or freeski halfpipe qualifications on Thursday. Is it truly impossible to launch off a ramp and execute flips and twists 50 feet in the air because a bit of snowfall renders it excessively hazardous?
Ski mountaineering — or skimo, as it’s known to insiders — displays no such susceptibility to fragility.
The athletes expressed genuine appreciation, as for those who had dedicated years to the World Cup circuit without the prospect of an Olympic medal, this represented the supreme recognition for a lifetime devoted to a sport that defies conventional logic. A comparable sentiment was shared by athletes who had recently adopted the sport, driven by the desire to reach the Olympics after realizing their prospects in other disciplines were limited.
“Upon learning of its inclusion in the Olympics, I swiftly commenced training,” stated Australia’s Lara Hamilton. “The dream of competing in the Olympics was always present. I simply didn’t succeed in three other sports before finding this one.”
What were the three sports?
“Nordic skiing, the 5,000-meter track event, surfing at one stage, and now skimo,” Hamilton enumerated, having placed last in her heat by almost 20 seconds.
Incidentally, this doesn’t categorize Hamilton as a failure. Rather, it cements her status as a formidable individual. With each Olympic cycle, a multitude of armchair enthusiasts take to social media, speculating about which sport they might master to reach this stage in four years, given sufficient practice. Such individuals, naturally, are engaging in self-deception. Hamilton, in stark contrast, transformed her ambition into reality.
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Furthermore, there’s an intriguing charm in the notion that individuals practically chanced upon skimo and subsequently found themselves competing at the esteemed Olympics.
Consider, for instance, the two American participants from Thursday.
Gibson, a lifelong skier from Wyoming, largely dedicated her athletic journey to track and distance running, even participating in NCAA track championships for the University of Washington. She began skimo just last year. Her inaugural significant race last December, where she partnered with her friend, Cameron Smith, secured her Olympic berth by claiming the North American slot.
And what led Smith to skimo? He was introduced to it a dozen years prior when his sister persuaded him to attempt The Grand Traverse, a two-person backcountry ski race spanning from Crested Butte to Aspen, Colorado.
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“I had no comprehension of what it was or what she was describing,” recounted Smith, whose appearance—an untrimmed red beard and flowing red hair tied in a ponytail—perfectly embodies the type of individual one would hope to encounter needing assistance on a Rocky Mountain backcountry trail. “I became captivated by the means of locomotion.”
Cameron Smith participates in the ski mountaineering event in Bormio, Italy. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
(Dustin Satloff via Getty Images)
This revelation unveiled an entirely new realm, leading him to national championship victories, participation on the World Cup circuit, and even securing his initial podium finish in 2022.
Here they stood, two highly improbable American Olympians, hoping to inspire greater interest in their pursuit, much like they discovered it before its elevation to significance on sport’s grandest platform.
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“It was incredibly gratifying to participate in this historic occasion and help present our sport globally,” expressed Smith, who excels more in distance events than the Olympic sprint, which concludes in under three minutes. “You can sense the enthusiasm everyone shares for skimo. So many individuals labored tirelessly to bring this to fruition. From this point forward, everything we achieve is simply a bonus.”
While Smith and Gibson were far from reaching the final stage, let alone securing a medal, they did progress to the semifinals as “lucky losers.” This designation meant they didn’t place in the top three of their heats but advanced to the subsequent round by being among the three fastest non-qualifiers.
“The most fortunate losers ever, right here!” Gibson exclaimed in an Instagram story they shared after the heats.
Regrettably for the spirited Americans, that marked the conclusion of their journey. As the elite competitors began to face off, it became evident that a select cadre of individuals globally possessed superior mastery of the sport, almost exclusively hailing from Switzerland, France, and Spain.
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“I believe one can sense that skimo is intrinsic to the local culture,” commented Gibson, who, alongside Smith, is set to be a contender in Saturday’s extended mixed relay. “It’s entirely commonplace. It’s thoroughly comprehended here, and the absence of needing to clarify the sport to locals, combined with the awareness of long-standing fans, renders it genuinely extraordinary.”
Without indulging in mixed metaphors, the current query is this: Following its significant debut, is skimo’s trajectory as an Olympic sport ascending or descending?
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Positively, the sport offers a degree of entertainment. The races captivate spectators due to their brevity, typically under three minutes, and the absence of any judging disputes.
Conversely, is there a genuine necessity to incorporate additional Olympic sports merely to provide the Swiss with more medal opportunities? Furthermore, should we truly be extolling a sport where a fundamental component of the competition involves the speed at which one can detach skis from boots to ascend stairs, and then reattach them?
Pertaining to this, I pondered why athletes are obliged to stow the “skins” from their skis—typically in a knapsack—before beginning their descent. It appears that after such strenuous effort, one should simply be permitted to discard them on the ground for collection. A complete squandering of precious seconds. I did, however, commend the resourcefulness of one participant who simply tucked his skins into the front of his pants, which struck me as a genuinely advantageous solution for him. Perhaps he was bound for ski jumping afterwards.
And ultimately, if this were a legitimate mountain sport rather than a mere novelty, wouldn’t Norway excel at it?
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In earnest, it was fascinating to observe a sport so esoteric that the primary inquiry for every athlete revolved around their initial discovery of it. Each of these narratives proves engaging and distinct, and one could discern the profound significance it held for them to impart their experiences to a global audience.
“At last, we have the opportunity to compete in the premier league,” stated Cardona, the recently crowned gold medalist.
Only time will reveal whether skimo retains its place in the Olympics. Yet, 118 years following the invention of the ski lift, an innovation that arguably should have rendered this sport obsolete, it finally experienced its defining moment. It’s never too late for a grand debut.